Preaching positive message is working for Joel Osteen

Preaching positive message

is working for Joel Osteen

The preacher’s kid, taught by his father, also got publicity as a best-selling author.

McClatchy Newspapers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Three things we know about Joel Osteen:

He’s pastor of the country’s largest church, Lakewood in Houston, which has a weekly attendance of 45,000.

Millions more across North America and 100 other countries see him on television each week.

He’s a best-selling author.

Three things observers have said about him:

He’s a superstar of the American religious scene.

He’s a voice of hope.

He’s even the smiling preacher.

Osteen, 44, and his wife, Victoria, spoke in Kansas City last week at a worship service called “A Night of Hope.”

Tuesdays are supposed to be one of Osteen’s two weekly days of rest, but he spoke on a recent Tuesday in a telephone interview from Houston.

Q. How did you find your niche, that of offering hope?

A. It was just who I am. When I started ministering, that is just what came out of me. It feels natural. I’m at my best when I’m giving people hope and encouragement.

Q. Have you always had an upbeat outlook?

A. I grew up positive. I smiled in my baby pictures. When I played ball, I always told my teammates we could beat this team, even if they were bigger. The world needs more happy people. Everybody has difficulties. But we are supposed to be examples for the Lord.

Q. How do you think God prepared you for ministry?

A. God prepared me during those 17 years I edited my father’s sermons (as producer of the late John Osteen’s television program). I would hear them several times. I was getting the stories and Scriptures in me.

Growing up a preacher’s kid, that’s all I’ve known. That had a big part in it, the seed my parents sowed into me and my (five) brothers and sisters and the integrity I saw in my father and the steadfastness.

Q. You have said you are not a theologian and your sermons are not deep in theology. So how do people who come to your church get deeper into the Word of God?

A. I believe God has a plan for each one of us. I wasn’t trained in seminary; I was trained by my father. (Osteen attended one year at Oral Roberts University before leaving to work with his father.) I put a lot of effort into my sermons. Wednesdays through Saturdays I’m getting ready for Sunday.

At the church, Wednesday nights we have Bible study lessons. Plus we have a whole list of classes and seminars. We have a New Beginnings class for people who make decisions for Christ. God didn’t make all of us alike. What I’m called to do is teach people how to live their everyday lives. When we can make the Bible practical, we can help people live abundant lives.

Q. What do you think attracts people to come to hear you at the church and when you come to places like Kansas City?

A. The message is positive and hopeful and relevant. It speaks to the everyday person. You don’t have to come from a religious background. There are a lot of negative things trying to pull people down. I talk about things that can help us in our everyday lives. I make it simple. When I started ministering, I said I want to make sure that the guys I play ball with can understand me, so I try to talk in everyday terms. I don’t assume that everyone is familiar with the Bible stories.

Q. What is the biggest misconception you think people have of you?

A. Perhaps they don’t realize how many people come to know the Lord through my ministry. Everywhere we go, people stand up to receive Christ or re-commit their lives to Christ. People may think that this ministry is not deep enough. But we are reaching new people. A lot of e-mails come in from people who say they had not been in church before they came.

Q. What is your next big ministry goal?

A. I would like to find ways to reach more people. I’m working on getting the program translated into more languages. The overseas outreach is growing. My books have been translated into 30 languages. The first book, “Your Best Life Now,” sold a million copies in Korea. Every week people attend services from other countries. Some tell me they fly in just to attend.

Q. What is a typical week for you?

A. Mondays and Tuesdays I try to take off. Wednesdays I read and study and pray. I have a stack of notes for potential sermons. I get a theme, and once I feel good about a simple thought, I read and find stories on that. I get up real early and write my sermon on Thursdays. Fridays I finish writing it and take three hours to go over it. I really get it down in me. Saturday I study it for several hours and finish getting it down in me. I have a real good memory. I rest Saturday afternoon before the Saturday night service, and I also preach two Sunday morning services. Sunday afternoon I edit the sermon for the television broadcast. I’m just used to doing that. That’s how I started.

XOn the Web: joelosteen.com