Logan Reid
In November 2024, Pastor T.D. Jakes, the founder of The Potter's House church, suffered a health emergency during a sermon. The 67-year-old pastor was rushed to the hospital, where he learned that he had experienced a massive heart attack. Jakes revealed that he had none of the usual symptoms and did not realize the severity of his condition until he arrived at the hospital. In March 2025, Jakes shared more details about his health scare and expressed gratitude for his recovery. Following the medical incident, Jakes announced that he would be stepping down from his role as the head of The Potter's House and passing on the leadership to his daughter and son-in-law.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of incident | November 2024 |
| Reason for hospitalisation | Heart attack |
| Symptoms | Pausing and shaking |
| Underlying cause | Blood clot |
| Time since incident | 5 months |
| Successors | Sarah Jakes Roberts, Touré Roberts |
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What You'll Learn
- T.D. Jakes suffered a heart attack while preaching in November 2024
- Jakes experienced no symptoms and was shocked to learn he had a heart attack
- Jakes was preaching with half of his heart closed due to a clot
- Jakes stepped down from his role as head of The Potter's House in April 2025
- Jakes' successors are his daughter, Sarah Jakes Roberts, and her husband, Touré Roberts
T.D. Jakes suffered a heart attack while preaching in November 2024
T.D. Jakes, the founder and former head pastor of The Potter's House—a non-denominational, multicultural megachurch—suffered a heart attack while preaching in November 2024. The incident occurred during a Sunday sermon at The Potter's House in Dallas, Texas, where Jakes has served as senior pastor since he founded the church in 1996.
Video footage from the service shows Jakes pausing and shaking after sitting down during his sermon. Church leaders and his wife quickly rushed to his side to pray, and the broadcast was immediately stopped. Speaking about the incident, Jakes said, "I didn't really realize what was happening to me on stage until I got to the hospital and in an ambulance. Then the doctor leaned over in my ear and said that 'you've had a massive heart attack.'"
Jakes was shocked to learn he had suffered a heart attack, as he hadn't experienced any of the usual symptoms. In an interview, he recalled how he felt fine while preaching, but when he sat down, the adrenaline dropped, exposing the fact that he had been preaching with a blocked artery. He described the experience as peaceful and serene, saying he felt like he was "on [his] way out."
In the aftermath of his heart attack, Jakes stepped down from his role as head pastor of The Potter's House in April 2025. He passed on leadership to his daughter, Sarah Jakes Roberts, and son-in-law, Touré Roberts, who will assume their roles as senior pastors in July. Jakes will continue to serve on The Potter's House Board of Directors and remain active in ministry, focusing on building bridges between community, culture, and corporate alliances.
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Jakes experienced no symptoms and was shocked to learn he had a heart attack
In November 2024, during a Sunday sermon at The Potter's House in Dallas, Bishop T.D. Jakes suffered a health emergency. The 67-year-old pastor experienced a massive heart attack while preaching. However, Jakes himself was unaware of what was happening until he arrived at the hospital. In an interview, he recalled:
> I didn’t really realize what was happening to me on stage until I got to the hospital and in an ambulance. Then the doctor leaned over in my ear and said that 'you’ve had a massive heart attack.'
Video footage of the incident shows Jakes pausing and shaking during his sermon before his wife and staff rushed to his side to pray. Jakes was shocked to learn he had suffered a heart attack, as he had experienced none of the usual symptoms. He described the incident as an out-of-body experience, saying:
> In my mind, I was in a quiet, peaceful, serene, white-enveloped, cloud-enveloped space. I was on my way out. Afterwards, in retrospect, it was such a privilege to stand on the other side, to get a glimpse of what it might be like, or at least what it was like in the moment for me.
Months after the heart attack, Jakes stepped down from his role as the head of The Potter's House, a church he founded in 1996, passing on leadership to his daughter, Sarah Jakes Roberts, and son-in-law, Touré Roberts. Despite his health scare, Jakes expressed gratitude and a desire to continue serving as a minister, stating: "I’m getting faster because one, I’m older. Two, I’m grateful. Three, I’ve got something to say."
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Jakes was preaching with half of his heart closed due to a clot
T.D. Jakes, the founder of The Potter's House church, revealed in an interview with Craig Melvin on TODAY in March 2025 that he had suffered a massive heart attack while preaching in November 2024. The 67-year-old pastor recounted that he did not realize anything was wrong until he got to the hospital. "I didn’t really realize what was happening to me on stage," he said, "I felt fine while I was preaching. But when I sat down, the adrenaline dropped, and it became clear that I was preaching with half of my heart closed due to a clot."
Video footage from the service shows Jakes pausing and shaking before his wife and staff rushed to his side to pray. The broadcast was immediately stopped, and several people could be seen attending to him. Jakes was shocked to learn he had suffered a heart attack, as he hadn't exhibited any of the typical symptoms.
Jakes recalled that once he was in the ambulance, the doctor leaned over and informed him that he had experienced a massive heart attack. "The right side of my heart had completely stopped getting blood at all," Jakes said, relaying the doctor's words. "They said five minutes later I’d be dead on arrival," he added.
In the months following the incident, Jakes stepped down from his role as the head of The Potter's House, passing on the leadership to his daughter, Sarah Jakes Roberts, and son-in-law, Touré Roberts. Despite his health scare, Jakes maintains that he will not stop being a minister and is grateful for the prayers he has received.
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Jakes stepped down from his role as head of The Potter's House in April 2025
T.D. Jakes, the founder and former head of The Potter's House, stepped down from his role in April 2025. Jakes had led the non-denominational, multicultural church since its founding in 1996, and it now boasts over 30,000 members across several cities.
In November 2024, Jakes suffered a health scare while delivering a sermon. The 67-year-old pastor experienced a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital, where he received treatment and learned of his serious condition. Despite the scare, Jakes expressed gratitude for his health and life, stating that he had none of the usual symptoms associated with heart attacks.
In April 2025, just a few months after his health emergency, Jakes announced that he would be passing on the leadership of The Potter's House to his daughter, Sarah Jakes Roberts, and son-in-law, Touré Roberts. Jakes's decision to step down from his role was influenced by a desire to address major economic, societal, and spiritual issues of the time. He wanted to focus on building bridges between the community, culture, and corporate alliances to strengthen the nation's future.
Jakes's emotional final words as lead pastor expressed gratitude to his congregation for their faithfulness to him and God. He assured the community that he would continue to serve on The Potter's House Board of Directors and remain active as a minister. Jakes's departure marks a new chapter for The Potter's House, with the next generation taking over to lead the church into the future.
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Jakes' successors are his daughter, Sarah Jakes Roberts, and her husband, Touré Roberts
There were reports that Pastor T.D. Jakes suffered a health emergency in November 2024 while delivering a sermon during a church service. In April 2025, Jakes announced that he would be stepping down from his role as the head of The Potter's House Church, which he had founded in 1996. Jakes cited the need to address major economic issues as part of the reason for his decision. He also expressed his desire to focus on building bridges between community, culture, and corporate alliances.
Jakes revealed that he would be passing on the leadership of the church to his daughter, Sarah Jakes Roberts, and her husband, Touré Roberts. Roberts is the founder of ONE | A Potter's House Church, which he co-leads with his wife. The couple has a blended family of six children. They are expected to take over as senior pastors later in 2025, after moving to Dallas in 2022 and serving as assistant pastors since 2023.
Sarah Jakes Roberts is a well-known figure in her own right. She has written several books and study guides, including the New York Times bestseller "Woman Evolve." In her book, Roberts shares the message that no one is beyond God's love. She has also built a women's empowerment brand, Woman Evolve, which includes a podcast, a newsletter, and a book club. Roberts has hosted women's conferences that have drawn tens of thousands of attendees.
Touré Roberts is a pastor and the founder of ONE | A Potter's House Church. According to the church's website, ONE began in 2004 as a global movement, reaching hundreds of thousands of people through transformational teachings and local outreach. Roberts has expressed his commitment to leading The Potter's House into the future while honouring its rich history. He and his wife intend to carry the church's ministry forward with compassion, clarity, and courage.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, in November 2024, during a Sunday sermon at The Potter's House in Dallas, Pastor TD Jakes suffered a massive heart attack.
Yes, Pastor TD Jakes went to the hospital and was informed by the doctor that he had suffered a massive heart attack.
Yes, in April 2025, Pastor TD Jakes announced that he would be passing on the leadership of The Potter's House to his daughter and son-in-law, Sarah Jakes Roberts and Touré Roberts.
