Born on March 5, 1963, in Houston, Texas, Joel Osteen grew up in a Christian family and was raised in the Church of Christ. He became involved in ministry at a young age, serving as a youth pastor and later as the associate pastor at his father's church, Lakewood Church. After his father, John Osteen, passed away in 1999, Joel Osteen took over as the senior pastor of Lakewood Church, which has since grown to become one of the largest Protestant churches in the United States, with a weekly attendance of over 43,000 people.