Life Surge CEO Joe Johnson’s Journey From Bankruptcy to a Mission of Hope
Americans spend 42.5 years of their lives at work, and most people spend just one day a week talking about their faith, according to the Christian empowerment movement Life Surge. Life Surge founder Joe Johnson is working to change that, one soul at a time.
Johnson believes in living and leading by example — and that involves not “putting a divide between Sunday and Monday.” Faith is a full-time way of life for Johnson and his Life Surge family.
While he now stands at the helm of America’s fastest-growing Christian business, his path to success was far from linear. He grew up in a missionary family in Brazil, but at the tender age of 21, he found himself drowning in a staggering $330,000 debt after his landscaping venture crumbled. This pivotal moment, however, became the catalyst for his life’s true calling.
“Because of that journey and because of that sort of trauma, it really shifted my focus and my thinking for the marketplace,” Johnson recalls.
For nearly three decades, Johnson yearned to help others bridge the gap between faith and commerce. “Going back 27 years now, I [had] a desire to really help people serve your life God’s way, specifically in the area of business and making a faith and business connection,” he explains.
Changing Lives With Faith and Ambition
Johnson’s humble upbringing instilled in him a unique perspective. “I kind of was poor. And when I moved to the States, I just had a missionary immigrant mentality, and I kind of became an entrepreneur probably because of it,” he reflects. This mindset laid the foundation for his entrepreneurial spirit, ultimately paving the way for Life Surge.
The idea for Life Surge took root about 12 years ago as Johnson sought to address the disconnect he observed between faith and business. “We had people in full-time ministry and people that were outside of the church or had to have regular jobs,” he explains. This realization fueled his desire to create a space where individuals could seamlessly integrate their faith into their professional pursuits.
Today, Life Surge stands as a Christian conduit for those seeking to live their lives in accordance with their faith while achieving financial success. The company’s events and other offerings are designed to inspire, equip, and empower attendees to maximize their resources and leverage them for greater impact.
One of the key pillars of Life Surge’s approach is fostering a sense of community. Johnson firmly believes true transformation occurs when people feel supported and connected to like-minded individuals. “We believe in live and in-person events, not digital events, not Zoom calls, because people, ever since 2020, lack community in a major way,” he asserts.
Life Surge’s Thriving Journey Continues at a Rapid Rate
Johnson’s commitment to creating a tangible sense of belonging has resonated deeply with Life Surge’s audience. In just three years, the company has experienced an impressive 46,000% growth, which speaks to the need for a faith-based approach to business and personal development.
Johnson’s journey from bankruptcy to building a movement has been marked by numerous challenges, but his unwavering faith and determination have propelled him forward. “We focus on hard things,” he declares. “When everybody was leaving the event world for good reason — they had lots of good reasons — and we did exactly the opposite, and we knew it was going to be hard, we still were willing to do it.”
As Life Surge continues to expand its reach, Johnson’s vision remains steadfast: to empower individuals to change the trajectory of their families’ legacies. “It’s not about Life Surge, it’s really about the people who are attending Life Surge and having the opportunity to really change the direction that their family’s headed and really be the one for their family that their legacy is built upon,” he affirms.
“Another guiding philosophy I would say is we talk about this as an organization, but as individuals, that there’s the biblical commandment to be fruitful and multiply, fill the Earth, but we use that in a business setting that we want to be fruitful as individuals — and we’re always multiplying,” Johnson adds.