Bishop TD Jakes Is Handing the Reigns of His Church Over to Family — Here's What We Know

Bishop TD Jakes has more than 6 million followers on Instagram, over 151,000 fans on TikTok, and can connect with 7 million plus folks on his Facebook page. The veteran evangelical pastor and motivational speaker is head of The Potter's House, a non-denominational megachurch that he created in 1996. He founded the church after a successful weekly radio station was syndicated nationally, which allowed the pastor to spread his teachings far and wide.

Regarding what TD Jakes preaches, it's a mix of prosperity gospel, Bible lessons, positive thinking, and a few controversial takes. For example, TD Jakes is associated with Oneness Pentecostalism. This is the idea that God is not made up of three separate persons, known as the Holy Trinity, but rather manifested himself as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at different times. Despite being criticized for this, TD Jakes is loved by many. Now, he has decided to step down from his church. Here's why.

During his Sunday sermon on April 27, 2025, Bishop Jakes started to wind things down but got a little more emotional than usual. He began speaking about how he plans his life in decades, not days, because "major moves take time." His path to exiting the church began six years prior, when he started speaking with his daughter, Sarah Jakes Roberts, and son-in-law, Touré Roberts, about what he built and what he wanted to avoid, which was holding on to his legacy too tightly.

Two years later, his daughter and son-in-law moved to Dallas in order to help establish themselves in the church. Soon after, TD approached the board about retiring before he stayed so long that he "killed what he built." The bishop referenced the massive heart attack he suffered during a livestreamed sermon in November 2024, adding that he can't afford to let something like that happen again. His health was the primary reason why TD decided to retire.

Bishop Jakes revealed that he was recommending this congregation receive Pastor Sarah and Pastor Touré as the new leaders of The Potter's House. "This is legacy," he said while bringing them on stage. "It's not because they're kin. It's because they're kind." He also said his daughter and son-in-law have essentially been running the church since November, but made sure to note they are not meant to replace him because "no one can."

The pastor went on to say there were things he wanted to do in the community before he got "too old" to do them. He alluded to preparing folks for the "days ahead," which is something he would be unable to do from the pulpit. "Every now and then, I think they'll let me preach, but there is some work in the vineyard that needs to be done," he continued.

Bishop Jakes promised this would be a multi-racial, multi-generational, inter-denominational church of God. He formally introduced his daughter and son-in-law as the church's new pastors, which was met with a standing ovation from the 17,000-plus people in their facility. "I know the crown is heavy," he said, "but if God is for you, who can be against you?"