Last year, megachurch pastor, Bishop TD Jakes suffered a mild heart attack during a sermon at his Potter’s House Church in Dallas, Texas.
In November, Jakes filed a defamation countersuit against 2 brothers who accused him of sexual misconduct.
The men claimed Jakes assaulted them decades ago when they were teenagers. They demanded $6 million from Pastor Jakes, “in order to resolve this matter quickly and privately.”
Pastor Jakes denied the allegations. He suffered a minor heart attack soon afterwards.
On Sunday, Jakes announced he is stepping down as senior pastor of the Potter’s House Church in Dallas. He passed down the megachurch’s leadership to his daughter, Sarah Jakes Roberts, 36, and her husband, Touré Roberts, 51.
“This is legacy,” Pastor Jakes said. “Not because they’re kin, but because they’re kind. They’ve immersed themselves into the DNA of this church for years.”
“I’m grateful, I’m honored,” Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts said. “As your daughter, I’m so happy you’re going to get some rest.”
Bishop Jakes, 67, founded the Potter’s House Church in 1996.
The famed pastor said that while he is retired, he will continue doing work in his community.
A post on the Potter’s House Instagram page read: “With grace and vision, @BishopJakes unveiled his next chapter beyond the pulpit — while blessing Pastors @ToureRoberts and @SarahJakesRoberts as the new senior leaders of The Potter’s House.”
Another post read: “Today we shared with the world our long-held plans of purposeful evolution for The Potter’s House and our global church family…”
The post continued: “As Pastors Touré & Sarah take another step up to further accept the mantle of daily ministry duties at The Potter’s House of Dallas ushering in a new movement and calling , the work of the T.D. Jakes Group to bolster job creation and 21st century workforce readiness, investing in the infrastructure of communities nationwide, lifting communities up from the margins to the center and working alongside like-minded partners to create thriving neighborhoods will be able to accelerate rapidly. Together, we shall unite for the betterment of this generation and the ones that follow.”
