Bishop T.D. Jakes is stepping down as senior pastor of The Potter’s House, a Dallas church he founded three decades ago.
Jakes, 67, made the announcement during an emotional sermon on Sunday, April 27.
The megachurch pastor said he is handing leadership over to his daughter Sarah Jakes Roberts and her husband, Toure Roberts.
“This is legacy,” T.D. Jakes said. “Not because they’re kin, but because they’re the kind. They’ve immersed themselves into the DNA of this church for years.”
He urged the congregation to welcome the new leaders of the church.
“Please be good to our people,” Jakes said. “I have seen too many men build something and stay so long that they kill what they build.”
Related: Tearful Bishop T.D. Jakes ‘Grateful’ After Recovering From Health Scare (Video)
The announcement came after Jakes suffered a medical emergency in front of the congregation on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. As he concluded an hour-long sermon, he began to slurred his words, began shaking, and dropped his microphone.
Church elders rushed to his side to help. At the time, the church released a statement saying Jakes was hospitalized after a “slight health incident.”
A week later, Jakes said in a video released by the church he’d suffered a “life-threatening calamity,” although he did not elaborate.
Then, in a March interview with the Today show, Jakes revealed he suffered a “massive heart attack.”
In late 2023, Jakes made headlines amid scandalous rumors linking him to Sean “Diddy” Combs, who goes on trial next month to face sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Jakes served as Combs’ spiritual advisor and previously had a business relationship with the music mogul’s Revolt TV, but he denied rumors of an inappropriate relationship.
“I come to tell you I’m okay,” Jakes said. “I’ve got my own flaws and my own faults, but I didn’t do that. That ain’t the kind of stuff you forget.”
Watch Jakes’ sermon from this past weekend below:
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