Joel Osteen

Joel Osteen is the pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, said to be one of North America’s largest churches, averaging around 25,060 weekly attendees in 2004.¹ Lakewood was founded on Mother’s Day 1959 by Joel’s parents, John and Dodie Osteen. The first meeting was held in an abandoned feed store. John Osteen once said, “Great it is to dream the dream, when you stand in youth by the starry stream. But a greater thing is to fight life through, and say at the end, the dream is true.”

The elder Osteen developed Lakewood into a body of approximately 6,000 members with an active television ministry, crusades, conferences, missionary support and food distribution. He died of a heart attack in 1999. Having produced his father's television program for years, Joel Osteen (who had never received formal religious training) suceeded him. Adopting the slogan Discover the Champion in You, by fall 2004 Lakewood was holding six weekly services in a 7,800 seat sanctuary.

After a process involving much litigation, in late 2003 Lakewood Church acquired Compaq Center (former home of the NBA’s Houston Rockets). Following over 70 million dollars in renovation it become the Lakewood International Center, with 16,000 seats for Lakewood’s services and a media department for Joel Osteen Ministries.

Osteen lives in the Houston area with his wife Victoria and two children, Jonathan and Alexandra.

Contents

1 See also 2 Source 3 External links 3.1 TV coverage

See also

• Bible
• Televangelist
• List of U.S. Televangelists
• Televangelism
• Lakewood Church

Source

• ¹ Top 100 Churches (in USA) (http://www.outreachmagazine.com/article_archive/unknowndate/article_17.html) - scroll down past article's end for info tables

External links

• "'The Smiling Preacher' Builds on Large Following" -- from the Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A47023-2005Jan29?language=printer)
• Joel Osteen Interview (http://www.cbn.com/700club/profiles/joel%5Fosteen%2Easp)
• Joel Osteen Ministries (http://www.joelosteen.com) Official ministry website featuring Pastor Joel's sermons, broadcast schedule, and more.
• Lakewood Church en Espanol (http://espanol.lakewood.cc)
• Joel Osteen (http://www.christnotes.org/_joel-osteen.asp) Information about Pastor Joel, including a detailed review of his first book, Your Best Life Now.
• Joel Osteen Transforms Compaq Center (http://www.the700club.org/CBNNews/CWN/010904lakewood.asp)

TV coverage

• CNBC on Assignment: God & Money” airs on CNBC at 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 31 (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7346446/)

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