CONTINUING COVERAGE: CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus: Joel Osteen will have online-only church

Osteen’s Lakewood church previously said it would still have in-person congregations despite coronavirus concerns
By Kelcie Willis
March 14, 2020

Soon after it was reported Joel Osteen's megachurch Lakewood would continue to have in-person church services Sunday, leadership has now decided to move online only.

»COMPLETE COVERAGE: CORONAVIRUS

»What is coronavirus? Symptoms, prevention and who is most at risk

"In consideration of today's public health emergency declaration on COVID-19 by Houston Mayor, Sylvester Turner, along with the fact that Lakewood draws such large numbers of international visitors each week, Lakewood's leadership has decided not to hold public services this weekend. Instead, Lakewood will broadcast its services exclusively online," Lakewood Church officials said Wednesday night, KHOU reported.

"While there will be no services held at the church building located at 3700 Southwest Freeway this weekend, we will continue to monitor the situation week by week and hope to resume the assembly in the very near future."

»To protect congregations, many Georgia churches will go online Sunday

"While we apologize for any inconvenience this causes to our members and visitors, we feel that this move is necessary to ensure the well-being of all of the citizens of this great city, especially the most vulnerable among us," an email to church members said, according to The Christian Post.

Services will be broadcast on Lakewood Church and Osteen’s official channels on Facebook and YouTube, the Joel Osteen Ministries App on Roku and AppleTV, and streamed at LakewoodChurch.com. It can also be listened to on SiriusXM Channel 128.

About the Author

Kelcie Willis is a writer and online content producer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Sociology from the University of Georgia. At the AJC, she covers state, regional and national news with the Content Curation Desk.

More Stories