Thursday, May 12, 2011

Mega Church

Joel Osteen is the leader of the Lakewood Church, a non-denominational group based in Houston, Texas. Famed for being the largest mega church in the US, as well as being massively successful on television, Joel's Osteen's Lakewood is among the most famous congregations in America.
The website I have found is his own personal one, and boasts many links, pictures and resources for visitors.
One of the most interesting things about his site this that it boasts a store - something far more fitting on the site of a band or clothing web page. The store enables Osteen's folllowers to donate, to buy his, his wife's and a selection of other's books, music, and even picture frames, seeminlgy encforcing the so-called culture of McChurches. The idea of a McChurch comes from the idea that some mega churches are more interested in meeting consumer demands and entertainment value, something that is rather clear when browsing the approved Christian music section on the site.

Another interesting point of the site is the very modern and easy to navigate pages dealing with everyday issues, and divided in to sections such as Marriage, Relationships and God. The modernity showed on the site perhaps indicates the willingness of the church to cast any notions of a stuffy, old instituion aside, and to also support Christians in the modern age.

Finally, the most incredible point of the site is the sheer size of the church. It is the largest in the US, and its weekly average attendence is 43,500 people, which is a truly insane amount, and a testament (pun intended) to how popular Christianity remains in modern America.

http://www.joelosteen.com

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