T.D. Jakes Steps Down from Church Role Months After Medical Emergency

• Bishop T.D. Jakes is stepping down from his role as pastor of The Potter’s House in Dallas
• The religious leader announced that his daughter and son-in-law will be his successors and are set to take over as senior pastors in July
• The bishop’s decision comes five months after he had a “massive heart attack” during a sermon in November 2024

Bishop T.D. Jakes, a renowned Christian pastor and motivational speaker, is stepping down from his church leadership role, months after experiencing a medical emergency during a sermon.

In an announcement shared during The Potter’s House’s Sunday service in Dallas, Jakes, 67, revealed that he has tapped his daughter Sarah Jakes Roberts and son-in-law Touré Roberts as his successors. The pair will begin their new roles as senior pastors in July.

According to local affiliate outlets FOX 4 and NBC DFW, Jakes, while holding back tears, also shared that he will remain on The Potter’s House Board of Directors.

“You have been faithful to God, and you have been faithful to me,” Jakes told the congregation during his Sunday morning service, per NBC DFW. “And I’m so grateful.”

The bishop’s decision comes five months after he had a “massive heart attack” during a sermon on Nov. 24, which was shared widely via a live stream at the time.

“As we look across our great nation and survey the unyielding economic, societal and spiritual needs visiting our communities, it’s clear that we can’t afford to squander the potential of our youth or the elders who have paved the way,” Jakes wrote in a lengthy social media post after making the announcement that he was stepping down from his role.

“The hardships of first-time home ownership, the dire need to invest in the growing entrepreneurial landscape and a younger generation needing a home for their faith walk in the midst of increasing skepticism; these issues we face are not a tale of despair; they are a clarion call for change,” he added.

Jakes founded The Potter’s House in 1996 as a non-denominational, multicultural church in South Dallas. The church has said it has more than 30,000 members and has expanded to North Dallas, Fort Worth and Denver, per its website.

In March, Jakes spoke about his November medical scare during an appearance on Today, opening up about how people rushed to his aid after he suddenly slumped over on his stool onstage.

“I didn’t really realize what was happening to me onstage until I got to the hospital in an ambulance,” he said on the show’s March 26 episode. “And the doctor leaned over in my ear and said, ‘You’ve had a massive heart attack.’ ”

The bishop noted that he didn’t have the typical symptoms of a heart attack, which made the news surprising to him. 

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“I just kind of drifted off to sleep. I didn’t know what it was,” he explained. “[The doctor] said five minutes later I’d have been dead on arrival.” 

Jakes continued: “The right side of my heart had completely stopped giving blood at all. And as long as I was up preaching, I felt fine. But when I sat down, the adrenaline dropped and it exposed the fact that I was preaching with half of my heart closed with a clot.” 

“In retrospect, it was such a privilege to stand on the other side to get a little glimpse of what that might be like or at least what it was like in that moment for me,” he added. “I think it was absolutely amazing. And then I had my whole church — and when I say my whole church, I mean global not just the congregation, even people who didn’t go to my church — people everywhere sending prayers. I’m so thankful.”