Finding quality, ready-to-use ministry resources can drain a church's budget and a pastor's time — especially for smaller congregations without dedicated creative teams. Life.Church Open Network exists to solve that problem by giving away everything: sermon videos, transcripts, kids and youth curriculum, original worship music, editable graphics, small group studies, and operational tools — all completely free, no strings attached.^1
Since 2006, Open Network has served over a million pastors, church planters, and leaders worldwide.^2 The library houses over 100,000 resources spanning every area of church ministry — from Craig Groeschel's full sermon series (available the same weekend they're preached at Life.Church) to complete preschool-through-high-school curriculum, worship setlists, training playbooks, and even a Ministers Tax and Financial Guide from ECFA.^1 Churches can "walk in step" with Life.Church by receiving weekly message videos via Dropbox and aligning their teaching calendar, or simply browse the library and download whatever serves their congregation.^3
What makes Open Network remarkable isn't just the volume — it's the philosophy behind it. When Life.Church faced financial challenges in 2006, they had the opportunity to sell their resources. Instead, they chose what they call "irrational generosity," giving everything away for free. As their About page puts it: "God never intended for us to do this alone."^2 That posture has attracted 45 content partners — including Elevation Church, The Bible Project, Awesome Marriage, Financial Peace University, Hillsong Leadership Network, North Point Ministries, NewSpring Church, Prison Fellowship, The Voice of the Martyrs, and YouVersion — who also contribute free resources through the platform.^4
Beyond downloads, Open Network provides in-depth training videos covering leadership development, guest experience, communications, children's ministry, and more — drawing from Life.Church's 30 years of ministry experience.^2 The platform also connects to free companion tools: Church Online Platform (for livestreaming services), Church Metrics (for tracking attendance and decisions), YouVersion for Your Church (for creating a church profile inside the Bible App), and the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast.^5
Why Christians Love It"We have used the free resources from Life.Church Open Network from day one. ... Being part of a budding church has its challenges, but it has also been unfathomably and amazingly worth it. Throughout all these transitions in our church we have used the resources God has provided through Open Network. The children's curriculum is especially important to us." — Phil Starkey, Ignite Church, NW Oklahoma (started with 8 people in a living room, grew to purchase their first building)^6
"Is the Life.Church Open Network really free? Yes. Being part of the Life.Church Open Network is completely free. There are no dues, no tithes, no percentages, no training fees. You don't even have to give us credit for the resources." — Open Network FAQ^3
Notable- Ministry of Life.Church, led by founding pastor Craig Groeschel — one of the largest Protestant churches in the U.S.^2
- 45 resource partners contributing free content across denominations^4
- ARC (Association of Related Churches) resource partner^7
- Free companion apps: Church Online Platform, Church Metrics, YouVersion for Your Church^5
- Completely free and non-commercial — no membership fees, no required attribution^3
- Resources available in English and Spanish^1
Platform: Web (https://open.life.church) Pricing: Free (no account fees, no hidden costs)
