T.D. Jakes

T.D. Jakes (born June 9, 1957, South Charleston, West Virginia, U.S.) is an American nondenominational bishop, author, and speaker who founded The Potter’s House, a Dallas megachurch. He is known for his charismatic preaching style and for his influence in contemporary Christian ministry and media. In 2025 Jakes stepped down as senior pastor at The Potter’s House, handing its leadership over to his daughter, Sarah Jakes Roberts, and her husband, Touré Roberts.

Early life and ministry beginnings

Jakes is the youngest of three children born to entrepreneur Ernest L. Jakes, Sr., and educator Odith Patton Jakes. He was raised in a Baptist household and attended a segregated elementary school, where he practiced preaching to imaginary audiences. Despite being told by some that his lisp might hinder a preaching career, he became known as “Bible boy” in high school. After leaving school to help care for his parents, he earned a GED and briefly attended West Virginia State University.

Jakes delivered his first sermon in 1976 and was ordained in 1979. In the early 1980s he founded the Temple of Faith Church in Montgomery, West Virginia, where he initially preached to a small congregation. The church later moved to Smithers, West Virginia, where its membership grew. In 1985 he earned a B.A. in biblical studies from Friends International Christian University and was consecrated as a bishop in 1987; he later earned his M.A. and doctorate from the same institution. In 1990 Jakes moved his church to Charleston, West Virginia.

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The Potter’s House and national reach

Jakes’s national profile expanded after the 1993 launch of his weekly television show, Get Ready with T.D. Jakes, which aired on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) and later on Black Entertainment Television (BET). In 1996 he relocated to Dallas, where he founded The Potter’s House, a megachurch that grew to a congregation of more than 30,000 members. The church’s ministries include GED and literacy programs, AIDS outreach, free therapy with licensed professionals, care for the unhoused, and, according to its website, “one of the nation’s largest and fastest growing prison ministries.” The Potter’s House later established satellite campuses in other areas of Texas and in Denver (the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Colorado church permanently online in 2021). Jakes has also hosted several large-scale conference series, including the popular Woman Thou Art Loosed (which ran annually for 25 years), ManPower, and MegaFEST.

Jakes has reached audiences beyond traditional church settings through appearances in mainstream media, including programs hosted by Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Phil, where he has discussed faith, personal development, and social issues. Jakes also contributed to the wider visibility of other ministry figures, notably inviting Paula White to speak at his Woman Thou Art Loosed conference in 2000, an appearance she later credited with helping launch her national profile and for which she referred to him as her “spiritual father.”

In 2019 Jakes launched Jakes Divinity School, named for his paternal grandfather and namesake, Thomas Dexter Jakes. The school began offering online courses in 2020, with undergraduate and graduate degrees to prepare students for ministry leadership through its partnerships with accredited institutions. Jakes serves as chancellor.

Honors and other work

Jakes has received numerous honors for his work and has been listed among influential religious leaders by media outlets such as The New York Times, CNN, and Time. Jakes has also been associated with several U.S. presidents, including George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama; he delivered a preinaugural sermon for Obama in 2009.

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Jakes has written over 30 books, including Woman, Thou Art Loosed!, which was adapted into a stage play by Tyler Perry and a 2004 film in which Jakes stars as himself. He served as a producer for several films and has released films, music, and books through his company TDJ Enterprises. The Potter’s House Mass Choir, directed by Jakes, has been nominated for four Grammys, and A Wing and A Prayer won for Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album in 2004.

Controversies

Jakes was involved in two public controversies in 2024. In March he was briefly named in a lawsuit filed against music producer Sean (“P. Diddy”) Combs by Combs’s former associate, who alleged that Combs had planned to use his relationship with Jakes to quell his negative image following separate accusations of abuse, violence, and sex trafficking against Combs.

Later that year minister Duane Youngblood alleged in a podcast interview that Jakes had groomed and sexually assaulted him as a teenager; Youngblood’s brother subsequently made similar claims. Jakes denied the allegations and filed a defamation lawsuit, asserting that Youngblood’s lawyer had reached out to Jakes after his podcast appearance offering to “resolve this matter quickly and privately” if Jakes gave Youngblood $6 million. Shortly thereafter Jakes suffered a serious heart attack during a live-streamed sermon at The Potter’s House. Jakes dismissed the defamation suit in 2025.

Personal life

Jakes married Serita Jamison in 1981, and the couple has five children.