Bishop Thomas Dexter (T. D.) Jakes, Sr.
“Even in a profession peopled with multitaskers,
Bishop Thomas (T. D.) Jakes stands out.”
Time magazine, February 2005
Cover Article, “The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America
Bishop T. D. Jakes is founder and senior pastor of the legendary 30,000-member Dallas-based church, The Potter’s House. In a short number of years, his motivating messages have reached the world through best-selling books, award-winning music, critically acclaimed plays and record-breaking events. Named by Time magazine as “America’s Best Preacher,” Bishop Jakes’ message of healing and restoration is unparalleled, transcending cultural and denominational barriers within the church and beyond. His weekly television outreach, The Potter’s Touch, is a favorite throughout America, Africa, Australia, Europe and the Caribbean.
Bishop Jakes is the visionary behind several entities: the Metroplex Economc Development Corporation, a non-profit organization created to bridge the socio-economic gaps that exist in urban America; Clay Academy, a private, Christian school that offers studies from pre-K3 to eighth grade; MegaCARE, the global outreach missions arm of the church; the Texas Offenders Reentry Initiative (TORI), an after-care program that provides intensive case management to former inmates; The Potter’s House Center for Counseling and Behavioral Health, which delivers powerful programs and services to those impacted by HIV/AIDS and mental/emotional maladies; and TDJ Enterprises, Jakes’ for-profit company which produces and distributes his books, plays, movies, music projects and economic conferences. Additionally, he has established numerous active ministries that work within the church and community to serve the people of God.
With must-attend conferences such as Back to the Bible; Pastors’ and Leadership; For Men Only and the highly-regarded MegaFest, Bishop Jakes has established himself and The Potter’s House as a leader in presenting religious conferences that speak to the heart of people. His conferences have been described as “life-changing” and have set national attendance records.
Few people can claim awards and honors as broad in scope as Bishop Jakes. In addition to holding both a Quill Award and Grammy Award, he is the recipient of several NAACP Image Awards, including the President’s Award, and the Best Independent or Foreign Film Award. For his outstanding leadership, he has received the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award and the Trumpet Award. In addition, he has served as speaker at many prestigious events and ceremonies including the 2009 Presidential Inauguration in which President Barack Obama asked Bishop Jakes to deliver the morning service.
A prolific author of more than 30 books, Bishop Jakes has numerous best sellers, including his most recent books, Before You Do: Making Great Decisions That You Won’t Regret (Atria), and
Reposition Yourself (Atria), both of which reached No. 3 on The New York Times Best Sellers list. Reposition Yourself remained on the list for 23 weeks, and spent 20 weeks on USA Today’s best sellers list.
In January 2009, Sony Pictures released Not Easily Broken, Jakes’ second novel to be made into a motion picture. Starring Morris Chestnut and Taraji P. Henson, the film was directed by Hollywood legend Bill Duke. Not Easily Broken ranked No. 9 nationally during opening week.
Bishop Jakes’ biblically-grounded knowledge allows him to administer sage advice to believers and non-believers when he’s asked to appear on the Dr. Phil Show, CNN, Oprah and MSNBC, or when called upon by U. S. presidents and international leaders. He also shares his wisdom when quoted or profiled in such notable publications as Forbes, The Washington Post, Essence, Time, Ebony, and D Magazine.
With a home base in Dallas/Fort Worth, Bishop Jakes is married to Serita Jakes. They have five children and one grandchild. For more information on Bishop Jakes and The Potter’s House, please visit: www.thepottershouse.org.
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