About

Josh Howerton

Josh Howerton is an American pastor, author, and church leader. He currently serves as the Senior (Lead) Pastor of Lakepointe Church, a large multisite congregation based near Dallas, Texas.

He grew up in a pastoral family — his father, Rick Howerton, and grandfather were also pastors — and had a transformative faith experience at age 16.

Howerton holds a degree in Biblical Studies from Union University, and later studied at Southern Seminary.

Before joining Lakepointe, he served as the senior pastor of The Bridge Church in Nashville, Tennessee, for about a decade.

At Lakepointe, he is deeply involved in disciple-making, leadership development, and church planting through the Strategic Launch Network, a church-planting initiative associated with his ministry.

Howerton is also active in public discourse, frequently addressing cultural issues from a biblical perspective.

He is married to his wife, Jana, and they have three children: two daughters (Eliana and Felicity) and a son (Hudson).

Howerton has faced public controversy — most notably for a “joke” he made in a sermon about what women should do on their wedding night, which drew criticism and sparked a wider conversation about gender and church leadership.

He also leads a private “Closed-Door Pastor’s Cohort” for church leaders, showing his commitment to leadership training.

www.joshhowerton.com