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Net Worth Of Joel Osteen 2023

Net Worth Of Joel Osteen

Wondering what is the net worth of Joel Osteen ? Check out here, his net worth, career and more. 

Joel Scott Osteen is a Houston, Texas-based televangelist, pastor and writer. As per the stats available in 2018, the televised sermons of Osteen have attracted more than 10 million views in the US and many more millions of views in about 100 countries in a week. Osteen has also authored several books that have turned best sellers. 

Joel was born on March 5, 1963 in Houston, Texas. His father was a former pastor belonging to the Southern Baptist group, who founded Lakewood Church, of which Osteen is presently the senior pastor.

In 1981, Osteen passed out from a public High School in Humble, Texas and pursued a course in television and radio communications at the Oral Roberts University located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Joel neither got a degree nor attended any divinity school.

How much is the net worth of Joel Osteen?

Joel Osteen’s current net worth is estimated at $100 million.  He is  an American pastor, televangelist, and author, based in Houston, Texas.

Returning to Houston in 1982, Osteen founded the Lakewood Television Program producing the televised sermons of his father for about 17 years till 1999 when his father faced his unexpected death due to a heart attack.

Joel attained immense popularity as the pastor of Houston-based Lakewood Church in Texas. His huge personal wealth and the concept of the ‘prosperity gospel’ he advocated made him a controversial figure.

The megachurch from which he preaches in Houston is a 600,000-square-foot facility with a seating capacity of 17,000. It was earlier a sports stadium. How Joel earned his huge wealth and what he does with his money are intriguing topics. 

Joel Osteen Net Worth: Quick Summary

NameJoel Scott Osteen
Popular NameJoel Osteen
Birth DateMarch 5, 1963
Birth PlaceHouston, Texas, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Career RolesTelevangelist, preacher, pastor and author
ChurchLakewood Church
Position heldSenior Pastor
Years active in profession1999 to present
Net Worth In 2022$100 million
Earning per year$5 million
Official Websitehttps://www.joelosteen.com/
Facebook Accounthttps://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=106009516105438
Twitter Accounthttps://twitter.com/joelosteen
Instagram Accounthttps://www.instagram.com/joelosteen/

Net Worth Of Joel Osteen

As per latest estimates, Joel Osteen has a net worth of $100 million in 2022. Reportedly, Joel has not taken his salary from the Church since 2005. His immense wealth has resulted from his book advances and royalties, speaking fees, calendars and other merchandise.

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In 2010, Joel spent around $10 million on a luxury home in Houston, where he lives at present. Today, the worth of the property is said to be between $14 and $15 million. He too has several expensive properties in Houston and River Oaks.  

Net Worth Of Joel Osteen

Joel’s annual income is around $5 million. The primary income source for Joel is the payouts he receives for his sermons delivered at different venues, churches and his own Church located in Lakewood.

The TV programs of his Church that feature his sermons attract millions of views worldwide and he gets paid for them. Also, estimates show that the annual income of his church is not less than $70 million.

Osteen has also earned from his bestselling books and the TV show roles he played. Osteen landed on a controversy when a plumber discovered cash worth $600K found stacked in between the walls at the place where Joel preaches.

Career Outline of Joel Osteen

Inheriting the Lakewood Church from his father who was a Southern Baptist pastor, Joel also took over the Church’s television ministry.

Eventually, Osteen founded the Lakewood’s television program and produced the TV sermons of his father for around 17 years till 1999 when his father suffered his death due to heart attack.  

Despite lacking a formal religious training, Joel took over the role of his deceased father as the pastor and also became a televangelist. In 2003, Lakewood purchased the Compaq center, the former center of NBA’s Houston Rockets basketball team.

how did joel osteen make his money

The cost of the renovations happening over 15 months was more than $105 million. Over 56,000 people attended the grand inauguration ceremony of the facility and the gathering included distinguished persons like Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House and Rick Perry, the Governor of Texas.   

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In 2006, Joel found a place on Barbara Walters’s list counted among the 10 Most Fascinating People. Within two years, the Church’s weekly services were televised to be viewed from over 100 countries.

By 2008, the church’s weekly service TV stream was being viewed in more than 100 countries. In 2010, Joel and his family got an invitation to attend the Easter breakfast that President Barack Obama hosted at the White House.

Over the years, the broadcast of the Lakewood Church activities have grown immensely wide and popular and can be seen from over 100 countries.

Joel has significantly expanded the TV ministry and the Church around the globe. In a week, the Church is attended by over 50,000 parishioners. On an average, around 7 million people view Osteen’s TV sermons and the number is more than 20 million views per month.   

Though Osteen did not receive any formal education, he developed his preaching skills under his father’s able guidance.

When it comes to preparing for his sermons, it is said Osteen memorizes his speeches and listens his own recorded speech. Osteen says he is focused on teaching the lofty principles of The Bible in a lucid way stressing on positive attitude and love.

Books of Joel Osteen

Joel’s first book titled “Your Best Life Now” came out in 2004. Touted as a book of positive thinking, this book debuted at the top of New York Times Best Seller list retaining its position for around 200 weeks.

Joel’s book and sermons became so popular enabling him to release his “live at your full potential” message on the road selling it out to sports centers on the globe.

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In 2005, Joel’s second book titled “Become A Better You,” sold more than 4 million copies and is said to have earned him more than $13 million in advances as well as royalties.

In 2005, Osteen toured over 15 cities of the U.S. to popularize his book and preach huge crowds in several venues during the tour. Once John McCain said Osteen was his most favorite inspirational honor. During his career, Joel has so far written around 15 books.

Joel’s Osteen’s Controversies

Often Joel Osteen’s writings and sermons invite sharp criticism for popularizing prosperity theology. Otherwise known as prosperity gospel, this is a belief that material gain is divinely willed by God for pious Christians.

On October 14, 2007, there was a 12-minute segment aired on 60 Minutes titled ‘Joel Osteen Answers His Critics”. In this program, Michael Horton, Reformed theologian, told Byron Pitts, the correspondent of CBS News that the message from Osteen was purely a heresy.

how much is joel osteen worth

He too added that “Osteen’s message is that it makes religion about us instead of about God.”

During Hurricane Harvey in August 2017, Osteen was criticized for not providing the 600,000 square foot Lakewood Church as an emergency shelter to accommodate the people displaced due to the storm.

On August 27, 2017, the social media accounts of the Church personnel claimed the church was flooded during the hurricane. Associate Pastor John Gray said, if we could get there, we would open the doors”.

On another post from Church claimed that the pictures taken of the facility free of flooding were taken after the water had lowered.

Later Osteen reverted all the earlier statements from the Church saying “The church has been open from the beginning,” and, we’ve always been open … How this notion got started, that we’re not a shelter and we’re not taking people in is a false narrative.”

This statement contradicted whatever he said earlier as the church would open once other refugee centers were full.

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In 2011, the band The American Dollar sued Osteen for infringing copyright. The case was ruled in favor of Osteen, but the band was asked to amend the case if needed.

Money and Houses of Joel Osteen

Osteen seems to have earned a huge amount of money from his book sales, royalties, public speaking charges, radio show and collections done in the Church.

Per year, he is reported to make an income of over $70 million. When questioned about this huge income, Joel said, individuals must never feel guilty about possessing a huge material wealth.

While claiming that he never takes salary from the Church, he says one must be thankful to God for the wealth acquired.

Along with his wife Victoria Osteen and their children, Osteen lives in a 17,000 square foot mansion in the suburbs of Houston, valued at $14-16 million.

His car collection includes some of the most expensive cars. He too continues to own one another home in Houston worth $3 million besides several other properties.

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