Instagram Joel Osteen and his family.
Joel Osteen is the senior pastor at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, and he will be streaming services throughout Easter weekend. The services will feature the likes of Mariah Carey and Tyler Perry.
The services are scheduled to stream live on Easter Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, and Easter Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET and 12:00 p.m. ET. The services will be streamed on multiple platforms — they are available on the Lakewood Church website, and the church’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Joel is married to his fellow co-pastor, Victoria Osteen, and they have two children together, Jonathan and Alexandra.
Here’s what you need to know about Joel Osteen’s kids and family:
1. Joel Osteen Was Born in Houston to His Father John & Mother ‘Dodie’
Joel was born in Houston, Texas, on March 5, 1963. His father, John Osteen, is the founder of Lakewood Church, and he was the senior pastor until his death in 1999. He also had a television show called John Osteen, which Joel produced.
Joel’s mother, Dolores Pilgrim-Osteen, who is better known as Dodie, worked as a nurse and is the author of If My Heart Could Talk: A story of family, faith and miracles.
In her book, she wrote, “Over the years people have often referred to me as Pastor John Osteen’s wife… now many refer to me as Joel Osteen’s mother. But I’m just Dodie, a lady who loves God and people; and the mother of five wonderful children who all happen to be in full time ministry.”
2. Joel Has Five Siblings, Including His Brother Paul
Joel has four siblings from John and Dodie: Paul, Lisa, Tamara and April. He also has a half-brother Justin from John’s prior marriage. Most of the family is involved in missionary work.
His brother Paul is a vascular surgeon and a medical missionary, as well as a humanitarian. He works in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Paul is taking part in the Easter services, along with Lisa.
Lisa Osteen-Comes is the author of You Are Made for More!, a book that “demonstrates how the greatest adversities you face can become catalysts for positive change, recognizing your purpose, and fulfilling your destiny.”
April Osteen-Simons is a mother of five children, Christiana, Garrison, Savannah, Elliana and Arriella, and she has her own blog.
3. Joel Has Been Married to Victoria Osteen for Over 30 Years
Joel has been married to his wife, Victoria Osteen, for over three decades. Victoria, whose maiden name is Iloff, was born on March 28, 1961, in Huntsville, Alabama.
The two met at a jewelry shop owned by her mother called Iloff Jewelers. Victoria worked there and they met when Joel came in to buy a battery for his watch. The two got married on April 4, 1987.
Victoria founded Lakewood Church Women’s Ministry, where she is the co-pastor. She is a published author, with her first book released in 2008 called Love Your Life: Living Happy, Healthy, and Whole.
4. Joel & Victoria Have Two Children, Including Daughter Alexandra
Joel and Victoria’s daughter, Alexandra Osteen, is 21 years old and a student at the University of Texas at Austin. Alexandra is a very talented singer, and along with her brother Jonathan, she is a part of LYA, a band from Lakewood Church. The band came out with multiple singles in 2016, including Feelin’ and Rush.
The band recently released an EP in 2019 called In the Name, Vol. 1 and their song, I’ve Got a Fire, has over 150,000 streams on Spotify.
5. Their Son, Jonathan, Is Interested in Following in His Father’s Footsteps
Jonathan Osteen is 24 years old, and a University of Texas graduate. Along with his sister Alexandra, he has been a part of Lakewood Church his entire life. Jonathan is a talented musical artist, and has performed at many Lakewood services.
Recently, Jonathan has been doing more with the church. In an interview with ABC 13, he said, “I mean, I was raised here at Lakewood, and I’ll be here the rest of my life. So, it just naturally started to occur that I got more involved and here I am today.”
The musician delivers sermons to youth members at Lakewood Church on Sunday nights.
Jonathan and Joel have a very close relationship, and he posts about his father regularly on social media. In the interview with ABC 13, Jonathan said, “I go downstairs and talk to my dad and say, ‘How do I do this? What would you say here?’ and he’s able to kind of coach me through that. It’s great to have someone with all that experience that I can rely on.”
In his spare time, he likes to hang out with his family and dogs. He said, “I’m not the most exciting person. I love to just hang at home. We just got two new puppies for Christmas, so right now, I’m pretty much spending all my time playing with them in the backyard, spending time with family. I love to go to the movies.”