Life Surge, wealth-building business featuring prominent Christian speakers, sparks concern

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Monday, September 28, 2026

Life Surge, a touring faith-based wealth-building seminar featuring prominent Christian speakers, including Tim Tebow, Candace Cameron Bure and Dr. Ben Carson, has been accused of pressuring attendees to invest tens of thousands of dollars in real estate and stock courses. The business is disputing these accusations, however. 

During the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast featuring reporter Kiera Butler of Mother Jones last week, Tebow's name came up in a discussion about the liberal publication's investigative piece, which prominently features the ESPN college football analyst and former Heisman Trophy winner on its cover art promoting the article about Life Surge. 

The Christian Post reached out to both Tebow and Carson for comment about Life Surge last Friday. In comments to The Associated Press, Tebow said he was “pausing his relationship” with the business and will be looking into the matter.

“The allegations are extremely, extremely serious, and it’s something that we take very serious,” he told the wire service last Friday about how he and his team are responding.

“For us, we’re having our team do an investigation, but also pausing our relationship ‘til we can learn more about the facts to be able to understand more,” he added, noting that he was “kind of caught off guard” by some of the allegations against Life Surge.

Life Surge, which describes itself as one of the fastest-growing businesses in the United States, seeks to teach Christians “how to create and multiply financial resources for kingdom impact.” The flagship one-day live Christian conference attracted more than 117,000 attendees in 2025.

Disappointed participants like Cathy Luebke, who attended a Life Surge event with her husband in Carmel, Indiana, in 2024, told Mother Jones that the company, founded by entrepreneur Joe Johnson, left them in debt.

In the interview, Luebke recalled being shown a stock market investment demonstration and thinking it would be easy.

“They brought people up, and it was this simple method,” Luebke recalled. It looked “super easy, like anybody could do that. So, we kind of talked about it, and it was like, well, maybe it’d be a good idea.”

She said after she signed up for a three-day event, counselors encouraged her to sign up for more courses at a promotional price. Although she and her husband recognized the aggressive marketing, Luebke said they were seduced by the message wrapped in faith.

“My husband and I are very strong Christians, so when you see a product like this, you’re like, ‘well, all right, it’s a hard sell, but, you know, they’re telling us all the good stuff,'” she said, recalling how she was convinced to buy a $20,000 package of investment courses.

The couple was later convinced by in-house financial counselors to borrow $40,000 in interest-free credit cards.

“Once you get into this stock trading,” Luebke said the counselors assured her, “you can have this paid off in a year.”

The couple said they made no money in the stock market and were forced to take out a home equity loan to pay off $20,000 in credit card debt after the interest rate soared.

One of several complaints posted on the Better Business Bureau website called the Christian business a “scam.”

“This So-Called ‘Christian’ [redacted] scammed Me and My Wife Out of $42,000+,” the complaint posted in April said.

“I attended Life Surge in [redacted] expecting solid biblical teaching on faith and godly money management. They featured respected leaders like [redacted] from [redacted], so I trusted them completely. Big [redacted] started with worship that felt uplifting, but quickly became a high-pressure sales trap,” the complaint continued.

“After the cheap 3-day training, they relentlessly pushed expensive mentorship programs, trading software, real estate courses, and investment packages costing tens of thousands. The tactics were manipulative: Don’t miss this God-given opportunity! Act now! Real believers invest!” the commenter warned. “If you're a Christian considering Life Surge, DON'T. Pray hard, research thoroughly, and guard what God has given you. There are honest ways to grow in faith and finances without this… Guard your heart and your wallet. This was not of God.”

Life Surge did not respond to a request for comment from CP on Sept. 25, but in a statement to Mother Jones, the company said that while the complaints are in the minority, they take them seriously.

“Life Surge takes seriously the concerns of any customer who feels their experience did not meet expectations. With more than 3,000 Google reviews, the company has an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars, with 97% of users giving a five-star rating. Life Surge is proud of that record while continuing to look for ways to improve,” the company said.

“Anyone can attend a Life Surge event, often for as little as $20, hear multiple speakers live and in person for a full day, and receive lunch. Even then, attendees who are not fully satisfied are given their money back — even after lunch.”

The company added that it doesn't condone representatives exploiting customers' faith to sell products.

“Suggesting that someone's decision not to purchase a Life Surge program is attributable to the devil would be absolutely unacceptable and contrary to the company's policies, guidelines, and training. Similarly, Life Surge does not train its representatives to pressure customers into borrowing or taking on debt they cannot afford,” the company said.

It further noted that participation in its programs is voluntary and there are no guaranteed results.

“Financing is available to qualified customers who choose to use it, through third-party financing organizations. That decision rests with the customer and the third-party organization, not Life Surge,” the company said. “Enrollment in its educational programs is entirely voluntary.”