Lakewood Church

==History==
[[File:Lakewoodchurch.jpg|thumb|right|Current building in Houston]]
[[File:Joel Osteen Preaching At Lakewood Church.jpg|thumb|upright 0.8|Joel Osteen at Lakewood Church, September 21, 2018]]

Lakewood Church, originally called Lakewood Baptist Church, was founded by [[John Osteen]] and his second wife, Dolores (Dodie) on [[Mother's Day]], May 10, 1959, in a tent. The church then moved to an abandoned [[Fodder|feed store]] in northeast Houston.<ref name="southerncrossroads67">{{cite book |editor-last=Conser Jr |editor-first=Walter H. |editor2=Rodger M. Payne | title =Southern Crossroads:Perspectives on Religion and Culture| publisher =The University Press of Kentucky |year=2008 |pages=67–68 |isbn=978-0-8131-2494-0}}</ref> John was a [[Southern Baptist]] minister, but after experiencing [[baptism in the Holy Spirit]], he founded Lakewood as a church for [[charismaticism|charismatic]] Baptists. The church soon dropped "Baptist" from its name and became [[nondenominational]]. In 1961, John Osteen left the church and was called to missions. Marvin Crow became the pastor in his absence until John returned in 1969. In 1972, Lakewood broke ground for a new building that seated seven hundred people. By 1979, attendance was over five thousand, and the church was becoming prominent among [[Pentecostals]] and charismatics. John and Dodie created and hosted Lakewood's weekly television program, which could be seen in one hundred countries worldwide. On February 15, 1987, a groundbreaking was held for a new eight-thousand–seat sanctuary, which was completed in April 1988. 

Following John Osteen's death on January 23, 1999, his youngest son, [[Joel Osteen]], became the pastor that October.<ref>Phillip Luke Sinitiere, ''Salvation with a Smile: Joel Osteen, Lakewood Church, and American Christianity'', NYU Press, USA, 2015, p. 64</ref>

In 2001, [[Tropical Storm Allison]] caused flooding in the Houston area. Lakewood Church was opened as a shelter to approximately five thousand [[displaced person]]s.<ref name="Denver Post">{{cite news|url=http://www.denverpost.com/2017/08/29/joel-osteen-houston-church-shelter/|title=Joel Osteen's Houston megachurch opens doors as shelter|agency=Associated Press|date=August 29, 2017|work=The Denver Post|access-date=September 6, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Lubbock">{{cite news|url=http://lubbockonline.com/stories/061801/sta_LD0666-7.001.shtml|title=Faithful return to Houston church to worship and to help storm's refugees|date=June 18, 2001|work=Lubbock Avalanche-Journal|agency=Associated Press|access-date=September 6, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Kuzydym">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/08/29/we-were-never-closed-joel-osteens-houston-megachurch-disputes-claims-it-shut-its-doors/|title=Joel Osteen calls claim he shut church doors on Harvey victims 'a false narrative' |last1=Kuzydym|first1=Stephanie|last2=Phillips|first2=Kristine|date=August 30, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=September 6, 2017}}</ref>

Under Joel Osteen, Lakewood's congregation increased almost fivefold.<ref name="msnbc.msn.com">{{cite web| title = Nation's largest church opens in stadium| work = NBC News| date = July 16, 2005| url = http://www.nbcnews.com/id/8565629 |access-date=February 25, 2007}}</ref> Attendance increased to thirty thousand &nbsp;weekly, prompting a move from its location at 7317 East Houston Road<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20001018024013/http://lakewood.cc/ Contact Information]." ''Lakewood Church''. October 18, 2000. Retrieved on April 8, 2009.</ref><ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20030623055648/http://lakewood.cc/contactus.htm Contact Us]." ''Lakewood Church''. June 23, 2003.</ref> to a larger facility.<ref name="USA" /> In late 2003, the church signed a long-term lease with the city of Houston to acquire the [[Lakewood Church Central Campus|Compaq Center]], a 29-year-old former sports arena.<ref name="A Sports Arena Gets Religion">{{cite news| title = A Sports Arena Gets Religion| work = The New York Times| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/10/business/10prop.html?ex=1172552400&en=c8cb3279d9f71269&ei=5070 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090424123021/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/10/business/10prop.html?ex=1172552400&en=c8cb3279d9f71269&ei=5070 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 24, 2009 |access-date=February 25, 2007 |first=Terry | last=Pristin |date=March 10, 2004}}</ref>

Lakewood Church relocated to the Compaq Center on July 16, 2005. It is a 16,800-seat facility in southwest downtown Houston along [[U.S. Highway 59 in Texas|U.S. Highway 59]], that has twice the capacity of its former sanctuary.<ref name="USA" /><ref>Lonsway, Brian. “Spiritual Summit.” ''The Houston Journal of Architecture''. 74 (2008): 14–19.</ref> The church was required to pay $11.8 million in rent in advance for the first thirty years of the lease.<ref name="A Sports Arena Gets Religion" /> Lakewood renovated the new campus at an estimated cost of $100 million.{{cn|date=February 2024}}

The church received $15 million after selling the former building to New Light Christian Center Church.<ref>{{cite web|last=Dawson|first=Jennifer|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2005/10/17/daily37.html|title=New life for former Lakewood Church|work=[[Houston Business Journal]]|date=2005-10-17|access-date=2021-03-30}}</ref> On March 31, 2010, the Houston City Council voted 13–2 to sell the property to Lakewood for $7.5 million.<ref>Bradley Olson and Moises Mendoza. "[http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6937849.html City Council OKs sale of ex-Compaq to Lakewood]." ''Houston Chronicle''. March 31, 2010.</ref>

On December 3, 2021, national news services reported that a plumber found cash and checks within a wall behind a toilet that was being repaired. They may have been related to a 2014 incident in which $600,000 in cash and checks disappeared from a safe.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/plumber-finds-cash-checks-loose-toilet-wall-joel-osteens-lakewood-chur-rcna7512?cid=sm_npd_ms_fb_ma|title=Plumber finds cash, checks behind loose toilet in wall at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church|publisher=NBC News}}</ref>

On January 14, 2024, Joel Osteen announced that Lakewood Church had paid off the $100 million dollar loan used to renovate the campus.<ref>{{Citation |title=Lakewood Church Service {{!}} Joel Osteen Live {{!}} January 14th, 2024 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=169ZtgUuEVI |access-date=2024-02-08 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Killelea |first=Eric |title=Tearful Joel Osteen rips up $100M loan on Lakewood Church stage |url=https://www.chron.com/culture/religion/article/joel-osteen-100-million-loan-lakewood-18613448.php |access-date=2024-02-08 |work=Chron |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Briggs |first=Shakari |title=Joel Osteen says he's paid off $100 million debt from Lakewood Church renovations |url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/trending/article/joel-osteen-lakewood-church-100-million-debt-paid-18614617.php |access-date=2024-02-08 |work=Houston Chronicle |language=en}}</ref>

=== Shooting ===
{{main|Lakewood Church shooting}}
On February 11, 2024, a woman with a history of mental health issues, Genesse Ivonne Moreno, accompanied by her 7-year-old son, entered the church between services and began firing an [[AR-15]]. Two off-duty police officers working security returned fire and killed her. Her boy was critically injured with a gunshot to the head during the exchange of gunfire. Another man who was present was wounded in the hip, treated at a local hospital and released.<ref>[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/shooting-joel-osteen-church_n_65c93fdbe4b067c6b73d4836 Woman Firing Rifle Killed By 2 Off-Duty Officers At Joel Osteen's Church, 2 Others Hurt, Police Say], ''[[Huffington  Post]]'', Juan A. Lozano, February 11, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.</ref><ref name="CNN">{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/12/us/joel-osteen-lakewood-church-shooting-monday/index.html| first1 = Christina | last1 = Maxouris | first2 = Lauren | last2 = Mascarenhas | first3 = John | last3 = Miller |title=Shooter at Houston megachurch had lengthy criminal history including weapons charges, police say|publisher=CNN|date=February 12, 2024}}</ref>