John Osteen (1921-1999) Lakewood Church, Houston

John Hillery Osteen was an American pastor and founding pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas from its beginning in 1959 until his death in 1999. His television program , John Osteen, ran for 16 years and was broadcast to millions in the USA and nearly 50 countries weekly.

John was born in Paris, Texas. He earned a BA, MA and DrD. degrees from John brown, Northern Baptist Seminary (NBTS) and Oral Roberts University.

According to his biography it was not until 1939 that he began to think seriously about God. Shortly before his 18th birthday he was ordained by a church affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

He served in various churches during the 1940s .
He married and divorced his first wife, Emma Jean Shaffer, while at Central Baptist Church (CBC), Baytown, Texas.

17th September1954 he married Dolores ‘Dodie’ Pilgrim. Their first child Lisa had severe health problems. As a result John’s theological beliefs began to shift and he had ecstatic religious experiences based on what he called ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit’. In 1955 he resigned from his pastorate at CBC. He moved to Hibbard Memorial Baptist Church, Houston Texas but left in 1958

On Mother’s Day,10th May, 1959, he and Dodie started Lakewood Baptist Church in a ‘dusty, abandoned feed store’. The church dropped ‘Baptist’ from its name and became nondenominational.

In the mid 1980s John launched the Lakewood Bible Institute (LBI). He served as LBI’s president until its closure in the late 1980s.

John and Dodie developed Lakewood into a body of approximately 15,000 members with active ministries in televangelism, conferences, missionary support and food distribution

He was author of over 50 books, edited 2 magazines ‘Praise’ and ‘Manna’ and numerous teaching materials and audio tapes.

Dodie wrote* Healed of Cancer* - the story of her miraculous healing from metastaic cancer of the liver after being ‘given up’ by the doctors.

Dodie’s genuine warmth and compassion is one reason Lakewood is called* An Oasis in a troubled world.*

He hosted the weekly 'John Osteen’ television and his son Joel was his television producer. For 16 years they reached millions in the USA and beyond.

Before John’s death in 1999 he had become known as a ‘pastor’s pastor’ and was constantly busy leading conferences and seminars at home and abroad. He had established a great reputation as a fiery preacher, impassioned evangelist and author.

He died, unexpectedly, on 23rd January, 1999 aged 77.

Lakewood, 2011, was the USA’s nation’s largest megachurch.

Today, their youngest son Joel. the ‘smiling preacher’, with wife Victoria, are senior pastors. Lakewood’ Church has regularly 52,000 attendee. Media broadcast has expanded into 200 million households in the USA and an audience on 6 continents, thanks to television and other media.

They are sharing the message of hope found in Jesus with a new generation.

Sources used
Gospel Channel
Lakewood Church History
Wikipedia