Greg Laurie Teachings

Greg Laurie was born in Long Beach, California. He was raised by a single mother who has had seven marriages. Working as a newspaper delivery man for the Daily Pilot in Los Angeles, CA was Greg Laurie's first job.[1] Laurie was not raised in the Christian faith or a church environment. In 1970, when Laurie was 17 years old, he became a devout Christian at Newport Harbor High School under the ministry of evangelist Lonnie Frisbee.[2][3]

At the age of 19, under the ministry of Calvary Chapel Pastor Chuck Smith, he was given the opportunity to lead a Bible study of 30 people. The church that formed from this group, Harvest Christian Fellowship, has grown to become one of the largest churches in the United States.[4] In 2013, Harvest Christian Fellowship celebrated its 40th anniversary.[5] The church has another dedicated campus in Irvine as well as four satellite campuses (Woodcrest, Eastvale, South Corona and Lahaina, Hawaii) with a congregation of approximately 15,000 people, and also houses more than 80 ministries. Harvest recently merged with a Church in Maui, Hawaii and that Church is now called Harvest Kumulani.[6]

Laurie holds two honorary doctorates from Biola University and Azusa Pacific University. He serves on the board of directors for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association[7] He is also a chaplain for the Newport Beach Police Department.[8] In 2013, Laurie served as the Honorary Chairman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force.

President Donald Trump selected Pastor Laurie as one of several evangelical church leaders to participate in the National Prayer Service hosted at the Washington National Cathedral following the Presidential Inauguration of 2017.[9]

In 2017, Greg Laurie organized a movement entitled “The Year of Good News.” Multiple church leaders signed the letter he penned to initiate the movement.[10] One of the paragraphs of the letter reads, “In a time of fake news, distracting news, divisive news, disorderly news, and, sometimes, depressing news, we—as Christians and as leaders—want to recommit ourselves to making sure that the Good News of Jesus cuts through it all. We call upon Christians in America to make 2017 "The Year of Good News."