Levi Lusko (born May 7, 1982) is an American evangelical pastor, author, speaker, and church planter based in Kalispell, Montana. He is the founder and lead pastor of Fresh Life Church, a multi-campus ministry he and his wife Jennie started in 2007 with 14 people in a room above a bar in downtown Kalispell.
Today, Fresh Life has campuses across Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming, with a global online audience reaching into the millions. Lusko is best known for his bestselling book Through the Eyes of a Lion, his dynamic preaching style, and his willingness to talk about the hardest things in life, including the death of his five-year-old daughter Lenya, from a public pulpit.
| Personal | |
| Full name | Levi Lusko |
| Born | May 7, 1982, Pueblo, Colorado, USA |
| Age | 44 (as of 2026) |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Jennie Lusko (m. April 16, 2004) |
| Children | Alivia, Lenya (d. 2012), Daisy, Clover, Lennox |
| Parents | Chip Lusko (father); Sky Lusko (mother) |
| Siblings | Daniel, Jesse, Becca, Heidi |
| Education | |
| High School | Hope Christian School, Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| College | Calvary Chapel Bible College, Murrieta, California |
| Further study | One year in York, England |
| Ministry | |
| Title | Founder and Lead Pastor |
| Church | Fresh Life Church |
| Denomination | Non-denominational Evangelical (ARC Churches member) |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Campuses | Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, and online |
| Website | freshlife.church / levilusko.com |
| Career | |
| Books | 10+ titles (adult, children, and devotional) |
| Podcast | Hey! It’s the Luskos (with Jennie Lusko) |
| Net Worth | ~$7–10 million (estimated) |
Levi Lusko’s Early Life and Background
Levi Lusko grew up in a Christian home, which, as he’ll tell you, didn’t automatically make faith easy. He was born in Pueblo, Colorado, and spent his early childhood in Colorado Springs before his family relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico when he was around 11 years old. His father, Chip Lusko, was an assistant pastor at Calvary of Albuquerque, one of the largest churches in the state, under Skip Heitzig. So church was always in the background. But being the pastor’s kid doesn’t mean you take faith seriously. For Levi, it didn’t.
Family and Childhood
The Lusko household was large and grounded in ministry. Levi grew up alongside siblings Daniel, Jesse, Becca, and Heidi. His father Chip’s work at Calvary of Albuquerque meant Levi was constantly around a church culture, but he describes drifting from real faith for much of his early teens. The rituals were familiar. The connection wasn’t.
That changed in the summer of 1997. A lake trip with a church youth group wasn’t supposed to be anything dramatic. But it was the moment Levi says faith clicked from something inherited to something real. He was 15. From that point, what he calls “an irresistible pull toward ministry” started taking shape. He went on overseas missions in 1998, traveling to the slums of the Philippines, Romania, and Nepal. That kind of early exposure to suffering and global need left marks on how he would later preach.
Education
Lusko attended Hope Christian School in Albuquerque, then enrolled at Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta, California, after graduation. He spent a couple of years there before leaving to pursue ministry. He then studied for a year in York, England, rounding out a theological education that was more formation than classroom. It was shaped by doing, not just learning.
Levi Lusko’s Ministry Journey and Career
Before Fresh Life, there were a few stops. After college, at the request of Skip Heitzig, Levi went back to Albuquerque to serve as a youth pastor at Calvary of Albuquerque. He taught weekly Bible studies and led a mission trip to Macedonia. Later he moved to Ocean Hills Church in San Juan Capistrano, California, where he served as teaching pastor and director of student ministries. Both roles sharpened him. Both pushed him toward the thing he was really building toward: a church of his own, in a place nobody expected.
The O2 Experience and Early Evangelistic Work
In 2004, Lusko founded The O2 Experience, a ministry focused on preaching the gospel and the message of sexual purity to young people. The name leaned into the idea of oxygen: something essential to life that people didn’t realize they were missing. It was designed to be participatory, fast-moving, and engaging for a generation that zoned out of traditional programming. The O2 Experience became a launching pad for Lusko’s reputation as a communicator who could hold a young audience’s attention.
Around the same time, he began working with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and contributing to Passion Conferences, chaired by Louie Giglio. He was building connections across the evangelical world while still figuring out where he would plant.
Founding Fresh Life Church in Montana
The idea of planting a church in Montana raised eyebrows among everyone Levi and Jennie talked to. Montana wasn’t exactly a hub for church growth. But that was precisely the point. As Lusko put it, they wanted to “blaze a trail in more of the unknown, somewhere where if it didn’t exist there wouldn’t be that option at all.”
In 2007, Levi and Jennie Lusko moved to Kalispell, Montana, and gathered 14 people in a room above a downtown business. That was Fresh Life Church. The name said it all: life, but fresh. Not religion dressed up in old clothes, but the actual person of Jesus, made accessible to people who had been written off by or who had written off organized faith.
The church grew fast. It outgrew its original space, moved into the Strand Theater, then into The Liberty, another theater in downtown Kalispell. The teaching style was expository — working through books of the Bible with clarity and application. The atmosphere was contemporary. The theology was conservative evangelical. It pulled from the Calvary Chapel tradition Lusko had grown up in.
Fresh Life Church Today
By 2026, Fresh Life has campuses across Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming, and draws roughly 15,000 people weekly across its locations, with a much larger online congregation. The church operates under the Association of Related Churches (ARC) and is part of Craig Groeschel’s Open Network. It produces worship records, hosts podcasts, broadcasts on radio and television, and has become one of the best-known evangelical churches in the American West.
Fresh Life also launched Skull Church, a separate large-scale evangelistic event series designed for a broader audience, often held in arenas and marketed to people who wouldn’t normally attend church. Skull Church became a significant evangelism vehicle for Lusko early in Fresh Life’s story, and he hosted Harvest America events for Greg Laurie, who had become a mentor and advocate for the church from its early days.
Levi Lusko’s Daughter Lenya: What Happened
This is the part of Levi Lusko’s story that most people know first. And it’s worth telling carefully, because it shaped everything that came after.
December 14, 2012. Lusko sat with his daughters on the couch watching news coverage of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Twenty children were killed. He remembers thinking, “How on earth could you possibly plan a funeral for your kindergartener? There’s no way I could do that.” He would find out six days later.
On December 20, 2012, the Lusko family was home doing normal Christmas things. Jennie was in another room wrapping presents. Lenya — their second-oldest daughter, five years old, nicknamed “Lenya Lion” for her fierce personality and wild hair — had an asthma attack. She’d had asthma before. An inhaler didn’t help. A nebulizer treatment didn’t help. Her breathing worsened. Levi began CPR while Jennie called 911.
By the time paramedics arrived, Lenya’s heart had stopped. She died in her father’s arms. She was five years old, and she had been born on September 8 — the same day every year the Luskos now hold in a tension between joy and grief.
We felt like He trusted us with this trial, and there was a sense from the beginning that God didn’t grace us with the pain, but He graced us with the power to go through it. — Levi Lusko
Four days later, on Christmas Eve, Levi Lusko stood in front of his congregation at Fresh Life Church and preached. He told them Lenya was more alive than she had ever been. He told them she was on “a distant shore with Christ.” He did not cancel the service. He did not disappear. He showed up, in the worst week of his life, and preached.
The response was overwhelming. That single act of faith under fire put Lusko on a national platform. He wasn’t looking for it. But what happened in that church on December 24, 2012, became the seed of everything he wrote about suffering, hope, and grief in the years that followed. Lenya’s life, and her death, shaped his entire message.
Levi Lusko’s Wife and Personal Life
Levi and Jennie Lusko married on April 16, 2004. He was 22 years old. They have been partners in marriage and in ministry ever since, co-leading Fresh Life Church together from the beginning. Jennie is not a background figure. She is a bestselling author in her own right, with titles including The Fight to Flourish, The Marriage Devotional (co-written with Levi), and Fresh Mercies Every Day. She also serves in preaching and pastoral leadership at Fresh Life.
Together, they co-host a podcast called Hey! It’s the Luskos, which covers marriage, faith, parenting, and everyday life. It’s one of the more popular Christian couple podcasts in the space, and it captures the kind of honest, accessible tone both of them bring to everything they do.
Levi Lusko’s Children
Levi and Jennie have five children. Their daughters are Alivia, Lenya (who is in heaven), Daisy, and Clover. Their son is Lennox. The family is often mentioned in Lusko’s preaching and books as a living illustration of the faith he talks about publicly, including the ongoing grief and hope that follows Lenya’s death.
Tattoos and Personal Style
One thing that surprises people who don’t know Lusko: he has significant tattoos, including a full sleeve and a skull tattoo on his chest. He’s described them as representing different phases of his life. For a pastor, especially one who operates in conservative evangelical circles, it’s an unusual look. But Lusko has never been interested in fitting the standard pastor mold. The tattoos are part of a broader visual language that says the same thing his preaching does: the gospel is for everyone, and you don’t have to clean yourself up before you’re welcome.
Levi Lusko’s Books
Lusko has written more than ten titles across adult books, children’s books, and devotionals, all published through major Christian imprints including Thomas Nelson. His books sell consistently well and several have appeared on bestseller lists.
Key Adult Books
- Through the Eyes of a Lion: Facing Impossible Pain, Finding Incredible Power (2015) — his most widely read book, written in the wake of Lenya’s death; a theology of suffering that reads like a letter from the middle of the fire
- Swipe Right: The Life-and-Death Power of Sex and Romance (2016) — a frank guide to relationships, dating, and sexuality for a digital-native generation
- I Declare War: Four Keys to Winning the Battle With Yourself (2019) — on overcoming bad habits, negative thinking, and the internal war every person fights
- Take Back Your Life: 40 Days to Think Right So You Can Live Right (2020) — a 40-day mental health and spiritual clarity guide
- The Last Supper on the Moon: NASA’s 1969 Lunar Voyage, Jesus’s Bloody Death, and the Untold Story of the Most Controversial Communion in History (2022) — a deeper historical and theological work than the title suggests
- The Marriage Devotional: 52 Days to Strengthen the Soul of Your Marriage (2023, with Jennie Lusko) — co-written with Jennie; a week-by-week devotional for couples
- Blessed Are the Spiraling — his most recent title, drawing from his own experience of anxiety, burnout, and spiritual dryness
Children’s Books
Lusko has also written a series of children’s books under the Roar Like a Lion brand, aimed at helping young children understand faith, prayer, and the character of God in accessible, illustrated language. These books have sold widely among Christian families and are a direct extension of the legacy he carries from Lenya’s life.
Levi Lusko’s Theology and Ministry Philosophy
Lusko preaches from an evangelical, non-denominational framework. His theology is orthodox: he holds to the inerrancy of Scripture, the Trinity, the exclusivity of Jesus for salvation, the reality of hell, and the literal return of Christ. Fresh Life’s published statement of faith places it squarely in mainstream evangelical Christianity. There is no prosperity theology, no Word of Faith framework, no health-and-wealth gospel.
What Does Fresh Life Church Believe?
Fresh Life Church believes that Scripture is the inspired, inerrant Word of God. It holds to a Trinitarian understanding of God, and teaches that salvation comes through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus alone, not through works or religious effort. The church also affirms the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers, and holds the view that spiritual gifts remain active today. The church’s mission is summarized in their own words: “Knowing God and making Him known.”
Fresh Life operates under the Association of Related Churches (ARC) and is part of Craig Groeschel’s Open Network, connecting it to a broader community of evangelical church planters across North America. It draws from the Calvary Chapel tradition of expository Bible teaching but has a more contemporary, culturally engaged presentation style.
Preaching Style
Lusko preaches in a way that hits fast and stays practical. He uses current culture, personal stories, humor, and pop-culture references to anchor biblical truth, but the theology underneath is serious. He’s as comfortable quoting a movie as he is quoting Paul. The effect is preaching that people who grew up outside the church can actually follow, combined with content that serious believers find substantive.
He preaches at Fresh Life, but also on the road constantly — at Passion Conferences, the Global Leadership Network, Catalyst events, and large-scale outreach events. He hosted Harvest America for Greg Laurie‘s Harvest Ministries, and has spoken at some of the largest gatherings in American evangelicalism.
Levi Lusko’s Influence and Legacy
What Levi Lusko built in Montana wasn’t supposed to work. Montana is not a church-planting hotspot. Kalispell is not Houston or Atlanta. But Fresh Life became proof that you don’t need a major metro to build something that matters. The church has influenced dozens of church planters who looked at what the Luskos did in the mountains and decided to go somewhere similar.
His books, especially Through the Eyes of a Lion, have had a reach that extends far beyond Fresh Life’s campuses. That book circulates in hospice waiting rooms, at grief groups, and in the hands of parents who have lost children. It is not a book about religious theory. It is a book written from inside the worst moment a parent can face, and it reads like one.
Lusko is also part of a generation of church leaders who moved the Calvary Chapel expository tradition into a more contemporary wrapper without losing its substance. He sits alongside figures like Jack Hibbs and others who take biblical teaching seriously while refusing to let the style become a barrier to the message.
His contribution to Christian ministry is harder to quantify in numbers than it is in impact. The 14 people who showed up to that first Fresh Life gathering didn’t know what they were starting. By now, it’s clear.
Criticism and Controversies
Lusko has faced criticism from some conservative evangelical quarters, primarily around his associations with certain megachurch figures. Some critics point to his connections with pastors who have since faced serious moral failures — including Carl Lentz and, to a lesser degree, Steven Furtick — as evidence of poor discernment in who he platforms and endorses. These critiques come from within evangelical Christianity, not from outside it.
Some theology-focused critics have also pointed to his use of The Passion Translation in one of his books as a doctrinal concern, given that translation’s controversies in conservative circles. Lusko has not publicly addressed this criticism in detail.
On the other side, a handful of observers from more progressive Christian backgrounds have noted that Fresh Life’s approach to sexuality and gender is conventionally conservative, which some in his surrounding culture find restrictive. This tension is not unique to Lusko; it sits at the center of most evangelical churches today.
None of these controversies have meaningfully slowed Fresh Life’s growth or Lusko’s influence. His public profile remains strong, and his ministry continues to expand.
Levi Lusko’s Net Worth
Levi Lusko’s net worth is estimated at between $7 million and $10 million. His income comes from his books and royalties, his speaking engagements, media appearances, and his pastoral salary from Fresh Life Church. He uses a formal booking agency, Greg Oliver Agency, for speaking invitations. His speaking fee has not been publicly disclosed.
He is not a prosperity gospel teacher, and his lifestyle does not suggest personal wealth is a driving motivation. His public presence focuses on the gospel, his family, and ministry, not personal accumulation.
Awards and Recognition
- Multiple New York Times and Christian bestseller list appearances for Through the Eyes of a Lion, I Declare War, and other titles
- Regular contributor to Focus on the Family broadcasts and Global Leadership Network summits
- Featured speaker at Passion Conferences alongside Louie Giglio and others
- Hosted Harvest America for Greg Laurie’s Harvest Crusades
- Recognized by Outreach Magazine as one of America’s most influential church leaders
- Fresh Life Church listed among Outreach Magazine’s Top 100 Fastest Growing Churches in the United States
Interesting Facts About Levi Lusko
The first Fresh Life Church gathering in 2007 took place in a room above a downtown Kalispell business, not in a church building. Just 14 people came. One of them now leads a campus.
Lusko preached the Christmas Eve sermon at Fresh Life just four days after his daughter Lenya died. He told the congregation she was “more alive than she has ever been.” Many people made decisions for Christ that night.
He has a full sleeve tattoo and a skull tattoo on his chest — an unusual look for an evangelical megachurch pastor, and one he’s never apologized for. He says the tattoos mark different seasons of his life.
Lusko’s father, Chip Lusko, was an assistant pastor under Skip Heitzig at Calvary of Albuquerque, one of the largest Calvary Chapel churches in the country. Ministry is in his family’s blood going back at least two generations.
He traveled to the Philippines, Romania, and Nepal on missions as a teenager in 1998, less than a year after his faith became real to him at a lake trip with a youth group.
Lenya’s birthday, September 8, is both a joyous and sorrowful day in the Lusko household each year. Levi has spoken publicly about the ongoing grief that lives alongside continued faith.
Levi Lusko Timeline
- 1982Born May 7 in Pueblo, Colorado, to Chip and Sky Lusko
- 1993Family moves from Colorado Springs to Albuquerque, New Mexico; father serves at Calvary of Albuquerque under Skip Heitzig
- 1997Makes personal faith commitment at a lake trip with a church youth group; faith shifts from inherited to personal
- 1998Goes on overseas missions to the Philippines, Romania, and Nepal
- 2000sAttends Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta, California; studies one year in York, England; serves as youth pastor at Calvary of Albuquerque
- 2003Serves as teaching pastor and director of student ministries at Ocean Hills Church, San Juan Capistrano, California
- 2004Marries Jennie Lusko on April 16; founds The O2 Experience evangelism ministry
- 2007Founds Fresh Life Church in Kalispell, Montana, with 14 people in attendance at the first gathering
- 2012Daughter Lenya, age 5, dies of a severe asthma attack on December 20; Lusko preaches the Christmas Eve sermon four days later
- 2015Publishes Through the Eyes of a Lion through Thomas Nelson; becomes a national bestseller
- 2016–2023Publishes Swipe Right, I Declare War, Take Back Your Life, The Last Supper on the Moon, The Marriage Devotional, Roar Like a Lion children’s series, and Blessed Are the Spiraling
- 2026Continues leading Fresh Life Church across multiple states; active speaker at national conferences and evangelical events
Frequently Asked Questions About Levi Lusko
What happened to Levi Lusko’s daughter Lenya?
Lenya Lusko, Levi and Jennie’s second daughter, died on December 20, 2012, from a sudden and severe asthma attack. She was five years old. The family was at home wrapping Christmas presents when the attack began. Despite Levi performing CPR and paramedics responding to a 911 call, Lenya’s heart stopped before she reached the hospital. She died in her father’s arms. Levi preached the Christmas Eve sermon at Fresh Life Church four days later. Her death directly inspired his bestselling book Through the Eyes of a Lion.
What is Levi Lusko known for?
Levi Lusko is known primarily as the founder of Fresh Life Church, as the bestselling author of Through the Eyes of a Lion, and as a dynamic speaker who combines culturally accessible communication with conservative evangelical theology. He is also widely recognized for his public testimony about the death of his daughter Lenya and how his faith carried him through it.
What denomination is Levi Lusko?
Levi Lusko and Fresh Life Church are non-denominational evangelical. The church is a member of the Association of Related Churches (ARC) and Craig Groeschel’s Open Network. Lusko’s theological roots are in the Calvary Chapel tradition, where his father served as a pastor, but Fresh Life operates independently of any formal denomination.
What does Fresh Life Church believe?
Fresh Life Church holds to orthodox evangelical beliefs: the inerrancy of Scripture, the Trinity, salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone, the reality of heaven and hell, the personal visible return of Christ, and the active work of the Holy Spirit through spiritual gifts. The church does not teach prosperity theology or a works-based gospel. Its stated mission is to make Jesus famous and teach the Bible in ways people can understand and apply.
How much does Levi Lusko charge to speak?
Levi Lusko’s speaking fee is not publicly disclosed. He books speaking engagements through the Greg Oliver Agency. Based on his profile and demand, industry estimates for pastors of similar prominence typically range between $10,000 and $25,000 per engagement, but this figure has not been confirmed by Lusko or his team.
What is Levi Lusko’s net worth?
Levi Lusko’s net worth is estimated at $7 to $10 million, based on his book royalties, speaking engagements, pastoral salary, and media presence. He is not associated with prosperity theology, and his public lifestyle does not emphasize personal wealth.
Who is Levi Lusko’s wife?
Levi Lusko’s wife is Jennie Lusko. They married on April 16, 2004. Jennie co-leads Fresh Life Church alongside Levi and is a bestselling author in her own right. Her books include The Fight to Flourish and The Marriage Devotional. She and Levi co-host the podcast Hey! It’s the Luskos.
What are Levi Lusko’s best books?
Lusko’s most widely read book is Through the Eyes of a Lion (2015), written after the death of his daughter Lenya. Other well-known titles include I Declare War, Swipe Right, Take Back Your Life, The Last Supper on the Moon, The Marriage Devotional (with Jennie Lusko), and his latest, Blessed Are the Spiraling. He has also written a children’s series called Roar Like a Lion.
Read Also
- Fresh Life Church: Complete History, Campuses, and What to Expect
- Jennie Lusko Biography
- Skull Church: What It Is and Why Levi Lusko Started It?
- The O2 Experience: Levi Lusko’s Early Ministry to Young People
- Through the Eyes of a Lion Book Review and Summary
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