The Rise of Lakewood Church and Joel Osteen

Richard Young is a former educator, businessman, and pastor. The son of a Free Will Baptist pastor, Richard started preaching at fourteen and pastoring at twenty. He comes from a great heritage of preachers and pastors, as there has been a member of his family in the ministry consistently since 1876. Richard has been a writer all of his adult life, writing corporate training manuals and collegiate self-study courses, as well as two textbooks. He has written articles for both Christian and secular magazines and journals. His published biographies include The Rise of Lakewood ChurchandJoel Osteen, The Journey of T. D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer, and Messengers of Healing (the story of Charles and Frances Hunter). Richard received his B. A. and M. S. degrees from Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma. He has completed the coursework for his doctorate in education at Oklahoma State University. He served as vice president of academics at American Christian College and Seminary in Oklahoma City, as well as dean of academics at Oklahoma Junior College. He also was a trainer for Century 21 across the state of Oklahoma. Richard and his wife, Brenda, have been married for more than three decades.