How Much Money Does Lakewood Church Give To Charity
Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church Has Annual Budget of $90 Million: Here's How That Money Is Spent
Pastor Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas has an annual budget of around $xc million, and their last financial year's financial statement reveals how they use the money.
During the financial yr that ended March 31, 2017, the megachurch spent $31.vii meg on its weekly services and programs, co-ordinate to Houston Chronicle, which further says $6.vii 1000000 was spent on the church'southward Dark of Hope events, and $25.1 million on its tv ministry.
For general and administrative expenses, the church building used $11.5 1000000, and another $11.9 million for fundraising. And the remaining $1.2 1000000 was spent on mission and outreach.
Lakewood is America'due south largest church building, attended by about 50,000 people a calendar week at the former Compaq Middle where the NBA Rockets in one case played, the Chronicle notes in another article. The broadcasts of its services reach an estimated 10 million U.South. viewers weekly. Its roving monthly Night of Hope events fill stadiums beyond the country at $15 a ticket. On Facebook and Twitter, Osteen has 28 one thousand thousand followers. His 10 books, self-assist manuals, have sold more than 8.v million printed copies in the The states alone.
Rich churches often come under criticism and are looked at with suspicion. Responding to Osteen'due south wealth, Carl Trueman, a pastor and professor of church building history at the Westminster Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, told the Relate: "There'southward always the question of how much coin is too much for a pastor to earn ... When yous're looking at his lavish private lifestyle, I'd say that'south as well much."
John Gray, who served as associate pastor at Lakewood under Osteen merely took over the 21,000-member multi-campus Redemption Church in Greenville, South Carolina last month, has earlier responded to criticism of rich church leaders.
"If you work hard and pay your taxes, then you should exist able to live where you lot are able to afford. I think that pastors do take a responsibleness to be wise with the things that they accept," Gray told The Greenville News in Dec 2017. "We likewise understand that the advantage in heaven is a mansion, streets paved with gilt, gates that are made out of precious stones… We also understand God was the one who gifted Solomon with this wisdom, riches and a long life. He did the aforementioned thing with David, and there are times when those who serve God will exist blessed to accept resources. The key is, are they wise with those resources?"
In Dec 2017, Channel 9 conducted a Church Transparency Survey, asking 12 of Charlotte, North Carolina's largest churches to voluntarily provide details of how they spend their coin.
Just three churches — Tiptop Church, Forest Hill Church and Transformation Church building — provided audited financial statements. Two churches — St. Matthew Catholic Church and Liberty Business firm — gave just basic financial details. 6 churches refused to provide any data. These included The Park Church, Primal Church building of God, St. Paul Baptist Church, Calvary Church, Mecklenburg Community Church and Friendship Missionary Baptist Church.
In 2015, Pastor Steven Furtick of the pop Meridian Church in N Carolina told WCCB-TV'southward anchor Morgan Fogarty that Jesus wouldn't want him to reveal how much coin he earns or donates. The interview took place after he received criticism for not disclosing his salary and owning a $ane.7 1000000 mansion.
In 2013, The Christian Post interviewed Osteen and asked him why he doesn't take a salary from Lakewood.
"Victoria and I never dreamed that God would bless us in the way that He has blessed us," he said. "When I wrote my first book, I didn't know if it would sell 1,000 copies or xx,000 copies. Simply it sold millions and millions of copies. Well, we never did any of this for money, only God has blessed the states in such a great way. My dream was always to be able to work here, and serve in the ministry and to not take to take a salary."
He added, "Not everybody can do that, it's non applied. Simply for usa, information technology was of import to me because I don't need to. And I call back information technology's of import to because being in the public eye, there'southward a lot of scrutiny, and people think, well, he'south simply doing it for money. This way I can say I don't do whatever of this for money. God has blest usa in other ways. It's really role of my bulletin in that, you honor God and you stay faithful, you don't know where God'southward going to take you. I don't tell people that God's going to make them rich. Just you don't know how God's going to bless you."
Source: https://www.christianpost.com/news/joel-osteen-lakewood-church-annual-budget-90-million-money-spent.html
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