What Happened at Joel Osteen Church?
by Mathelene
Updated Feb 12, 2024
What Happened at Joel Osteen Church?
At Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston, a terrible incident occurred. A woman, armed with a long gun, went inside the church. She started shooting, hurting two people: a 5-year-old boy and a 57-year-old man. Off-duty officers at the church quickly responded and shot the woman, stopping her. Sadly, the boy was critically injured and taken to the hospital along with the man, who was shot in the leg.
The police chief praised the officers for acting fast, which prevented an even worse situation. It's not clear why the woman did this. She claimed to have a bomb, but the police didn't find any explosives. Joel Osteen, the pastor of the church, expressed his sadness and offered prayers for the victims and their families.
He said that even though bad things happen, they won't let fear stop them from helping others and spreading hope. The governor of Texas also shared his condolences, saying that places of worship are important and should be safe. Despite the scary situation, Osteen is determined to keep serving his congregation and providing comfort during difficult times.
Get ahead with Fresherslive as your trustworthy resource for the latest news and trends, all delivered in a language that's straightforward and easy to grasp. Your quest for reliable information ends here.
Lakewood church
Lakewood Church is a big Christian church in Houston, Texas. Lots of people go there every week, about 45,000 of them. The church meets in a huge building that used to be the Compaq Center. They have services in English and Spanish, with four in English and two in Spanish each week.
The pastor of Lakewood Church is Joel Osteen, and his wife Victoria helps him as the co-pastor. The church has a total of 368 staff members, both full-time and part-time. They all work together to make sure everything runs smoothly and that people who come to the church feel welcome and cared for.
Lakewood Church doesn't belong to a specific denomination, meaning it's not tied to any particular branch of Christianity. Instead, it's open to people from all backgrounds who want to worship together and learn about Jesus.
Who is Joel Osteen?
Joel Scott Osteen is a pastor, which means he leads a church and helps people with their faith. Osteen also appears on television to talk about his beliefs and to share messages of hope and inspiration. Besides his work as a pastor, Osteen is also a businessman and an author. He lives in Houston, Texas.
Osteen is well-known for his weekly TV shows where he talks about his faith and shares stories to encourage others. He has written several books that have become very popular and have sold a lot of copies. People often listen to him because they find his messages comforting and uplifting.
Osteen is associated with something called prosperity theology and the Word of Faith movement. This means he teaches that if you have faith and believe in certain things, good things will happen to you, like being successful or having good health. Some people really like this idea, while others have different opinions about it.
Full Name
Joel Scott Osteen
Birthdate
March 5, 1963
Birthplace
Houston, Texas, United States
Occupation
Pastor, televangelist, businessman, author
Church
Lakewood Church
Role
Senior Pastor
Spouse
Victoria Osteen
Parents
John Osteen (father), Dolores Pilgrim (mother)
Education
Humble High School (graduated in 1981), attended Oral Roberts University (did not graduate)
Joel Osteen Age
As of 2024, Joel Osteen is 60 years old. Joel Osteen was born on March 5, 1963 in Houston, Texas. He grew up with five siblings, and his parents were John Osteen and Dolores Pilgrim. His dad used to be a pastor in the Southern Baptist church. John Osteen started Lakewood Church, where Joel is now the main pastor.
They started the church in a little store where they used to sell animal feed. Joel went to Humble High School in Humble, Texas, and graduated in 1981. After that, he went to Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to study how to work in radio and TV. But he didn't finish his degree.
In 1982, he went back to Houston and started working on Lakewood Church's TV show. For 17 years, he helped produce his dad's sermons on TV until his dad passed away in 1999.
Joel Osteen Career
Joel Osteen became a pastor in 1983 through his father's church and gave his first sermon in 1999. By October of the same year, he became the senior pastor of Lakewood Church. In 2003, Lakewood Church got a new home when it acquired the Compaq Center, where the NBA's Houston Rockets used to play. Osteen's TV program, showcasing the church's weekly services, reached over 100 countries by 2008.
Osteen gained recognition and was named one of Barbara Walters's 10 Most Fascinating People in 2006. He's also known for his inspirational books, with his first book, "Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential," becoming a bestseller in 2004. Osteen focuses on delivering positive messages about God's goodness and living a good life, rather than emphasizing sin and punishment. He believes in teaching simple biblical principles, emphasizing love and a positive attitude.
Osteen and his wife host events like Night of Hope, aimed at spreading inspiration, and they've organized large gatherings like "America's Night of Hope." Additionally, Osteen has collaborated with celebrities like Kanye West for events such as Sunday Service at Lakewood Church.
What Happened at Joel Osteen Church? - FAQs
In a tragic incident, an armed woman opened fire at Lakewood Church, injuring two people, including a child. Off-duty officers intervened and stopped the attacker, resulting in her death.
Lakewood Church is a non-denominational evangelical Christian megachurch located in Houston, Texas. It is one of the largest congregations in the United States, with an average of about 45,000 attendees per week.
Joel Osteen is an American pastor, televangelist, businessman, and author based in Houston, Texas. He is the senior pastor of Lakewood Church, one of the largest congregations in the United States.
Joel Osteen was ordained through his father's church in 1983 and preached his first sermon in January 1999. By October of the same year, he became the new senior pastor of Lakewood Church.
Since 2004, Joel Osteen and his wife have hosted Night of Hope events, as well as their annual stadium event called "America's Night of Hope," in the U.S. and around the world.