Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas is arguable the biggest congregation in the nation. The church is housed in the old Compaq Center which used to be the home of the Houston Rockets basketball team. On any given Sunday 40,000 people pack the church to listen to Osteen spew his version of the gospel.
With a following like that one would expect Osteen to earn a hefty paycheck from the church but not a single penny of the church’s money goes to Osteen. All his money comes from his books. His Wikipedia entry lists him as a best-selling author first and a pastor second and his Lakewood Church bookstore is one of the highest-grossing Christian bookstores in America.
Osteen was paid a $12 million advance by Simon & Schuster for his third book “It’s Your Time” which currently has around 850,000 copies in print.
Between Sunday services Osteen sets up shop in the lobby and holds a booksigning.
Do we need a separation of Church and Books?
CNN article: Can Joel Osteen help you pay your bills?
The Joel Osteen Ministries Bookstore