The Most Expensive Things Joel Osteen Owns

Unlike an ordinary pastor, Joel Osteen does not live a low-key life. Instead, he's a televangelist who leads a luxurious lifestyle down in Texas. The Christian evangelist has amassed an estimated net worth of $100 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Osteen, who presides over the hugely popular Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, is also a husband, father, and successful author. But Osteen doesn't see anything wrong with all that money he's making.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Osteen explained that he doesn't take any funds from the church and has instead provided for himself and his family through the sale of his books "and other things like that." Although televangelists have earned a reputation for going after people's wallets, Osteen said, "I'm not asking [the audience] for money on television."

When asked if he makes any apologies for his wealth, Osteen was bluntly honest. "I really don't, Oprah, we just feel like this is God's blessings," he opined. "You know, we're big givers, we live what we preach, we've given millions of dollars. ... I don't think there's anything wrong with having a nice place to live and being blessed." Although he also doesn't believe money is the be-all and end-all, the pastor certainly has a collection of material possessions worthy of covetousness. Here's a look at some of the most expensive things Joel Osteen owns.

Joel Osteen isn't one to go bragging about his assets. Sure, he's not ashamed of them, as he once told Oprah Winfrey, but that doesn't mean he's itching to give a virtual tour of his home on social media. However, it seems as though his house may just be something worth seeing. In fact, Osteen's house is high on his list of most expensive possessions.

As CultureMap Houston reported in 2010, the Osteen family owned a home in the Tanglewood neighborhood of Houston, Texas, which was valued at the time at $2.9 million. The house was listed as having some pretty impressive specs. The publication described it as a large "5,600-square-foot, four-bedroom" house. Though, you have to admit, that is arguably pretty modest and small for someone of Osteen's wealth. However, the city's real estate market is no joke and Tanglewood is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Houston, with the median home price falling at about $1.5 million as of 2018. 

As of this writing, it's unknown if the Osteens retain the impressive home, but CultureMap Houston reported that the family did not put their home up for sale upon relocating to another part of Houston in 2010.

Ah, to own two homes. Most people will never own more than one residence, let alone own two homes that are worth millions of dollars — each. But Joel Osteen is no regular person, nor is he a regular pastor. The Texan knows he's been blessed, but it's not until you look at the cost of his second home do you realize just how blessed Osteen really is.

CultureMap Houston reported that Osteen and his family relocated from Tanglewood to a "17,000-square-foot stone mansion in the Tall Timbers subdivision in River Oaks." River Oaks is a neighborhood that's even more expensive than Osteen's former neighborhood. In fact, Houston Business Journal ranked it the most expensive Houston neighborhood in late 2018.

Surely, 17,000 square feet is a lot of space for a family of four, but hey, everything is bigger in Texas. The publication further reported that the mansion sits on nearly two acres and boasts "six bedrooms, six bathrooms, three elevators, and five wood-burning fireplaces, with a one-bedroom guest house and pool house." So what's the cost? "The Harris County Appraisal District valued it at $10.5 million," wrote the publication. No big deal. Pastoring a megachurch sure has a lot of perks, even when you don't take the pastor salary.

Considering Joel Osteen is a pastor who makes so much money and lives in a wealthy neighborhood, he gets a lot of flack for his lifestyle. While most pastors across the United States are not exactly raking in the big bucks and buying multiple homes, Osteen is. He even reportedly owns a yacht — but we'll get back to that in a second.

In 2017, Osteen received a ton of criticism for his initial response to Hurricane Harvey. As Harvey hit Houston hard, many people expected Osteen to lend a helping hand and invite people into his 606,000-square-foot Lakewood Church for shelter. But that wasn't the case, and Osteen was criticized for hesitating before becoming a good Samaritan. As the Houston Chronicle reported, Christian-satire site The Babylon Bee poked fun at the situation and wrote that Osteen was out on his "luxury yacht "S.S. Blessed" to make amends by tossing copies of Your Best Life Now to stranded flood survivors.

Of course, that wasn't true. However, The Washington Post did make mention of an actual yacht belonging to Osteen, citing it and other of his luxury items as one of the reasons Osteen had become "a subject of contempt among Americans, in general."

As someone who appears on television on a weekly basis and also preaches in front of thousands of people live at his Lakewood Church, Joel Osteen knows a thing or two about looking presentable. No, the Houston pastor may not sport Gucci belts and Yeezy sneakers like some other famous pastors, but that doesn't mean he isn't a sucker for nice things. In fact, his entire family likes to shop — and they have some pricey items in their closet.

In an interview with People, Osteen revealed that he often pokes fun at his wife Victoria in his sermons for her shopping habits. Of course, as Joel Osteen's wife and co-pastor, Victoria makes an effort to dress modestly, as she detailed to People, but just because she's covered up doesn't mean she can't look nice. Additionally, Osteen revealed that his wife isn't the only member of his family who likes to spend money on clothes. He revealed his own vice to be high-priced ties. Who knows? Osteen could just have an entire closet filled with designer ties, but considering he wears them on the regular, they may just be a worthy business expense.

With all the fame and fortune that Joel Osteen has accumulated over his years as a pastor at Lakewood Church, and for all of America via television, it's only natural he would find some fun ways to spend his money. For many men, owning a sports car is a dream only realized when they're old enough to afford it, but Osteen can afford as many sports cars as he wants. And, according to reports, he does own some.

Autordee reported that Osteen's garage at his expansive mansion in the Tanglewood neighborhood of Houston "is said" to be filled with nice cars. More specifically, the site claimed that Osteen regularly drive a Ferrari 458 Italia, which is so not your dad's Lexus. Because Osteen isn't necessarily the type to brag, he hasn't posted photos of him in a Ferrari, but it's not outside the realm of possibility. After all, as the Houston Chronicle reported, "An associate pastor at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church" made headlines when he bought "his wife a $200,000 Lamborghini Urus." And that's just an associate pastor. Osteen isn't one to apologize for all his nice things so, who knows, maybe he owns more than a Ferrari, but that's something between him and his garage — or is it God?

Joel Osteen is somewhat old-fashioned when it comes to what he wears to church. Despite running a fairly contemporary non-denominational megachurch, Osteen's opts for a classic style. That's why you'll typically see pastor wearing the same kind of outfit when he preaches: a suit, usually with a tie. Although he keeps it simple, all those suits are bound to add up cost-wise.

As USA Today put it, Osteen's "expensive-looking suits contrast with the biblical directive to eschew wealth and care 'for the least of these.'" One look at Osteen's Instagram page and it becomes clear that this is a man who is rarely caught not wearing a nice suit. Now, he isn't an #influencer, so he's not tagging the brands that he's wearing in his posts, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that those suits aren't off-the-rack from Men's Warehouse. It's not a sin to dress well, but it's probably not off-base to assume that Osteen's wardrobe cost him an arm and a leg.

Due to the rise of social media, there has also been a rise in plastic surgery. Procedures from botox to lip fillers and everything in between has become so commonplace that no one is surprised to learn their favorite Instagram influencer has had work done, too. But are preachers above getting work done? While that may vary from pastor to pastor, Joel Osteen has been honest about his opinions of plastic surgery. 

In a 2007 interview with People, Osteen admitted that he didn't see anything wrong with plastic surgery, saying, "I want to look good!" And according to one specialist, he's staying true to his word as he's reportedly had some work done. "He looks five years younger than he did 11 years ago!" plastic surgeon Dr. Otto Placik, who did not treat Osteen, told The National Enquirer of Osteen's alleged plastic surgery. Placik added that it appeared as though Osteen had a lot of botox and fillers as well as an upper-eyelid tuck. "You couldn't even see his upper eyelid line 12 years ago, and now you can clearly see the upper eyelid skin and crease." So, if he did have plastic surgery, how much did his face cost him? Placik estimated it to be around a whopping $36,000.

One of the most expensive things anyone can own is a private jet. Private jets certainly make life easier for the rich and famous when it comes to travel. Not only does it put an end to squished-in middle seats or bland airline food, but they're also so ridiculously expensive to own and operate. But that's no biggie for Joel Osteen, apparently, as he owns a private jet.

According to Aircraft Compare, Osteen reportedly owns "an $86 million Airbus A19," which is huge as far as these aircrafts go and is one of the priciest jets money can by. Since Osteen travels all over the country to preach, the expense of a jet may feel worth it. Plus, Osteen certainly doesn't think that he needs to be poor to be a good pastor.

In an interview with Piers Morgan, Osteen explained that he was humble, but not ashamed of his wealth. "There is a religious — I call it a spirit or something that says we have to be poor and broke and defeated and sad to show people that we're really humble and that we really love God," he explained. "And I don't believe that. I believe God wants us to be examples of what it means to live for him. And that our money is to be a blessing to others."

It's not all that strange for busy, working adults to have some help at home. Whether it's a housekeeper who comes once a week or a babysitter to watch the kids every now and then, everyone could certainly use some help. But Joel Osteen has more than just help, he has a household staff. Yes, not unlike power couple Kanye West and Kim Kardashian and other celebs who love him, Osteen has a literal team of people helping him run his life and his home.

As Osteen told People in an interview, the family has staff to help with "the cooking, cleaning, and driving," but that's not all. People also reported that Osteen's children have private tutors. All that help has to add up, especially when you take into consideration just how many staff members the Osteen family likely employs.

After all, you could reason that it takes more than one person to keep a 17,000-square-foot home clean, and then there's the lawn, the cars, the errands that need to be run. It's a lot, and Osteen probably spends a good chunk of his money on employing his staff. But whatever it takes to keep a household running smoothly, right?