http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_21/b3934001_mz001.htm?c=bwinsidermay13&n=link1&t=emailThere's no shortage of churches in Houston, deep in the heart of the Bible Belt. So it's surprising that the largest one in the city -- and in the entire country -- is tucked away in a depressed corner most Houstonians would never dream of visiting. Yet 30,000 people endure punishing traffic on the narrow roads leading to Lakewood Church every weekend to hear Pastor Joel Osteen deliver upbeat messages of hope. A youthful-looking 42-year-old with a ready smile, he reassures the thousands who show up at each of his five weekend services that "God has a great future in store for you." His services are rousing affairs that often include his wife, Victoria, leading prayers and his mother, Dodie, discussing passages from the Bible.
Osteen is so popular that he has nearly quadrupled attendance since taking over the pulpit from his late father in 1999, winning over believers from other churches as well as throngs of the "unsaved." Many are drawn first by his ubiquitous presence on television. Each week 7 million people catch the slickly produced broadcast of his Sunday sermons on national cable and network channels, for which Lakewood shells out $15 million a year. Adherents often come clutching a copy of Osteen's best-seller, Your Best Life Now, which has sold 2.5 million copies since its publication last fall.
To keep them coming back, Lakewood offers free financial counseling, low-cost bulk food, even a "fidelity group" for men with "sexual addictions." Demand is brisk for the self-help sessions. Angie Mosqueda, 34, who was brought up a Catholic, says she and her husband, Mark, first went to Lakewood in 2000 when they were on the brink of a divorce. Mark even threw her out of the house after she confessed to infidelity. But over time, Lakewood counselors "really helped us to forgive one another and start all over again," she says.
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Especially controversial are leaders like Osteen and the flamboyant Creflo A. Dollar, pastor of World Changers Church International in College Park, Ga., who preach "the prosperity gospel." They endorse material wealth and tell followers that God wants them to be prosperous. In his book, Osteen talks about how his wife, Victoria, a striking blonde who dresses fashionably, wanted to buy a fancy house some years ago, before the money rolled in. He thought it wasn't possible. "But Victoria had more faith," he wrote. "She convinced me we could live in an elegant home...and several years later, it did come to pass." Dollar, too, defends materialistic success. Dubbed "Pass-the-Dollar" by critics, he owns two Rolls Royces (RYCEY ) and travels in a Gulfstream 3 jet. "I practice what I preach, and the Bible says...that God takes pleasure in the prosperity of his servants," says Dollar, 43, nattily attired in French cuffs and a pinstriped suit.
"A One-Stop Christian Destination" http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_21/b3934012_mz001.htm?c=bwinsidermay13&n=link2&t=emailWhile many evangelical pastors focus primarily on caring for their own congregations, Kirbyjon Caldwell has encouraged his Windsor Village United Methodist Church in southwest Houston to become actively involved in improving the surrounding impoverished neighborhoods. Caldwell calls this "taking the sanctuary to the streets."
Over the years, Windsor Village has helped form a number of nonprofit organizations. Its first big initiative came in the mid-'90s, when a community development corporation formed by Caldwell converted an abandoned Kmart (SHLD ) into the "Power Center." This center now houses a private Christian school, Houston's fifth-largest banquet facility, community college classes, a bank, a pharmacy, and hair salon. In all, it employs more than 270 people.
But the Power Center was just the beginning. In 2000, the community development corporation broke ground on Corinthian Pointe, a sprawling subdivision of more than 450 single-family homes targeted at low- to moderate-income individuals. Then this past January, Caldwell unveiled plans for a massive Kingdom Builder's Center (www.kingdombuilders.com), which will include a huge new sanctuary and "family life center" for the church, as well as senior housing, a public school, a YMCA, a retail center, and commercial catfish ponds for the broader community.
Today, Caldwell is one of the nation's most respected black evangelicals. In January, he delivered the benediction at President Bush's inauguration. The pastor recently talked about his ministry with BusinessWeek Boston Bureau Chief William C. Symonds in a small office in the Power Center. Here are edited excerpts from their conversation:
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