Texas MegaChurch Feeds Multitudes With Gospel Message
by Jim Brown
March 5, 2004
(AgapePress) - The pastor of the largest church in America says "where there's life, victory, and God's blessings, you're going to have crowds."On a typical weekend, 25,000 to 30,000 people show up to attend one of four services at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. Although critics argue that megachurches like Lakewood often water down the gospel and seek to entertain, Pastor Joel Osteen says his ministry is all about the gospel -- and about making lives better.
"You know, I believe it's just God's favor," Osteen says. "We've been focusing on the fact that God is a good God, and we just have a time of celebration and build people up. And I think when people get their needs met, they come out."
And although they are coming out to Lakewood in droves, the pastor says even if the church's services only attracted 100 people each weekend, his preaching would not change. Osteen, who calls his church a "charismatic-evangelical mix," attributes its large following to its television ministry and strong discipleship programs, which help individuals maximize their personal growth.
"One of the main things is you've just got to keep feeding the people good food. It's like a good restaurant -- people keep coming back," he says. "And so we just try to pray and seek the Lord and share exactly what the people need to hear that week."
Yet some question whether the ministry at Lakewood may be emphasizing the good news of the gospel while downplaying the less palatable bad news about man's fallen condition. A recent FoxNews.com article stated that Osteen does not preach on sin.
However, Lakewood's pastor insists that is not the case, and says he has never for a minute watered down the gospel message. He says people leave Lakewood feeling happy because they're taught how they can reach their full potential.
"My goal is always to give them something they can walk away with that they can apply to their practical lives every day. I think that's really helping," Osteen says.
Joel Osteen became senior pastor of Lakewood Church in 1999, after having served alongside his father, founding pastor John Osteen, for 17 years. Founded in 1959, Lakewood Church today has some 25,000 to 30,000 adults in weekly attendance and more than 2,500 children participating in weekly children's programs, while its weekly television programs can now be seen more than 100 million households in the U.S., Canada, and around the world.
