Osteen repays $4.4 Million in pandemic relief funding

TV televangelist and mega-church pastor Joel Osteen has repaid $4.4 million to the federal government that he received in COVID-19 pandemic loans.

Osteen’s Houston-based Lakewood Church received the funds through the Paycheck Protection Program to cover payroll and other expenses after it was forced to shutter for seven months at the height of the pandemic.

With Osteen estimated to have a net worth of at least $50 million, news of the church receiving funds that were largely sold as being pegged for small businesses prompted widespread attention and criticism for the church, with Osteen’s name trending on social media.

Through it all, church leaders have defended their actions, insisting that none of the funds went to Osteen or his wife, neither of whom is known to receive a salary from Lakewood.

“Like many organizations temporarily shuttered by the pandemic, this loan provided Lakewood Church short-term financial assistance in 2020 ensuring that its approximately 350 employees and their families would continue to receive a paycheck and full health care benefits,” the church said through a spokesperson.

According to the Houston Chronicle, the mega church was one of at least 60 religious institutions across the state that received more than $1 million in loans through the CARES Act.

Based on the parameters of the legislation, churches and nonprofits with fewer than 500 employees were eligible for loans that are forgivable if they are used on basic costs such as payroll or utilities. As the nation’s largest megachurch, Lakewood boasts a staff of 368 full-time and part-time employees.

Also a New York Times best-selling author, Osteen resides in a $15 million mansion in Houston’s River Oaks neighborhood.