Craig Groeschel Private Jet: What the FAA Registry Shows for Him and Life.Church

Does Craig Groeschel have a private jet? We could not find one. FAA registry searches on November 6, 2026 for his name and for several versions of Life.Church returned no aircraft, and we found no credible report of a jet he owns.

That is a narrower claim than saying he has never flown privately. This page shows what we searched, why an empty result is not proof, how other megachurch pastors appear in the same registry, and what a charter flight for a speaking trip would cost.

Does Craig Groeschel Have a Private Jet?

Groeschel is the founding pastor of Life.Church, a large multisite church based in Oklahoma. Searches for his private jet are common, but the claims that answer them are unsourced. The pages that say he owns one name no tail number, and a jet claim without a registration cannot be checked.

The Oklahoman, in a July 2024 report, describes Life.Church as based in Edmond, Oklahoma, with Groeschel as its founder and senior pastor, and ranked first on the Outreach 100 list of the largest U.S. congregations for 2023 with average attendance of 85,000.

We ran the FAA’s owner-name search against the person and the church. Here is what each search returned.

Search	Aircraft found
GROESCHEL	0
GROESCHEL CRAIG	0
LIFE CHURCH	0
LIFECHURCH	0
LIFE COVENANT	0

We tried “Life Covenant” in case the church’s legal name differs from its public one.

What We Searched and Why an Empty Result Is Not Proof

An FAA name search finds an aircraft only if the owner’s name is on the registration. Wealthy owners often register through LLCs, trusts or aircraft management companies, so an empty result means there is no public record we can point to. It does not prove no aircraft has ever been used.

Charter flights, fractional shares and jet cards never appear in the registry either, because the operator holds the aircraft and not the passenger. A pastor could fly privately every week and leave no trace in a name search.

Megachurch Pastors and Aircraft: What the Registry Shows for Others

The registry does show church-owned jets for some other well-known pastors. These are from our own FAA searches, and in each case the owner on the record is the church.

• Eagle Mountain International Church, Kenneth Copeland’s church, is the registered owner of a Gulfstream G-V, N1967J. See our Kenneth Copeland private jet page.
• Living Word Christian Center in Forest Park, Illinois, Bill Winston’s church, is the registered owner of a Gulfstream G-IV, N316VB. See Bill Winston’s private jet.
• Joel Osteen: a search for OSTEEN returned only small piston planes owned by unrelated people. See Joel Osteen’s private jet.

The comparison matters because it shows the registry can find a church-owned jet when one exists under a searchable name. For Groeschel and Life.Church, it did not.

What a Charter Like That Would Cost

If a pastor wanted private travel for speaking trips without owning an aircraft, the usual routes are a one-off charter, a jet card or a fractional share. A charter is priced per flight hour, plus fees and positioning, and the amount depends on the aircraft category. Our private jet charter cost guide shows how a quote is built, and the jet card cost page covers prepaid hours.

For the cost of owning an aircraft instead, see the cost of owning a private jet.

How We Checked

On November 6, 2026 we searched the FAA aircraft registry by owner name for GROESCHEL, GROESCHEL CRAIG, LIFE COVENANT, LIFECHURCH and LIFE CHURCH, and read the full result lists. We then searched for press reports of a jet and found none from a credible outlet. A name search cannot see charters, fractional shares, jet cards or aircraft registered under names we did not search.

If you have a tail number documented in a registry filing or by a named news outlet, send it to us and we will check it.

More Celebrity Jets

See the full list on our celebrity private jets hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Craig Groeschel have a private jet?

We found none. FAA owner searches on November 6, 2026 for his name and for Life.Church variants returned no aircraft, and we found no credible report of a jet. An LLC, trust or charter arrangement would not appear in a name search, so this is a record finding.

Does Life.Church own an airplane?

Not that we could find. FAA searches for LIFE CHURCH, LIFECHURCH and LIFE COVENANT returned no aircraft on November 6, 2026. Church aircraft can be registered under other names, so an empty result is not proof.

Which pastors own private jets?

FAA records list church-owned jets for some pastors. Eagle Mountain International Church, Kenneth Copeland's church, owns a Gulfstream G-V (N1967J), and Living Word Christian Center in Illinois, Bill Winston's church, owns a Gulfstream G-IV (N316VB). The owner on both records is the church.

How much does it cost to charter a private jet for a speaking trip?

It depends on the aircraft and the route. Charter is priced per flight hour plus fees, and a light jet costs less than a large-cabin jet. Our private jet charter cost guide explains the pieces of a quote and how to estimate one.

Sources

• The Oklahoman via Yahoo News, Oklahoma-based church named one of the largest in the US, July 3, 2024, https://www.yahoo.com/news/oklahoma-congregation-largest-church-america-110148376.html
• FAA Aircraft Registry, name inquiries for GROESCHEL, GROESCHEL CRAIG, LIFE CHURCH, LIFECHURCH and LIFE COVENANT, checked November 6, 2026, registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry
• FAA Aircraft Registry, name inquiry for OSTEEN and N-number inquiries N1967J and N316VB, checked November 6, 2026