Lakewood Church

Heather and I visited Lakewood Church in Houston this weekend. I went in not knowing what to expect and trying not to have expectations. I must say I was impressed.
The church reminded me of GCC in several ways:

1. They receive lots of criticism from people who have never experienced a single service
2. They are reaching people that other churches aren't
3. There is an undeniable energy there

A year ago I was probably among the uninformed critics but not any longer. As I have said about GCC many times, "you can't argue with what is working" and this church is the largest in the country (around 47,000 people per weekend). They challenge people to come for a year and see if God doesn't change their life and it is working!

One of the best parts of the experience for me was the diversity. I have never been in a church with the even mixture of races I experienced here.

I respect Joel and Victoria far more after listening to them speak. Many accuse them of presenting a "health and wealth" message and while they do focus more on the positive during the weekends their other events and ministries go deeper and it is obvious as I have learned more about the church.

Millions from all over the world watch their messages on tv or the internet. While I didn't like having a camera in my face (look for us next weekend... no please don't!) I support what they are doing and if I go back will just choose a seat away from the aisle.

An extra bonus in my mind is Joel's (yes we are on a first name basis) brother Paul who is a surgeon and heavily involved in medical missions. Being the largest church in the country with their proximity to the largest medical center in the world they have a huge opportunity and responsibility!

It takes all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people and I love to see the ways God uses different churches!