Ed Young

Ed Young, Jr., born March 16, 1961, is the founder and senior pastor of Fellowship Church. He began his ministry at Second Baptist Church Houston after earning degrees from Houston Baptist University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Young founded Fellowship Church in 1989, initially operating out of rented spaces before expanding significantly. The church grew to accommodate thousands of attendees, establishing multiple satellite campuses and a permanent facility in Grapevine, Texas. Fellowship Church also operates a summer camp and retreat center called Allaso Ranch.

Beyond his pastoral work, Young has been involved in various outreach initiatives, including disaster relief efforts in Haiti and the establishment of prison campuses. His television program, Ed Young TV, has aired on platforms like the E! Channel, Roku, and Netflix. Young has authored numerous books covering topics such as parenting, leadership, and personal growth. He has also faced public scrutiny regarding his personal finances and lifestyle.

Ed Young, Jr. established Fellowship Church in February 1989. The church's early days involved operating from rented office spaces and later an arts center. By 1996, Fellowship Church had grown to a size requiring it to move into Irving's MacArthur High School, accommodating five weekend services and a weekly attendance of 5,000 people. This expansion continued with the opening of its first permanent facility on a 141-acre property in Grapevine, Texas, in 1998. The church further extended its reach by launching satellite locations in Plano and Fort Worth in 2003, followed by a Dallas campus in 2005. By this time, the combined attendance across its four locations exceeded 20,000 weekly. Additional campuses were established in South Miami, Florida, and North Port, Florida, with another location in Norman, Oklahoma, becoming part of Fellowship Church in 2018. Some of these satellite locations were later sold to other organizations. Fellowship Church also established Allaso Ranch in Hawkins, Texas, as a summer camp and retreat center.

Fellowship Church, under Ed Young's leadership, has engaged in significant outreach activities. In response to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the church partnered with C3 Global to provide relief, distributing nearly 11 million meals to date. This partnership also supports an annual retreat for Gold Star families. Fellowship Church launched its first prison campus, God Behind Bars, in 2016, and has since opened two more. The church also participated in recovery efforts following Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Ed Young's ministry extends to television, with the "Ed Young Television" program being the first religious broadcast of its kind on the E! Channel in 2010. The program has also been accessible through EdYoung.com, Roku, and Netflix.

Ed Young has authored a considerable body of work, with his books exploring various aspects of faith, personal development, and family life. His published titles include 'A Path Through Pain' (2023), 'The 10 Commandments of Parenting' (2012), and 'The Sexperiment' (2011). Other works such as 'Outrageous, Contagious Joy' (2007), 'The Creative Leader – Unleashing the Power of Your Creative Potential' (2006), and 'X-Trials : Takin' Life to the Extreme' (2006) delve into themes of leadership and living life to its fullest. Young has also written on self-discovery with 'You! The Journey to the Center of Your Worth' (2005) and 'Kid CEO - How to Keep Your Children From Running Your Life' (2004). His earlier works include 'Know Fear - Facing Life's Six Most Common Phobias' (2003) and 'High Definition Living – Bringing Clarity to Your Life's Mission' (2003), along with 'Can We Do That? 24 Innovative Practices That Will Change the Way You Do Church' (2002) and 'Fatal Distractions – Overcoming Obstacles That Mess Up Our Lives' (1997).