Faith Bases
WiLLiAM MARTiN REVIEWS OUR PLACES OF WORSHIP
Lakewpod Church,
Servicio en Espaiiol
Houston i December 9,2007
By now, most people who pay attention
to such things know that Houston's Lake-
wood Church, led by Joel Osteen, draws
morethan42.000soulstofourworship ser-
vices every weekend at the former Compaq
Center. But they may not know that nearly
8,000 of those come not to hear "Pastor
Joel" but "Pastor Marcos," the multital-
ented singer-songwriter-author-preacher
Marcos Witt, who leads the Servicio en Es-
panol and serves as spiritual shepherd to
one ofthe largest Hispanic congregations
in the nation.
Though Witt was relatively unknown
among Anglo audiences when Osteen in-
vited him to lead Lakewood's Hispanic min-
istry in 2002, he was a major celebrity in
Hispanic Christian circles throughout the
U.S. and Latin America. Texan bybirth (he
was bom in San Antonio, in 1962) but Mex-
ican by upbringing (his parents were mis-
sionaries in Durango), Witt has recorded
31 albums of Christian music, sellingmore
than seven million copies and winningfour
Latin Grammys (the most recent for 2OO6's
Alegria). He has also written elevenbooks,
includingthe popular Adoremos, and has
toured Latin America for years, packing
large arenas wherever he goes.
48 7el3riiarij 2008
The Spanish service officially begins at
one-thirty p.m., but when I arrived fifteen
minutes early, at least two thousand people
were already in place andsinging along with
a small group of praise singers and a choir of any excesses that might discomfit a Baptist.
more than a hundred members, who were Witt communicates beautifully with an au-
split into two rising sections thatflankedan dience Osteen knewwould be harder for him
up-tempo hand and a large rotating globe. toreach, despite the factthatLakewood has
By startingtime, the 16,000-seat sanctuary long attracted a substantial Hispanic con-
appeared to be nearly half-full, and the mu- tingent. It has been afruitful division of la-
sicians kicked into higher gear. The congre- bor at a particularly propitious time.
gation followed, bands uprjiised and bod- Betting on growth in the Hispanic pop-
ies bouncingas they joyfully affirmed that ulation of Texas is, of course, a no-brainer.
"buenoesDios." Given the fact that most Hispanic new-
Witt occasionally sings a number or two comers are Catholic, one migbt also imag-
early in tbe service, but a cold had affected ine that by 2040 our state will have a Cath-
his voice, so on this Sunday he limited him- olic majority (up from about 21 percent
self to afew welcoming remarks. Despite today). This could happen, but, surprising
not being in top form vocally, he to some, many who immigrate
was in good spirits and inter- actually convert to Protestantism
Denomination
acted easily with the crowd. Af- NONE after living here awhile. Major
ter tbe offering, be returned to Pastor surveys indicate that more than
MARCOS WITT
the platform with his wife, Mir- Address
20 percent of Hispanics in the
iam, who addressed the congre- 3700 SOUTH- U.S. are Protestant—a trend
WEST FREEWAY that shadows the evangelical
gation briefly, as Victoria Osteen
Phone
typically does in the English- 713-635-4154 expansion throughout much of
langu^e services. Witt's sermon On the internet LatinAmerica—and an increas-
LAKEWOOD.CC
for the day was "Escoge la vida," Servicio en
ing number of those belong to
a call to "choose life," especially Espanol Pentecostal and charismatic
SUNDAYS AT
in the face of depression and con- churches similar in outlook and
1:30 P.M.
templation of suicide. Satan, he ethos to Lakewood.
warned, seeks to destroy our cre- Hispanics who convert over-
ativity, our spirit of struggle, our pleasure, whelmingly cite their desire for a direct,
our faith, our family, our friends, and our personal experience with God, in every-
very lives. Jesus, in contrast, offers an en- day life and in emotionally expressive
riching andfull life, overflowing with bless- "Spirit-filled" worship, as a primary rea-
ing. Witt gave practical steps for battling son for switching. Another key factor is a
depressionand for helping those suffering preference for ethnic-oriented worship
from its ravages. He ended with the exhor- led by other Hispanics, who are seriously
tation, "I'Escoge la vida!" underrepresented in the Catholic priest-
The content ofthe message was quite hood. In most evangelical and Pentecostal
similar to that of Osteen's sermons, but churches, both men and women can ratber
the delivery was more animated and less easilybecomeministersor hold other lead-
closely scripted—more like, well, a really ership positions, multiplying the oppor-
good Pentecostal preacher's, but without tunities to experience Hispanic-oriented
 worship led by other Hispanics.
Though An^o by bloodline, Witt is cultur-
ally Latino, and—thanks to his frequent trav-
els inLatinAmericaand efforts to record an al-
bum in a different country each year—he is not
seen asaprimarily Mexican leader. This gives
him an additional advantage in a multicultural
melange such as Houston. When I spoke with
him in December, he observed that at most His-
panic churches, the national origins of clergy
and congregation match closely: A Salvadoran
pastor will have a predominantly Salvadoran
flock, anArgentine pastor an Argentine flock,
and so on. Not so at Lakewood. Witt estimates
that most people who attend the Spanish ser-
vice are flrst- and second-generation immi-
grants, with the greatest number comingfrom
Mexico, followed by El Salvador, Guatemala,
and Honduras, in that order. Approximately
equal numbers from Colombia, Ecuador, and
Argentina make up the next tier, just above a

-HOME -^^ NATURE grouping from Chile, Bolivia, and Peru. Most
ofthe rest come from Costa Rica, Puerto Rico,
and Panama.
Unlike Osteen, who assiduously avoids being
At Steiner Ranch you're mjt just at home, you're at home drawn into discussion of controversial issues,
with nature. We are a true sanctuary for the senses— Witt does not hesitate to say where he stands on
immigration. He notes that with baby boom-
with breathtaking Hill Country views, Lakes Austin &. Travis, ers about to start retiring, the U.S. will soon
The University of Texas Golf Cluh, exemplary Leander face a serious labor shortfall, creating a need
for large numbers of immigrant workers. Call-
schools located inside the community' and exquisite new ingthepunitivepolicies favored by most con-
gressional Republicans unjust, he arguesfor a
homes and homesites overiooking it all. "^^
guest-workerprograxn and provisions forthose
So come to Steiner Ranch where you'll already here illegally to pay a fine, then earn
citizenship and assimilate into U.S. society. He
be at home with nature. urges his followers and fans "to register to vote
andto help remove the elementsof our system
i who've been blocking the way." Because of le-
gal restrictions and Lakewoods avoidance of
controversy, Witt is limited in what he can say
from the pulpit, but when we spoke, he freely
volunteered that he connects immigrants in
his flock to organizations "that help them in
various ways, including their legal status, in

einer jail without documents, et cetera" and that he

personally contributes to HispanA, the agency

Ranch he most counts on for such services.

Despite current opposition, substantial im-
migrationfromLatinAmericawiU continue for
the foreseeable future, and it seems certain that
H O M E S F R O M $ 2 5 0 S T O wvi Pentecostal religion will provide a warm wel-
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