DALLAS, USA — Bishop T.D. Jakes, the renowned preacher and founder of The Potter’s House megachurch, has announced his retirement from pastoral leadership, formally entrusting the pulpit and the future of the church to his daughter, Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts, and her husband, Pastor Toure Roberts.
The emotional announcement was made during Sunday morning service on April 27, 2025, just weeks after Jakes, 67, suffered a massive heart attack while preaching.
The transition in leadership, set to be completed in July, marks the end of an era for the 30,000-member congregation and a new chapter for one of the most influential Black churches in the United States.
“You have been faithful to God, and you have been faithful to me,” Jakes told the congregation.
“And I’m so grateful. I cannot afford, especially after November, to risk something happening to me and you be sheep without a shepherd.”
The announcement was met with standing ovations, applause, and tears from congregants who have followed Jakes’ ministry for nearly three decades.
Sarah Jakes Roberts, 36, responded with heartfelt emotion. “I’m grateful, I’m honored, as your daughter,” she said.
“I’m so happy you’re going to get some rest.”
The transition comes on the heels of a serious health scare that nearly claimed Jakes’ life.
In an interview with Craig Melvin on NBC’s TODAY, Jakes recounted the moment he collapsed during a sermon.
“I didn’t really realise what was happening to me onstage until I got to the hospital in an ambulance,” Jakes said.
“And the doctor leaned over my ear and said, ‘You had a massive heart attack.’”
Despite feeling no chest pain or warning signs, doctors later told him he was just minutes from death.
“The right side of my heart had completely stopped getting blood at all,” he said.
Jakes founded The Potter’s House in 1996, expanding it from a local congregation to an international ministry with campuses, a media empire, and charitable initiatives that reach millions.
Over the years, he has been a spiritual leader, author, filmmaker, and influencer at the intersection of faith, culture, and public life.
His daughter, Sarah, already a best-selling author and co-pastor of the ONE Church in Los Angeles, has been seen by many as his natural successor.
With her husband, Pastor Toure Roberts, she brings a younger, culturally attuned approach to ministry that has drawn a growing, diverse following.
The couple’s appointment signals a generational and stylistic shift, but also continuity in vision and values.
Sarah and Toure are expected to maintain the core principles of The Potter’s House while evolving its message and reach for a new era.
The leadership change is expected to become official in July with a public commissioning ceremony.
Jakes concluded Sunday’s service with a blessing for the incoming pastors and a final word of assurance: “This house is in good hands.”
