Edwin Barry Young (pastor)
Encyclopedia
Ed Young is the founding and senior pastor of Fellowship Church
.
With four campuses in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and one in Miami, Florida, Fellowship is one of the most attended churches in North America and was listed as the 3rd Most Influential Church in America according to a 2007 survey
Young is the oldest son of Homer Edwin Young, senior pastor of Second Baptist Church Houston
in Houston, Texas
. He played basketball at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida
before receiving his bachelor’s degree from Houston Baptist University
and his Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
in Fort Worth, Texas.
In February 1990, Young began a new church in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with a core group of 150 members. Since that time, Fellowship Church has grown to an average weekly attendance of over 20,000 people.
In 2003, the church began expanding beyond its central campus. Today, there are five Fellowship Church locations throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and one in Miami, Florida.
, Fellowship Church moved to its current 141 acre (0.57060726 km²) campus in Grapevine, Texas
in the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
In 2003 Fellowship Church opened two satellite locations in the Plano
and Fort Worth areas, with a third satellite opening in downtown Dallas just two years later. Fellowship Church’s latest satellite campus in Miami opened in May 2006.
and ABC Family
. The television program was also the first religious program of its kind ever aired on the E! Channel in 2010.
Throughout his 20 years as pastor of Fellowship Church, Young has been featured in the major newspapers, magazines and television programs, including:
Young regularly contributes to Outreach Magazine
and is occasionally featured in pulbications such as Relevant Magazine
and Rev! Magazine as well.
Recently, Young’s “7 Days of Sex Challenge,” which he issued to the married couples of Fellowship, attracted the attention of the worldwide media. He made appearances on:
In 2009, Young attracted national media attention on ABC’s Nightline (September 24, 2009) when he debated the topic of adultery with AshleyMadison.com founder Noel Biderman on the ABC
special, "Born to Cheat?.
./.
The story was refuted by Young the next weekend before the church. Each claim in the report was systematically denied.
Since that story, Fellowship Church has continued to attract media attention for a variety of events, services, and missions opportunities through its many ministries, including a weekend with Bethany Hamilton and most recently welcoming Rev Run to share his story.
Fellowship Church
Fellowship Church is an evangelical Christian megachurch located in Grapevine, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth, that is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. FC is one of the largest and fastest-growing churches in the United States, with an estimated attendance exceeding 20,000...
.
With four campuses in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and one in Miami, Florida, Fellowship is one of the most attended churches in North America and was listed as the 3rd Most Influential Church in America according to a 2007 survey
Young is the oldest son of Homer Edwin Young, senior pastor of Second Baptist Church Houston
Second Baptist Church Houston
Second Baptist Church Houston is a megachurch in Houston, Texas, USA affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention that has a membership of over 53,000. Its senior pastor is Dr...
in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. He played basketball at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
before receiving his bachelor’s degree from Houston Baptist University
Houston Baptist University
Houston Baptist University is a private Baptist institution founded in 1960. It is located in Greater Sharpstown in Houston, Texas near the Southwest Freeway.- History :...
and his Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a private, non-profit institution of higher education, associated with the Southern Baptist Convention...
in Fort Worth, Texas.
Pastor
Young attended Florida State University on a basketball scholarship. Upon graduating college, he worked as an associate pastor at Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas – at the time one of the largest churches in America.In February 1990, Young began a new church in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with a core group of 150 members. Since that time, Fellowship Church has grown to an average weekly attendance of over 20,000 people.
In 2003, the church began expanding beyond its central campus. Today, there are five Fellowship Church locations throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and one in Miami, Florida.
Fellowship Church
Fellowship has grown exponentially since its inception in 1990. After starting out in a rented office complex, moving to an arts center and then meeting in a public high school in Irving, TexasIrving, Texas
Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 216,290. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated...
, Fellowship Church moved to its current 141 acre (0.57060726 km²) campus in Grapevine, Texas
Grapevine, Texas
Grapevine is a city in northeast Tarrant County, Texas, United States located within the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census the city population was 46,334. The city's moniker is derived from the native grapes prevalent in the area. In recent years several wineries have...
in the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
In 2003 Fellowship Church opened two satellite locations in the Plano
Plano
Plano can refer to:*Plano cultures, the Late Paleo-Indian hunter-gatherer societies of the Great Plains of North America** Plano points, the chipped stone tools of the Plano culturesPlaces in the United States:...
and Fort Worth areas, with a third satellite opening in downtown Dallas just two years later. Fellowship Church’s latest satellite campus in Miami opened in May 2006.
Television
Young hosts a weekly television program shown on networks including DaystarDaystar
Daystar may refer to:* DayStar Digital, a company that used to manufacture Apple Macintosh clones* Daystar Technologies, a company that builds performance upgrades for Apple Macintosh Computers and services the previous company's products...
and ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
. The television program was also the first religious program of its kind ever aired on the E! Channel in 2010.
Media
Young and Fellowship Church have attracted a large amount of media attention—from local newspapers to internationally televised news programs.Throughout his 20 years as pastor of Fellowship Church, Young has been featured in the major newspapers, magazines and television programs, including:
- ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
: Good Morning America - ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
: Nightline - NBCNational Broadcasting NetworkPeople's Television is the flagship government television network owned by the Philippine Government through People's Television Network, Inc. . Its head office, studios and transmitter are located at Broadcast Complex, Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City .-History:The country's government...
: The Today Show - Comedy CentralComedy CentralComedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
: The Colbert Report - The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
- The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
- USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
- CNN.com
Young regularly contributes to Outreach Magazine
Outreach Magazine
Outreach Magazine is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Vista, California. It focuses on activities of growing churches and is non-denominational.It is a periodical from the organization Outreach, Inc...
and is occasionally featured in pulbications such as Relevant Magazine
Relevant Magazine
RELEVANT Magazine is a bimonthly magazine providing content on “God, life, and progressive culture”. It is published by RELEVANT Media Group and a circulation of 56,667. Its companion web presence, RELEVANTmagazine.com, launched in 2002 with the email newsletter, 850 Words of RELEVANT...
and Rev! Magazine as well.
Recently, Young’s “7 Days of Sex Challenge,” which he issued to the married couples of Fellowship, attracted the attention of the worldwide media. He made appearances on:
- CNN Headline News, November 12, 2008
- CBS: The Early Show, November 13, 2008
- ABC: Good Morning America, November 16, 2008
- Inside Edition, November 19, 2008
- The Insider, November 19, 2008
- Fox: The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet, November 20, 2008
- ABC: Good Morning America (follow up), November 21, 2008
- ABC: The View, November 24, 2008
- The Glenn Beck Radio Show, November 24, 2008
- Fox News: Your World with Neil Cavuto, November 25, 2008
- Comedy Central: The Colbert Report, January 26, 2009
In 2009, Young attracted national media attention on ABC’s Nightline (September 24, 2009) when he debated the topic of adultery with AshleyMadison.com founder Noel Biderman on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
special, "Born to Cheat?.
Additional Media Attention
In February 2010, a story aired by WFAA-TV reported that Young lives a "lavish" lifestyle in Flower Mound, TexasFlower Mound, Texas
Flower Mound is a town in Denton and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas, and a suburb of Fort Worth and Dallas. Its population was 50,702 at the U.S. Census Bureau's 2000 census, and 64,669 at the 2010 Census. The town derives its name from the prominent mound located in the southern...
./.
The story was refuted by Young the next weekend before the church. Each claim in the report was systematically denied.
Since that story, Fellowship Church has continued to attract media attention for a variety of events, services, and missions opportunities through its many ministries, including a weekend with Bethany Hamilton and most recently welcoming Rev Run to share his story.