Joel Scott Osteen, born March 5, 1963, is an American non-denominational evangelical Christian pastor and televangelist. He is the senior pastor of Lakewood Church, one of the largest evangelical Christian churches in the United States.

In 1982, Joel developed the media department of Lakewood Church with a television program. Then, in 1999, he preached his first message at the invitation of his father. That same year, after his father’s death, he became senior pastor of the church.

In 2013, he said he no longer receives a salary from the church, using only the income from his books to support himself. Joel Osteen was criticized in August 2017 for not offering Lakewood Church as a shelter for Hurricane Harvey victims. Lakewood Church responded that it was because the building was flooded and the church would continue to be a distribution center for those in need. According to Joel Osteen, the doors were opened once it was possible to accommodate people. In 2018, Osteen received an award on behalf of the church from the city’s mayor for raising more than $5 million in rebuilding efforts and helping more than 1,150 families in the area.