Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Megachurch
43,500 weekly attendance
Posted on 08/27/2013 11:53:37 AM PDT by NYer
Megachurch. Two young ladies. Both had left the Catholic Church. Both were now attending “megachurches.” We had a good chat together. I wanted to understand their reasons for why they left the Catholic Church for a megachurch.
Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Megachurch
43,500 weekly attendance
I was at the bank and somehow I got into a spiritual conversation with two Hispanic executives that worked there.
When I asked why they exchanged the Catholic Church for the megachurch, they gave me a number of reasons:
Although these two ladies didn’t articulate it explicitly to me, I could tell that they were very proud of their new churches. I could also discern in them a surprise that I am so “spiritual” and yet I am very excited about being Catholic. They assumed the “with it” people were leaving Catholicism for the bigger and better and deal.
I asked them what they miss about being Catholic. They replied with two answers:
I asked both about the Eucharist: “Don’t you miss the Eucharist?”
This question didn’t phase them one bit. “Oh we still have communion. They pass out little crackers and cups of juice. I like this better because I thought drinking from one big cup is icky. Spreads germs.”
“But in the Catholic Church,” I replied, “we believe that the Eucharist is the real Body and Blood of Jesus?”
I may as well have said, “Don’t you know that there are Martians in my back pocket.” She was unaware that the Catholic Church taught this. No idea.
This, my brothers and sisters, is the crux of the problem. These girls were raised as Catholics, but did not know about the Eucharist. They did not know that the Eucharist is God. They did not understand the Holy Eucharist is the center of the Catholic tradition.
So when they compare our ho-hum Catholic music and pedestrian sermons to snazzy well produced musical productions and highly polished bulleted sermons from handsome professional speakers…where are they going to go?
If they had believed that the Holy Eucharist is truly the Lord Jesus Christ, then they would have stayed. This is the task of the New Evangelization if there is going to be one. Can we communicate the mystery of Eucharist. If we fail in that, everyone is leaving the building.
Godspeed,
Taylor
PS: I don’t mean to suggest that having the Holy Eucharist is an excuse for bad music, bad vestments, bad architecture, and bad sermons. The Eucharist is like a precious diamond. It deserves a platinum setting…not a plastic setting. We can’t say, “Well, we have the Eucharist – so you’re forced to stay and have a miserable experience every Sunday.” We can’t keep the sacraments hostage to mediocracy.
PPS: With 1 billion strong, the Catholic Church is the real megachurch!
Pope Francis at Rio de Janeiro
3 million people
“MegaChurch or Catholic Church?”
A false proposition up front. As if those are the only choices?
Paper or plastic?
This is why I avoid shopping in San Jose. If my city won’t trust me with a plastic bag, why should I trust it with my tax dollars?
Pretty presumptive statement, IMO.
I don't think the Eucharist is the center of reasoning for Catholics leaving the church.
I think it centers more around what people perceive as the truth
Is Mr. Osteen one of those who say you will get rich if you become Christian?
"I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius,
so no one can say that you were baptized in my name."
- 1 Corinthians 1:14-15
The prosperity gospel? I think he strongly infers it but not so much as Swaggart and other such types. I’m not a follower but he is on TV if you care to listen to him.
Following Christ and trying to live in his image... sounds simple. In reality it is a very hard thing to do. It really is easier just to go to a cool musical production every now and then.
Many people forget the value of Apostolic succession. The catholic church is the church founded by Christ and handed to Peter. Every other christian religion is an offshoot of Catholicism.
Having taught Catechism myself I have been shocked by the watered down curriculums taught in many parishes to children. It is tragic when people are not taught the beauty of catholic tradition. Are some of the words of the new missal challenging sure...but they are beautiful in their meaning. A Tale of Two Cities is harder to read than Harry Potter but which is better literature?
Merely acknowledging the eucharist as the body and blood of Christ is not enough. Spending much time discerning the beauty of this great gift both through study and prayer is required. Only through a humble and prayerful approach can the magnitude of it’s redeeming power even be begun to be understood. The eucharist is not the only sacrament that is not understood. How many catholics understand the value of going to a priest for confession?
Catholicism is hard to put into practice and not for those without courage who only seek feel good platitudes. Reforming catholic catechism starting with parents prior to the baptism of their own children is the only answer.
I didn’t realize Swaggart was that. I never even heard that term until the 2000s.
His father sure did. He is more subtle about it.
He claims to know the Gospel (Salvation by Grace alone, through Faith Alone, in Christ Alone) but I have never heard him preach it.
In my Church they spent weeks preparing for the new language changes and explaining the reasons for them.
If “consubstantial” is that difficult, one could seek out assistance. Or simply based on dead reckoning of its placement in the creed figure out it is a more elegant word for “one in being”.
I have yet to meet a single first generation immigrant from Mexico is Catholic. They are evangelical, Jehovah’s Witness, or unchurched.
Who was his father? I never even knew he had one.
If (certain) religious leaders tell their flock that being Christian will make them rich, what happens if they don’t become rich?
Wow, that’s clever.
Except none of those are preachers and none of what you showed is worship.
Nice try though.
Mr. Osteen. :) cant remember his first name.
He was a second tier huckster in the name it and claim it gang.
Joel Osteen purchases Catholicism in time for EasterLAKEWOOD, TX - Joel Osteen Ministries announced this week it has finalized its purchase of the entire Catholic religion which includes all assets, facilities, employees, and intellectual property. The purchase was accomplished using revenues received from corporate sponsors, member donations, and Osteen's book sales.
Osteen announced the purchase to his followers at the Lakewood Church during his weekly nationally televised service saying, "Please join me in welcoming our Catholic brothers and sisters with open arms. A purchase of this magnitude takes tremendous resources so I ask you to help us fund this wonderful acquisition by calling the 800 number at the bottom of your screen and making a generous donation."
In a manner similar to other large industry consolidations, Osteen will immediately begin converting Catholicism to the faster growing non-denominational business model. Changes include the elimination of less profitable Catholic traditions such as communion, confession, the sacraments of marriage, confirmation, and the last rites. Classic holidays with large revenue potential such as Christmas and Easter will be re-branded but not substantially revised until a complete profitability analysis can be performed.
Executives of Osteen Ministries say the Bible will be gradually replaced with Osteen's best-selling book, Your Best Life Now, which is available online and at thousands of retail book outlets worldwide.
Until further evaluation an Osteen Ministries spokesperson said all Catholic employees including Bishops, Cardinals, Priests, and Nuns will gladly be retained by Osteen Ministries and trained for jobs at Osteen's expansive donation call center in Lakewood, Texas.
Most of the Catholic churches will continue to serve as donation collection points but will be equipped with cable broadcast equipment to help increase Osteen's market share of religious television viewers.
Osteen is also reviewing options for key assets like the Vatican which may be converted to a faith-based nostalgic amusement park called CatholicLand.
Talk about nice try. Have you read/recited any of the popular Marian prayers recently? Absolutely abominable idolatry.
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