Thomas Dexter Jakes Sr. (born June 9, 1957) is an American non-denominational Christian evangelical pastor and motivational speaker. He was the senior pastor of The Potter's House, a

non-denominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. The term has been used in the context of various faiths, including Jainism, Baháʼí Faith, Zoro ...

American

megachurch A megachurch is a church with a very large membership that also offers a variety of educational and social activities. Most megachurches are Evangelical, although the term denotes a type of organization, not a denomination. A megachurch draws 2 ...

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, from 1996 to 2025. Jakes' church services and evangelistic sermons are broadcast on ''The Potter's Touch''. He is the author of many books and also produces films.

Early life

Thomas Dexter Jakes was born on June 9, 1957, in

South Charleston, West Virginia South Charleston is a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. It is located to the west of the state capital of Charleston. The population was 13,639 at the 2020 census. It was established in 1906, but not incorporated until 1917. ...

, and grew up in the Vandalia neighborhood in

Charleston, West Virginia Charleston () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in West Virginia, most populous city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Kanawha County, West Virginia, Kanawha County and ...

Career

In 1982, at age 25, Jakes became the pastor of Greater Emanuel Temple of Faith, a

storefront church A storefront or shopfront is the facade or entryway of a retail store located on the ground floor or street level of a commercial building, typically including one or more display windows. A storefront functions to attract visual attention to a b ...

in Smithers, West Virginia, with ten members. In 1988, he joined the denomination ''Higher Ground Always Abounding Assemblies'' founded by Bishop Sherman Watkins. In 1990, Jakes moved to South Charleston, West Virginia, and his congregation grew again, to 300 members. In 1993 he moved to Cross Lanes, West Virginia.Hughes Oliphant Old, ''The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church: The biblical period'', Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, USA, 1998, p. 386 In 1995, he founded "TDJ Enterprises" which publishes his books and produces his films. From 1995 to 1996, Jakes hosted "Get Ready," a weekly radio and television show with national distribution through syndication. In 1996, Jakes, founded The Potter's House in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, Texas, a non-denominational church. Located on a 34-acre hilltop campus, the Potter's House features a 5,000-seat auditorium, as well as offices for employees and staff. In 2005, Jakes accompanied President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

on his visit to the areas devastated by

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

. On January 20, 2009, Jakes led the early morning prayer service for President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

at St. John's Church in Washington, D.C. In 2009, Jakes partnered with

Phil McGraw Phillip Calvin McGraw (born September 1, 1950), also known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality and author who is best known for hosting the talk show '' Dr. Phil''. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased ...

Jay McGraw Jay Phillip McGraw (born September 12, 1979) is an American television producer and author. He is the son of television therapist Phil McGraw, and has appeared on and served as executive producer on his father's television show ''Dr. Phil''. He ...

, and

CBS Television Distribution CBS Media Ventures, Inc. (formerly CBS Paramount Domestic Television and CBS Television Distribution) is the television broadcast syndication arm of CBS Studios, a division of the CBS Entertainment Group, in turn a division of Paramount Global, ...

to launch a syndicated, secular talk show; however, due to economic issues within the syndicated television market, the program never premiered. In July 2015, Tegna, Inc. and

Debmar-Mercury Debmar-Mercury, LLC is a television syndication company. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Lionsgate Studios, it was formed from a merger of Debmar Studios and Mercury Entertainment in 2005. History Debmar Studios Debmar-Mercury's history begins on ...

announced that a new secular talk show hosted by Jakes called ''T. D. Jakes'' would air a test run on Tegna stations in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, and

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

from August 17 to September 11, 2015. On May 10, 2016, Tegna announced that it would begin airing Jakes's show September 12 in over 50 markets across the country. On March 15, 2017, the talk show was cancelled due to poor ratings and low clearances. On April 27, 2025, Jakes announced that he was passing on the leadership of the Potter's House Church to his daughter and son-in-law, Sarah Jakes Roberts and Touré Roberts.

Beliefs

Although Jakes was converted and ordained within

Oneness Pentecostalism Oneness Pentecostalism (also known as Apostolic Pentecostalism, Jesus' Name Pentecostalism, or the Oneness movement) is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian branch of Pentecostalism, Pentecostal Christianity that emphasizes the absolute oneness o ...

, he revealed in an interview with

Mark Driscoll Mark A. Driscoll (born 1970) is an American evangelical pastor and author. He is the founder and primary contributor of RealFaith ministries. He is also the senior and founding pastor of Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, which was founded ...

in 2012 that he affirms the

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

, although Jakes did not affirm the eternality of the individual persons of the Trinity, which is denied by Oneness churches. Jakes is an advocate of

sexual abstinence Sexual abstinence or sexual restraint is the practice of refraining from sexual activity for reasons medical, psychological, legal, social, philosophical, moral, religious or other. It is a part of chastity. Celibacy is sexual abstinence general ...

and has made appearances advocating it on ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...

'' and ''

Dr. Phil Phillip Calvin McGraw (born September 1, 1950), also known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality and author who is best known for hosting the talk show '' Dr. Phil''. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased ...

''. In 2015, Jakes stated that his views on homosexuality and LGBT rights are evolving. However, Jakes stated that his words were misinterpreted and that while he does not support same-sex marriage, he "respect the rights that this country affords those that disagree".

Media

Discography

* ''Woman Thou Art Loosed'' (1997) * ''Live from the Potter's House'' (1998) * ''The Storm Is Over'' (2001)

As featured artist

Steve Angello Steven Patrik Josefsson Fragogiannis (; born 22 November 1982), known professionally as Steve Angello, is a Greek–Swedish DJ, record producer, remixer and record label owner. He is a member of Swedish House Mafia, together with Axwell and Seba ...

- "Rejoice" (2017) (from the album ''

Human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

'')

Selected writings

* ''Before You Do: Making Great Decisions That You Won't Regret'', 2008, Atria Books * ''The Memory Quilt: A Christmas Story for Our Times'', 2009 * ''Let It Go: Forgive So You Can Be Forgiven'', 2012 * ''Instinct: The Power to Unleash Your Inborn Drive'', 2014, Hachette Book Group * ''Destiny: Step into Your Purpose'', August 2015, Hachette Book Group * ''Soar!: Build Your Vision from the Ground Up'', 2017, FaithWords * ''Crushing: God Turns Pressure into Power'', April 2019, Hachette Book Group * ''Disruptive Thinking'', May 2023, FaithWords

Filmography

* 2004: ''

Woman Thou Art Loosed ''Woman Thou Art Loosed'' is a 2004 American drama film directed by Michael Schultz and written by Stan Foster. It was produced by Stan Foster and Reuben Cannon. It is the 44th film or series directed by Schultz and is adapted from the self- ...

'' — As himself (based on Jakes's novel of the same name) * 2009: '' Not Easily Broken'' — Allen (based on another Jakes novel) * 2011: '' Jumping the Broom'' — Reverend James * 2010: ''Munya'' — Reverend Brian * 2012: '' Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day'' – As himself * 2012: '' Sparkle –'' Producer * 2014: ''

Heaven Is for Real ''Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back'' is a 2010 ''New York Times'' best-selling Christian book written by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent and published by Thomas Nelson Publishers. The book documen ...

'' – Producer * 2014: ''

Winnie Mandela Winnie Nomzamo Madikizela-Mandela (born Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela; 26 September 1936 – 2 April 2018), also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African politician and anti-apartheid activist, second wife of Nelson Mandela. During ...

'' – Producer * 2016: ''

Miracles from Heaven ''Miracles from Heaven'' is a 2016 American Christian drama film directed by Patricia Riggen and written by Randy Brown. It is based on the book of the same name by Christy Beam, which recounts the true story of her young daughter who had a near- ...

'' – Producer * 2018: ''Faith Under Fire'' – Executive Producer * 2021: ''

Seven Deadly Sins The seven deadly sins (also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins) function as a grouping of major vices within the teachings of Christianity. In the standard list, the seven deadly sins according to the Catholic Church are pride, greed ...

'' – Executive Producer

Legacy and honors

PBS Religion and ''Ethics Newsweekly'' have named Jakes among America's "Top 10 Religious Leaders." ''Time'' magazine featured Jakes on the cover of its September 17, 2001, issue with the provocative question, "Is This Man the Next Billy Graham?" In 2003, Jakes' album ''A Wing and a Prayer'' won the "Best Gospel or Chorus Album" at the

46th Grammy Awards The 46th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2004, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2002, through September 30, 2003. It recognized acc ...

. He has also received Grammy and

Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee exce ...

nominations for the gospel album ''Live at The Potter's House''. In 2004, he received the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

's President's Award. Jakes was selected in Oprah's ''SuperSoul100'' list of visionaries and influential leaders in 2016.

Personal life

On the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

program ''

African American Lives ''African American Lives'' is an American television miniseries hosted by historian Henry Louis Gates Jr., focusing on African Americans, African American genealogical research. The family histories of prominent people of African American descent ...

'', Jakes had his

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

analyzed; his

Y chromosome The Y chromosome is one of two sex chromosomes in therian mammals and other organisms. Along with the X chromosome, it is part of the XY sex-determination system, in which the Y is the sex-determining chromosome because the presence of the ...

showed that he is descended from the

Igbo people The Igbo people ( , ; also spelled Ibo" and historically also ''Iboe'', ''Ebo'', ''Eboe'', / / ''Eboans'', ''Heebo''; natively ) are an ethnic group found in Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea. Their primary origin is fo ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. According to his family history, it was suggested that he is also descended from them through his grandmother. In November 2024, Jakes suffered a health emergency during a

church service A church service (or a worship service) is a formalized period of Christian communal Christian worship, worship, often held in a Church (building), church building. Most Christian denominations hold church services on the Lord's Day (offering Su ...

while delivering a sermon. However, he was later said to be "stable and under the care of medical professionals".

References

External links

T. D. Jakes Ministries official website
*
Watch T.D. Jakes Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jakes, T.D. 1957 births Living people 20th-century evangelicals 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century Protestants African-American Christian clergy American Charismatics American Evangelical Presidential Spiritual Advisors American male non-fiction writers American Pentecostal pastors American people of Igbo descent American religious writers American television evangelists Film producers from Texas Grammy Award winners Nondenominational Christianity Pentecostals from Texas Pentecostal writers People from Cross Lanes, West Virginia People from South Charleston, West Virginia Writers from Dallas