Joel Scott Hayley Osteen (born March 5, 1963^[2] in Houston, Texas) is the senior pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, North America’s largest^[3] and 2006's fastest growing church,^[4] averaging more than 47,000 attendees at weekly services.^[3] He is married to Victoria Osteen, who serves as co-pastor. The Lakewood was formerly the arena of the Houston Rockets and the nearby Interstate has ramps designed especially to bring people to this facility. Osteen credits that design to the act-of-God.^{[citation needed]} Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... March 5 is the 64th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (65th in leap years). ... For other uses, see 1963 (disambiguation). ... Houston redirects here. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... Lakewood Church exterior Lakewood Church interior Lakewood Church is a diverse, non-denominational megachurch located in Houston, Texas. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      A pastor is an... For other uses, see Author (disambiguation). ... is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... John Osteen (April 5, 1921 – January 23, 1999) was the first pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas from its beginnings in 1959 until his death in 1999 of a heart attack. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Victoria Osteen is the wife of Joel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church, the largest church in the United States. ... John Osteen (April 5, 1921 – January 23, 1999) was the first pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas from its beginnings in 1959 until his death in 1999 of a heart attack. ... This article is about the day. ... For other uses, see 1963 (disambiguation). ... Houston redirects here. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      A pastor is an... Lakewood Church exterior Lakewood Church interior Lakewood Church is a diverse, non-denominational megachurch located in Houston, Texas. ... Houston redirects here. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... North America North America is a continent [1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... Victoria Osteen is the wife of Joel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church, the largest church in the United States. ... The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. ...

Joel Osteen was featured as one of Barbara Walters' "10 Most Fascinating People of 2006"^[5] and was named "Most Influential Christian in America" in 2006 by churchreport.com^[6] He is also the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, Your Best Life Now. It reached the top of the New York Times bestseller list, and has sold more than four million copies since its release in October 2004. The book is available in 19 languages. His television ministry is the most watched inspirational program in the United States. Barbara Jill Walters[1] (born September 25, 1929[2]) is an American journalist, writer and media personality who has been a regular fixture on morning television shows (Today and The View), an evening news magazine (20/20), and on The ABC Evening News as the first female evening news anchor. ... The New York Times Best Seller List is a weekly chart in The New York Times newspaper that keeps track of the best-selling books of the week. ... Your Best Life Now is a bestselling book by Joel Osteen, the pastor of Lakewood Church - the largest church in the United States. ... The New York Times bestseller list is a weekly chart in The New York Times newspaper that keeps track of the best-selling books of the week. ... October 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December See also: October 2004 in sports Events Deaths in October • 29 HRH Princess Alice • 25 John Peel • 24 James Cardinal Hickey • 23 Robert Merrill • 19 Paul Nitze • 18 K. M. Veerappan • 16 Pierre Salinger • 10 Christopher...

His second book, Become a Better You, was released in October 2007 with a first printing of three million copies.^[7] October 2007 is the tenth month of that year. ...

Biography

Osteen married Victoria L. Iloff on 4 April 1987.^[8] They have two children, Jonathan and Alexandra. Joel, son of John and Dodie Osteen, is one of six children. His elder siblings, Paul, Lisa, Tamara and his younger sister April, are also involved in full-time ministry.^[9] Joel's half-brother, Justin, does missionary work out of New York,^[10] is his father's son from his first marriage which ended in a divorce.^{[citation needed]} 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.^[11] 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.^[10] He died of a heart attack in 1999. Victoria Osteen is the wife of Joel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church, the largest church in the United States. ... is the 94th day of the year (95th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... John Osteen (April 5, 1921 – January 23, 1999) was the first pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas from its beginnings in 1959 until his death in 1999 of a heart attack. ... The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a United States-based Christian denomination that consists of numerous agencies including six seminaries, two mission boards and a variety of other organizations such as: the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, which can act for the SBC ad interim between annual meetings... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The charismatic movement began... Lakewood Church exterior Lakewood Church interior Lakewood Church is a diverse, non-denominational megachurch located in Houston, Texas. ... This article is about several worldwide days celebrating motherhood. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Relation to other religions Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      A... This article is about the year. ...

Joel attended Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma but dropped out. After 17 years with his father producing the church's television program, Joel succeeded his father on October 3, 1999 as pastor of Lakewood Church. Joel had only preached once in his life, the week before his father's death.^[10] Today, Lakewood Church services, led by Pastor Osteen, are seen in over 100 nations around the world.^[12] Joel Osteen's first book, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential, was released in October 2004. Soon after publication, it was ranked at the top of the New York Times Bestseller's list and continues to be among the top 10 best selling books (as of May 28, 2006).^{[citation needed]} As well as being the center of several print and television news stories, Osteen was featured as the cover story of Texas Monthly Magazine in August 2005.^[13] In December 2006, he was named one of the year's "Ten Most Fascinating People" by Barbara Walters.^[14] Oral Roberts University or ORU, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a charismatic Christian university with an enrollment of about 5,300 students from most US states along with a number of international students. ... For other uses, see Oklahoma (disambiguation). ... is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... is the 148th day of the year (149th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Presently, Osteen and several Lakewood Church team members travel across the nation, presenting programs in large stadiums to a paying public. The event titled "A Night of Hope," includes worship music led by Lakewood Church Music leaders Cindy Cruse Ratcliff, Israel Houghton, Steven Crawford and Da'dra Greathouse as well as a sermon from Pastor Osteen. In 2007, the tour expanded to include stops in several other countries, including Canada, England, Northern Ireland and Israel.^[15]. Osteen released his second book, entitled Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day in October 2007 under Simon & Schuster publishing, which has also topped the New York Times Best Sellers List.^[16][17] Osteen told Larry King the new book will focus more on relationships and not getting stuck where we are in life. "Just my basic message of becoming all God's created you to be," he added.^[18] Jean-François Millet Le Semeur (The Sower) Simon & Schuster logo, circa 1961. ...

Preaching Style

Osteen says that he chooses to focus on the goodness of God rather than sin.^[19] In answer to questions raised over why he does not include many Bible verses in his books, he says that he sees himself as more of a life coach, and thinks that there are probably others better qualified, or more gifted for explaining Bible verses. Osteen continued on to explain that he tries to teach Biblical principles in a simple way, emphasizing the power of love and a positive attitude. ^[20] The Tetragrammaton in Phoenician (1100 BC to 300 CE), Aramaic (10th Century BC to 0) and modern Hebrew scripts. ... For other uses, see Sin (disambiguation). ...

See Also

• Christianity
• Word Faith
• Charismatic movement
• Pentecostalism
• Faith Healing
• Glossolalia

Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... The Word of Faith movement or word-faith theology developed in the latter half of the 20th century in mainly Pentecostal and Charismatic churches. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The charismatic movement began... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Relation to other religions Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Athanasius · Augustine · Constantine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas Calvin · Luther · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Pentecostal... Faith healing is the use of supernatural or spiritual intervention to cure disease. ... Tongues redirects here. ...

References

1. ^ Obituary: Pastor John H. Osteen. Houston Chronicle (1999-01-26). Retrieved on 2007-11-12.
2. ^ Joel Birthday-1963-March-05. Retrieved on 2007-May-08.
3. ^ ^{a b} 100 Largest US Churches - 2007. Outreach Magazine.com
4. ^ Vaughan, Dr. John N. 100 Fastest Growing US Churches, 2006. Outreach Magazine.com.
5. ^ The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2006 abcnews.com 12 December 2006.
6. ^ The Church Report. Jan 07: The 50 Most Influential Christians in America January 2007.
7. ^ Garrett, Lynn. New Osteen Book at Three Million. Publisher's Weekly. 13 April 2007.
8. ^ Rootsweb.com Vital Records - Harris County, TX - Marriage 1987
9. ^ Osteen, Dodie. "Choosing Life: One Day At A Time." New York: Free Press, 2001
10. ^ ^{a b c} Mathieu, Jennifer. Power House. HoustonPress News. 4 April 2002
11. ^ Christ Notes, Joel Osteen Books and Ministry
12. ^ Lakewood Church, Joel Osteen Ministries. About Pastors Joel & Victoria
13. ^ Texas Monthly Magazine, ""Texas Monthly Article.
14. ^ Kwon, Lillian. ChristianPost.com. Joel Osteen Dubbed 'Most Fascinating'. 11 December 2006.
15. ^ Joel Osteen Ministries Events
16. ^ SimonSays.com
17. ^ New York Times Bestseller List
18. ^ CNN Larry King Live: Interview With Joel and Victoria Osteen. 11 December 2006.
19. ^ Fox News on Osteen
20. ^ CBSNews.com: Joel Osteen Answers His Critics. 14 October 2007.

This article is about the year. ... is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Official Website of Joel Osteen Ministries
• Official Website of Lakewood Church
• Joel Osteen Biography
• A short article of quotes and various information in relationship to Mr. Osteen