Joel Osteen is an American and a well-known personality. He is a pastor, and televangelist based in Houston, Texas. As of 2018, Osteen televises sermons that are seen by around 10 million viewers in the United States.
Early Life
Joel Osteen was born on 5th March 1963 in Houston, Texas to his parents John Osteen and Dolores Pilgrim. He is one of the six children born to his parents. His father, who was a former Southern Baptist pastor, founded Lakewood Church in the back of an old feed store. He is currently the senior pastor of that church. Joel did his graduation from Humble High School, which is a small public school situated in the city of Humble, Texas.
He completed his graduation in 1981 and later attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he learned about radio and television communications. But, he didn’t graduate with the same subject. He has not received any kind of degree from divinity school that is usually the trend. In 1982, Joel came back to Houston and founded Lakewood’s television program. He produced the televised sermons of his father which he continued till 1999 for almost 17 years until his father died unexpectedly because of a heart attack.
Joel Osteen Career
He was encouraged by his father many times to preach but he declined. Instead, Joel preferred to work behind the scenes until 17th January 1999. Thereafter, Joel accepted his father’s suggestion and preached his first sermon. Osteen’s father died after six days of a heart attack. It became two weeks after the death of Joel Osteen’s father when Osteen started preaching regularly and later that year, he was given the title of new senior pastor of Lakewood Church on 3rd October 1999. As of 2014, the Lakewood attendance has grown to 43,000.
It took around $105 million and 15 months for renovating the church. The church was added to five stories to complete the capacity. While the grand opening was held in Lakewood’s church in 2005, it was attended by an estimated 56,000 people. Out of the whole population which attended the grand opening, there were Texas Governor Rick Perry and then-House Minority Leader and Future speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
Joel Osteen Biography |
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| Real Name | Joel Scott Osteen |
| Birth Date | 5 March 1963 |
| Age (as of 2024) | 58 Years |
| Birth Place | Houston, Texas, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Pastor, Televangelist, Author |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Sun sign | Pisces |
Physical Statistics |
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| Height | in feet inches – 5’ 11” – in Centimeters – 180 cm |
| Weight | in Kilograms – 76 kg – in Pounds – 167 lbs |
| Shoe Size | 10 (U.S.) |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Eye Color | Blue |
| Body Type | Slim |
Family |
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| Father | John Osteen |
| Mother | Dodie Osteen |
| Sister | Lisa Osteen, April Osteen Simons, Tamara Osteen |
| Brother | Paul Osteen, Justin Osteen |
Qualification/Education |
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| School | Humble High School |
| College | Oral Roberts University |
Relationship Status |
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| Marital Status | Married |
| Who is his wife? | Victoria Osteen |
| Children | Jonathan Osteen, Alexandra Osteen |
Personal Life
Joel Osteen met his wife Victoria when he walked into his mother’s jewelry shop to fix the broken battery of the watch. Two years later, they crossed each other’s path in a store where Victoria worked. They started meeting each other and this is how they married in April 1987. They together share two children, Jonathan and Alexander.
Joel Osteen Net Worth
Osteen along with his family lives in a mansion that is spread over 17,000 square foot ground in River Oaks. The mansion is estimated to be around $10.5 million. Osteen says that as a senior pastor, he draws no salary out of the church. The church, on other hand, is estimated to possess an annual budget of $70 million. He says that he relies on his income from the selling of books. It is estimated that he earns somewhere $70 million each year and also generates income from his best-selling books. He has sold around five books to date. It is also estimated that the couple receives an additional salary of nearly $200,000 annually.
This makes an addition to the lavish lifestyle that is owned by his wife Victoria. His wife Victoria enjoys expensive clothing and a famous collection of purses that is half a million dollars. Joel Osteen earns a net worth of around $100 million. He is famous as pastor of Lakewood Church. He (at once) became one of the controversial topics for the media because of his net worth and personal wealth. His megachurch in Houston is around 600,000 sq. feet and possesses the capacity of holding nearly 17,000 persons.
Trivia
- Osteen is also an author by profession. He has written several best-selling books.
- Joel was enlisted in the top ten most fascinating people’s list of 2006 by Barbara Walters.
- The former presidential candidate John McCain once described Joel Osteen as his favorite inspirational author.
- In 2010, during the presidency of Barack Obama, the Osteen family attended Easter breakfast hosted by the president at the White House.
- According to the sources, Lakewood’s weekly service TV program was viewed in more than 100 countries in 2008.
- It is estimated around 7 million viewers per week watched the services.
