Profile of Joel Osteen on Famous Like Me

Joel Scott Osteen (born March 5, 1963) is the senior pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, North America’s largest and fastest growing church congregation, averaging approximately 30,000 adult attendees every week in 2005. He is also the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, "Your Best Life Now."

Biography

Joel's father, John Osteen, a former Southern Baptist pastor who became charismatic in the late 1950s, founded Lakewood Church on Mother's Day, 1959.

Osteen's father 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 succeeded him on October 3, 1999. Adopting the slogan "Discover the Champion in You," Lakewood was holding six weekly services in a 7,800 seat sanctuary by fall 2004. In July 2005, Lakewood moved to a new facility, the former Compaq Center which can seat over 16,000 at one time.

Joel Osteen is associated with the Word of faith movement in charismatic protestantism.

Joel lives in the Houston area with his wife Victoria and two children, Jonathan and Alexandra. Critics have decried his lifestyle as "lavish" pointing to the fact that he lives in a house valued at over $1 million. Supporters, however, say that his income is largely the result of his book sales. They also state that he declined to take his 2005 annual salary of $174,000 as pastor of the church. He wanted to use the money for other ministries. They also point to the church's charity work, particularly during the aftermath of Tropical Storm Allison. According to Lakewood, the church donated over 1 million dollars to flood victims in one year alone. Osteen also visited several evacuees of Hurricane Katrina housed at the Astrodome.

Before every sermon, Joel (like his father before him) leads his congregation in the following affirmation:

This is my Bible.
I am what it says I am.
I have what it says I have.
I can do what it says I can do.
Today I will be taught the Word of God.
I boldly confess my mind is alert, my heart is receptive.
I will never be the same.
I am about to receive the incorruptible, indestructible, ever-living seed of the Word of God.
I will never be the same.
Never, never, never.
I will never be the same. In Jesus name.
Amen.

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