Our Response - Life Surge - Live Experience

What the Roys Report DIDN'T Report

What The Roys Report DIDN’T Report

The Roys Report claims to offer “investigative journalism that reveals the unvarnished truth.” Unfortunately, this recent story did very little investigation and presented anything but the unvarnished truth.

Before publication, LIFE SURGE invited The Roys Report to fully understand our work. We offered them free admission to a LIFE SURGE seminar. They declined but then accepted. We invited them to attend our Impact Classes. They declined. We welcomed them to visit our headquarters. They declined. We offered interviews with our CEO Joe Johnson and our President Shawn Marcell, which we set up for the event they attended. We even provided a 2,300-word written statement addressing every question in detail, from which very few words were used.

It seems clear that the story The Roys Report wanted to tell was already written before any research was done. Instead of real investigation, they republished dated claims from secular outlets and ignored the verifiable facts we provided.

Context matters. The Roys Report chose to highlight only isolated and negative accounts while ignoring the overwhelming majority of positive ones.

Readers should also understand the outlet behind this piece. Julie Roys and The Roys Report have themselves faced legal and ethical challenges—public lawsuits for defamation, allegations of deceptive practices, and public controversies regarding professional conduct. All of those claims can be found in public court filings and media reports. Whether or not those accusations tell the whole truth about her, they illustrate how selective reporting can distort reality.

That’s precisely what happened here. The story has citations, but it doesn’t have truth.

LIFE SURGE stands by our integrity, our people, and our mission to inspire, train, and equip people to surge their resources and influence for Kingdom impact.

This story, from an organization that claims to conduct “investigative journalism” in order to report the “unvarnished truth,” is deeply disappointing since there was precious little investigation and what it reports isn’t anything like the unvarnished truth.

We offered The Roys Report the opportunity to attend a seminar free of charge. They declined. We offered The Roys Report the opportunity to attend our Impact Classes. They declined. We offered The Roys Report the opportunity to come to our headquarters and attend a staff meeting. They declined. We offered them the chance to interview Joe Johnson and the president of Life Surge. They didn’t respond. [[We offered The Roys Report a 2,367-word response to their questions. They [[ignored it/use 25 words of it.]]

The Roys Report didn’t respond because they already had plannedtheir the story they wanted to tell—not the result of an investigation but rather an unexamined of uncritical regurgitation of old stories reported, erroneously, in secular media.

36% to 53% of small businesses encounter civil suits or threats annually.
43% of all small businesses face the threat of a lawsuit annually.
About 45% of small businesses are currently involved in litigation.
90% of all businesses experience a lawsuit at some point during their lifespan.
The average company handles 37 lawsuits at any given time. For companies with over $1 billion in revenue, the average number of cases being managed is 147.

Here’s the unvarnished truth:

Joe Johnson and some of his businesses have been sued—but Julie Roys has been sued, too. Sadly, in our litigious society, being sued is part of doing business, and sadly the reporter failed to mention that:

Context is important.

The Roys Report knows better than to drop in a story with isolated, negative, unverified accusations, but they did it anyway. If the same standard was applied to Julie Roys and The Roys Report, for instance, then the following factoids would qualify as the “unvarnished truth:” about Julie Roys:

She has been sued for libel and slander. (2018-L-011219, HARVEST BIBLE CHAPEL vs. MAHONEY RYAN, IL Circuit – Cook(LD) First Municipal / City)
She has been accused of running a fake charity and subjecting her supporters to IRS prosecution.
She admitted to an being “entangled in an emotionally dysfunctional relationship” with a young woman in her youth group.
She has been accused of being a “professional liar,” a “deceiver,” “perverted,” “unsaved,” and a “saboteur.”
She has been labeled a “grifter” by a prominent Christian journalist labeled a “grifter.”
She was nominated for “Worst Christian of 2023” by a prominent Christian news site for “scandal-based coverage of popular evangelicalism without regard to broader theological matters and doctrine.”
She was nominated for “Worst Christian of 2023” by a prominent Christian news site for “scandal-based coverage of popular evangelicalism without regard to broader theological matters and doctrine.”
Roys, who according to published reports, “belongs to no church, professes no clear doctrinal standards (in fact she actively obscures what she believes), and spends the money given to her “charity” to scour the internet for dirt on any large ministSheJulie Roys, who according to published reports, “belongs to no church, professes no clear doctrinal standards (in fact she actively obscures what she believes), and spends the money given to her ‘charity’ to scour the internet for dirt on any large ministry,” according to a bombshell exposé.
She has been accused in court documents of making false statements.
She has been accused in legal documents of violating the Illinois Deceptive Trade Practices Act
Her advisory board, according to published reports, consists of “kooky charismatic lady pastor,” “a registered Democrat,” and, according to Roys herself, “a person of color.”
She has been described in multiple court documents as “the bizarro world evil spawn of Janet Mefferd.” (Lamb V. Liberty University, Inc., 6:21cv55, US District Court for the Western District of Virginia, Exhibit 10; Proceeding Number: 161-10. AND Morrill V. Aarhaus Et Al, 1:24cv199, US District Court for the District of Colorado, Exhibit 1; Proceeding Number: 32-2)

All of these are true insofar as they can be found in media and legal records. All of them have the truth so far as it goes. All of them have citations. But do they tell the whole truth? Do they present Julie and The Roys Report as they are? I think Julie would argue that they don’t.

This sloppily, superficially, and carelessly “researched” faux story has citations but not the truth. If you’d like to see our answers to their questions—the answers that The Roys Report didn’t want you to see—you can find them at lifesurge.com/our-response

The Response of Life Surge to the First Set of Questions Posed by The Roys Report

What is the goal of Life Surge?
- Life Surge’s mission is to inspire, train, and equip people to multiply their resources for Kingdom impact around the world.
- Unlike traditional nonprofits, we operate as a for-profit business, preaching the Gospel boldly and achieving massive fruit — 19,935 decisions for Jesus in 12 months — without seeking donations.
What are the Impact Classes, and can someone join without attending an event first?
- Impact Classes are nine-day, highly affordable learning experiences focused on business ownership, real estate, and investing — all for $97 with a money-back guarantee.
- Attendees rave about the classes, and over 1,000 accepted Christ through them this year alone.
- A person doesn’t need to go to a main event first.
Are Life Surge speakers paid exorbitant fees?
- No; many speakers reduce or even donate their fees because they believe deeply in the mission.
- Impact trumps celebrity, with powerful moments often delivered by lesser-known names propelled by genuine passion.
What about the claim that Life Surge is a bait and switch?
- Life Surge emphatically rejects this accusation, backing its value with glowing reviews, radical transparency, and unmatched affordability (tickets from $40 including lunch).
- We over-deliver, providing practical, Christ-centered content and actionable skills that far exceed what’s promised.
Do you encourage people to go into debt to pay for mentoring?
- Absolutely not.
- Though cash payment is preferred, customer demand led to offering independent financing options — which pay Life Surge nothing — ensuring access to ethical, biblically aligned financial growth support without pressure.
Joe Johnson has past business lawsuits. Why trust him?
- As a seasoned entrepreneur, Joe Johnson has faced a few business failures and lawsuits — largely a function of scale, not misconduct.
- He shares his failures openly, holds a 96 percent employee approval rating on Glassdoor, and enjoys broad trust from both customers and employees.
What about the Brian McAdam lawsuit?
- Our company is aware of the litigation currently involving our organization. As a matter of policy, we do not comment on the details of ongoing legal proceedings. We are fully cooperating with the appropriate legal processes and remain confident that the facts will be addressed in the proper forum. We will provide updates only when appropriate and in accordance with legal guidance.
Anything else you want to say?
- Life Surge boldly invites skeptics to “come and see,” offering to cover tickets and open all doors to scrutiny.
- With 19,935 decisions for Christ in a year, strong ratings, and lives changed nationwide, Life Surge’s story is one of radical impact, bold innovation, and transparency — rooted in faith, driven by results.

The statistics cited in the following document were accurate when the document was finalized on July 31, 2025. Since then, statistics like the number of people who have a made a decision for Christ and the amount of money donated to ministries like YouVersion have increased.

The Roys Report Interview with Life Surge Founder, Joe Johnson, and Life Surge President, Shawn Marcell

This is interview was conducted in Grand Rapids, Michigan on September 13, 2025 at a Life Surge seminar.

The Response of Life Surge to the Second Set of Questions Posed by The Roys Report, Part 1

The statistics cited in the following document were accurate when the document was finalized on September 25, 2025. Since then, statistics like the number of people who have a made a decision for Christ and the amount of money donated to ministries like YouVersion have increased.

The Response of Life Surge to the Second Set of Questions Posed by The Roys Report, Part 2

The statistics cited in the following document were accurate when the document was finalized on September 30, 2025. Since then, statistics like the number of people who have a made a decision for Christ and the amount of money donated to ministries like YouVersion have increased.

This document also includes statements from Amy Wolfe, who has criticized Joe Johnson in the media but now affirms Joe’s character and is working with him again.

Fast Facts about Life Surge through the First Three Quarters of 2025.

This document provides key metrics about Life Surge’s performance in the first three quarters of 2025.

Customer Satisfaction by the Numbers

This spreadsheet shows how Life Surge’s ratings on Google Reviews and Trustpilot compares with those of other premier education companies and trusted consumer brands. We chose Google Reviews and Trustpilot because they are third-party sites that enjoy widespread trust.