Where Church Is Big ... Very Big

After the service, some 400 people lined up to visit with the Osteens. An usher had to cut it off. "I've already turned away 100 people," he said. Nearby was a man who said he visited from Idaho with his son who was about to be treated locally for leukemia. Another, A. D. Achilefu, 28, whose father is from Nigeria and has attended Lakewood for eight years, says the congregation is a good glimpse of what heaven will be like: "a big melting pot."

"Osteen is responding to the psychological needs of our culture in a theologically accessible way," says Nathan Carlin, a doctoral student in religion studies at Rice University, who co-authored the recent article in Pastoral Psychology "Joel Osteen as Cultural Selfobject."

"Many preachers tell us that God loves us, but Osteen makes us believe that God loves us. And this is why he is so successful," he says.

It's unclear how much more successful he can be or how much bigger megachurches can get, even in Texas. One sign of success: Despite the economic downturn, Lakewood says they are on par with last year's collections.

"When I was growing up, a church of 1,000 was a big deal," Osteen says. "But you know what, it's just a different day today. I don't know where we will be in 30 years. Will there be churches of 100,000 or will we be meeting in big stadiums? I can't fathom that now, but I don't know." It could come sooner than that. In April 45,000 people filled New York's new Yankee Stadium to hear him speak.