Moldy Peaches

A basketball arena that once packed fans to see the NBA's Houston Rockets is about to take on a new role — home to the largest congregation in the United States. Lakewood Church (in Houston), led by televangelist and best-selling author Joel Osteen, has grown so much in recent years that this weekend it will expand into a new building: the former Compaq Center.

Lakewood, a non-denominational Christian church, recently became the first congregation in the United States with an average weekly attendance of more than 30,000 for its services — and had an average attendance of 32,500 in the first quarter of this year, said John Vaughan of Church Growth Today, an organization that studies megachurches, based in Bolivar, Mo. So, it is official, the Expos were being outdrawn by a non-denominational Christian church. How sad.

Now the Lakewood Church Central Campus will seat 16,000 people, about twice the capacity of its current sanctuary, with parking spaces outside for 8,000 vehicles.

With more elbow room, Lakewood will now reduce its weekend English language services from four to three, though it will continue a weekly Spanish language service.

Critics have sometimes taken Osteen to task for downplaying the sinful nature of humanity and the need for repentance. An article this week in the liberal Protestant magazine The Christian Century calls Osteen an "easy theological target" who turns the language of the Scriptures "into a vague religiosity, or into more digestible categories of self-help and self-improvement."

Lakewood, which first opened in an abandoned Houston feed store in 1959, has grown almost fivefold since Osteen took over the church in 1999, shortly before the death of his father, former pastor John Osteen.

The facility, which took 15 months and about $75 million to complete, features two waterfalls, three gargantuan television screens and a lighting system that rivals those found at rock concerts. No truth to the rumour that Stryper will be playing the opening.

There are two choir lofts with 12 rows of rich purple pews sit between the waterfalls, accented by live foliage. Along with classrooms, the addition includes a chapel, a baptismal area, meeting space for young adults and an entire floor dedicated to the church's television broadcast efforts.

Absent, however, is a cross, an image of God or Jesus Christ or any other traditional religious symbols. Osteen said his father never displayed such symbols and he simply continued the tradition. Instead, the new location will feature a larger version of the church's trademark globe, rotating slowly behind Osteen as he preaches.

As big as the Compaq Center was, it wasn't big enough, and five stories were added on. "Obviously, we needed more room and that is kind of funny," Lakewood spokesman Don Iloff said.

Osteen is viewed by more people than any preacher in the United States, reaching 95% of all households, according to Nielsen Media Research. He is seen nationwide on cable networks including Daystar, USA, Discovery, ABC Family, PAX and Black Entertainment Television. He is also seen in more than 100 countries.

His book, "Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living Your Full Potential" has sold almost 3 million copies and has been on The New York Times' best seller list since its October release. The book was so successful that the 42-year-old pastor — who did not go to seminary and never preached a sermon until a week before his father's death — refused his six-figure church salary this year.

Osteen and his wife, Victoria, said the church's new location, in the heart of the city, will lend itself to even more growth, noting that an estimated 180,000 cars pass by each day. The pastor's vision is to one day preach to 100,000 people each weekend, and Vaughan believes the church will be packed from the start.

Saturday's opening, scheduled to be televised live on Daystar, will feature a short address from Texas Gov. Rick Perry and a televised message from former Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich.

Osteen has said that when a church reaches 80% capacity it's time to start looking for a new place. But where do you go when you're already holding services in a converted basketball arena? One day, joked Osteen's sister, Lisa Comes, "Joel will say 'Well, I guess we've got to move to the (60,000 seat) Astrodome now.'"

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