Joel Osteen Denies Accusations He Closed His Mega Church During Hurricane Harvey

Joel Osteen denied accusations that his Lakewood Church was closed to Harvey relief following the extreme flooding in Houston that has left thousands of people without shelter. To make matters worse, Osteen’s Lakewood Church seats almost 17,000 people and could have provided enormous relief to Houston residents displaced by actual flooding.

In a statement to ABC News, the 54-year-old said that his 16,000-person church will be able to accommodate those displaced “once shelters reach capacity”. “Lakewood’s doors are open and we are receiving anyone who needs shelter”.

The megachurch will also be used as a donation center; it is scheduled to open around noon Tuesday, according to church spokesman (and Joel’s father-in-law) Donald Iloff.

Houston’s @indivisible_usa is acquainted with @JoelOsteen’s Lakewood Church. Lakewood was in communication with the city today and said it would shelter Harvey victims once other shelters are full.

The decision was met with cries to open the doors on social media.

The church previously claimed the building was unsafe for relief efforts due to flooding inside.

Osteen and his staff were criticized in social media for not opening the Lakewood doors sooner. The church is not housing you until the shelters have reached capacity, so as long as there is space at a local shelter, even if getting to said shelter requires a boat, then you are out of luck.

Emily Timbol, a writer from Florida, asked Osteen why he has not opened the church doors to help helpless Houston residents, an action which he can easily do if he wants to. Please join us as we pray for the safety of our Texas friends & family.

Under normal circumstances, the tweets issued by the Lakewood Church and Osteen himself would be unremarkable, given that religious institutions are traditionally known for being charitable during times of hardship.

The church had said on its official Twitter account earlier in the day that it was receiving those who needed shelter, and added that it was collecting diapers, baby food, formula and other supplies.

After widespread criticism, Osteen released a statement, saying the church never closed its doors. The backlash worsened when images appeared to show that the church was not severely affected by the flood.