Bishop T.D. Jakes steps down from Potter’s House; hands over leadership to daughter, son-in-law

The 67-year old renowned pastor was visibly emotional as he made the announcement to the congregation during Sunday’s service at The Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas.

Jakes revealed that Sarah and Touré will officially assume their new roles as senior pastors in July 2025.

Bishop Jakes will remain on The Potter’s House Board of Directors despite his resignation, guaranteeing a smooth transition and continual guidance for the church.

“You have been faithful to God, and you have been faithful to me,” Jakes said as he fought back tears during the service, according to NBC DFW.

This decision comes five months after Bishop Jakes suffered a massive heart attack while preaching during a sermon in November 2024.

“I cannot afford, especially after November, to risk something happening to me, and you be sheep without a shepherd,” Jakes said during the announcement on Sunday.

Reflecting on the incident in an interview in March on the Today show, he disclosed that he had collapsed during the service but was unaware of the severity of his condition until he was hospitalized.

Doctors informed him that he had suffered a major heart attack and that without prompt medical intervention, he might not have survived.

“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,” Jakes recounted.

The bishop expressed immense gratitude for the outpouring of prayers and support from around the world, describing his survival and recovery as a miracle.

In a statement on social media following his announcement, Jakes said: “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.”

Founded in 1996, The Potter’s House is a non-denominational, multicultural church based in Dallas, with a congregation of over 30,000 members and branches in North Dallas, Fort Worth, and Denver.