Joel Osteen’s megachurch received a $4.4. million Paycheck Protection Plan loan during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Federal data. The loan was disbursed in July of this year.
Earlier this year, Lakewood officials said that they had not applied for a loan through the PPP.
According to a statement from Lakewood spokesperson David Iloff, the church’s PPP loan was used to provide support for the church’s employees.
They claim the church, like many other businesses, was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lakewood’s in-person services were halted due to the pandemic, but were able to resume in October, at 25 percent capacity.
