(RNS) — Bishop T.D. Jakes is turning leadership of his Dallas megachurch, The Potter’s House, over to his daughter and son-in-law — a move they said occurred after preparations “over the last several years,” but also five months after Jakes suffered a massive heart attack.
“I cannot afford, especially after November, to risk something happening to me and you be sheep without a shepherd,” Jakes, 67, told the congregation toward the end of the church’s Sunday (April 27) worship service after he had preached the day’s sermon.
The church’s announcement said he will continue as its “spiritual overseer” and chairman of the board.
His daughter, Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts, and her husband, Pastor Touré Roberts, were standing nearby when he asked the congregation to accept them as the new leaders. They have served as assistant pastors of the church since 2023.
The official appointment of the new co-senior pastors is expected later this year, and Jakes said it could occur by the church’s 29th anniversary in July.
The transition announcement lasted more than half an hour, with all three leaders speaking with emotion and Jakes’ wife, Serita, sometimes dabbing her eyes. The congregation stood, cheered and applauded often during the speech.
Jakes’ ministerial trajectory has led him from a West Virginia storefront church to a Time magazine cover to revival and cathedral pulpits. The younger couple have been pastors of One LA, a California-based ministry that is part of The Potter’s House.
Bishop T.D. Jakes, left, addresses his daughter, Sarah Jakes Roberts, and her husband, Touré Roberts, Sunday, April 27, 2025, at The Potter’s House in Dallas. (Video screen grab)
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“We stand on solid ground and a sure foundation, and we will honor it, respect it,” Touré Roberts said to Jakes in front of the congregation.
Sarah Jakes Roberts added that she, at times, wasn’t sure she had “what it takes” to follow her parents’ leadership.
“But then God showed me that you all didn’t always know if you had what it took either, but that God gave you the GPS to find what it took to stand up to the assignment,” she said. “And I believe that the same God that has ordered your steps, to find what it took to stand up in any given moment, is going to order our steps to find what it takes to stand up to whatever’s on the other side of this ‘yes.’”
The leadership transition for Jakes also comes months after lawyers filed a defamation lawsuit on his behalf — the day after his heart attack in front of his congregation on the last Sunday of November 2024.
The suit argued Pennsylvania minister Duane Youngblood had falsely accused Jakes of attempted sexual assault. Youngblood, 58, is on parole after felony convictions for sexual assault and corruption of minors.
On Friday (April 25), a Pennsylvania judge denied Youngblood’s motion to dismiss the suit, saying “it relies on statutory provisions that are not applicable in this litigation.”
Jakes’ legal representation also asked a federal court to subpoena Google to reveal who posted videos about him on YouTube that were generated by artificial intelligence. In December, NBC News reported these videos “have implicated figures like Jakes in the allegations against (rapper Sean ‘Diddy’) Combs without evidence and used manipulated media to depict the celebrities engaging in lewd acts and exaggerated displays of emotion in video thumbnails.”
An FAQ document that accompanied the church’s Sunday announcement said the changing leadership at The Potter’s House was “absolutely not” related to any wrongdoing by T.D. Jakes.
“This decision is based on faith, foresight and a commitment to generational leadership — not scandal or moral failure,” it said.
The Potter’s House was founded by Jakes in 1996 and claims a membership of 30,000.
“You didn’t know from November forward, they’ve been running the church anyway,” Jakes told the congregation about this daughter and son-in-law stepping up after his heart attack. “Now, they’re not meant to replace me because nobody can. … Every now and then, I think they’ll let me preach.”
The FAQ document, however, said the leadership transition had been in place before Jakes’ health crisis and that the announcement was unrelated to his health.
“His health is stable, and the decision is based on legacy planning and leadership evolution, not crisis or personal concern,” it said.
But Jakes, speaking on The Potter’s House stage, once again referenced being close to death during the November health crisis.
“I was afraid of letting God down and letting you down, and even to miss a service would make me sick because somebody might need me,” he told the congregation. “And even when I was dying, with my last breath, I was blessing you, and if I died blessing you, that was OK. … Thank you, Lord.”
Bishop T.D. Jakes shares a message at the Woman Evolve conference on Sept. 14, 2023, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. (Gareth Patterson/AP Images for Woman Evolve)
Jakes, who also serves as chairman of enterprises dealing with real estate, entrepreneurialism and entertainment, said he has goals to accomplish beyond the pulpit and in the community.
“As I enter my 50th year in the public spotlight, I recognize the urgent need to address more challenges of our time, particularly the looming threat of a disappearing middle class, social unrest and closing opportunity gaps,” he said in a Sunday statement.
During the worship service, Jakes thanked and kissed his wife, giving her credit for supporting his decades of ministry.
“I could have never been me without you,” he said, prompting more cheers. “You’re absolutely amazing.”
Jakes also told his daughter and son-in-law he is confident in their leadership, though he acknowledged it won’t be easy.
“I know you might feel the weight sliding from my head to you,” he said before citing a verse from the New Testament book of Romans. “I know the crown is heavy, but also know that if God is for you, who can be against you?”
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