IN THE EARLIEST DAYS WHEN I KNEW I WOULD BE PREACHING AND HAD THE DESIRE TO PASTOR A CHURCH, I DREAMED OF A CHURCH OF ABOUT 1000 PEOPLE ATTENDING EACH WEEK. 
Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston has an average weekend attendance of 45,000 and an annual budget of $72.6 million. Osteen is one of a new breed of televangelists -- Joyce Meyer, T.D. Jakes, and Creflo Dollar are also rising stars -- who are preaching a less sanctimonious, more inclusive message.
Osteen preaches to more than 15,000 people at a time. Even the Houston Rockets, who have since moved across town, never put as many people in the seats as he does.
Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston has an average weekend attendance of 45,000 and an annual budget of $72.6 million. Osteen is one of a new breed of televangelists -- Joyce Meyer, T.D. Jakes, and Creflo Dollar are also rising stars -- who are preaching a less sanctimonious, more inclusive message.
Osteen preaches to more than 15,000 people at a time. Even the Houston Rockets, who have since moved across town, never put as many people in the seats as he does. Now let us pastors be honest, I would love to preach to that many each week. Oh my, its going to be in the 1000 year reign of Christ if it ever happens for me.
I would need to fill River of Joy Baptist Church building 67 times to have 15,000. Let me see, it would take at the present attendance 10 years to reach 15,000 people. Now let see 45,000 people, this would take..... let's not go there. I do have a sense of humor.
Thomas Road Baptist Church has 15,000 on Sunday's in all their services. That's good. I don't mean to put Jonathan Falwell in the same class with Joel Osteen.
THE SIMPLE TRUTH IS:
Some of us are just not getting the job done. Many of us want to preach to more people, some will do just about anything to get a crowd. But it seems there is no staying power.
We all I believe go to a Hyles Conference, or the Shepherd's Conference, or a Super Conference, and 4The Gospel, or the John Piper conferences, who have I left out? But we pastors (boy that sounds good), and try to get charged up to be better equip for the work of the ministry and the preaching of the Gospel. That is a good thing I believe.
It seems, to get a crowd, and many churches today are doing just that, are trying to de-Christianized the message of Jesus Christ. People don't come to hear the message, they come to hear the rock music. They didn't come to hear Billy Graham, they came to hear all the music before the services.
Maybe the come to hear Joel Osteen, or -- Joyce Meyer, T.D. Jakes, and Creflo Dollar.
Maybe they are coming to hear Chuck Swindoll and John MacArthur, or David Jeremiah. I would hope they are coming because these men are preaching the Word. But they also have good Elder leadership and a great team of ministers who are doing a great job in the the ministry of the local church.
My prayer is that God would lead my spirit to focus on His Word, and to be able to feed the flock, and to love the flock and to lead the flock in a manner that will bring glory to the name of our Lord.
