Summary
TD Jakes Ministries is a dba (doing business as) name of the Potters House of Dallas, Inc. The Potters House is a Church with multiple ministries, including T.D. Jakes trade mark conference, “Woman Thou Art Loosed” (WTAL), and other conferences and television programs. His popular television program, "The Potter’s House," airs multiple times per week on Trinity Broadcasting Network ("TBN") and on BET ("Black Entertainment Television"). He also reaches a growing international audience in Africa and 22 European nations. In 1994, Jakes established T. D. Jakes Ministries, Inc. a separate nonprofit organization with about 150 employees for the propose of producing his conferences and television programs, distributing his tapes, videos, and managing his crusades. A decision was made to fold the separate organization into the Church. They then treated this separate organization as just another ministry of the Potters House of Dallas. This ministry has chosen not to be open and transparent with MinistryWatch.com. As a result it is difficult to understand all aspects of its ministry.
Contact Information: [ Back to top ]
| Mailing Address: | PO Box 5390
Dallas, TX
75208-5208 |
| Website: | www.tdjakes.org |
| Phone: | (214) 333-6400, (800) 247-4672 |
| Email: | You need to enable javascript to see the email |
Organization Details [ Back to top ]
EIN: 311506712
| CEO/President: |
Bishop T.D. Jakes |
Tax Deductible: |
Yes |
| Chairman: |
Bishop T.D. Jakes |
Fiscal Year End: |
December 31 |
| Board Size: |
5 |
Financial info from: |
|
| Founder: |
Bishop T.D. Jakes |
Member of ECFA: |
No |
| Year Founded: |
1994 |
Member of ECFA since: |
|
TD Jakes Ministries is a dba (doing business as) name of the Potters House of Dallas, Inc. The Potters House is a Church with multiple ministries, including T.D. Jakes trade mark conference, “Woman Thou Art Loosed” (WTAL), and other conferences and television programs. His popular television program, "The Potter’s House," airs multiple times per week on Trinity Broadcasting Network ("TBN") and on BET ("Black Entertainment Television"). He also reaches a growing international audience in Africa and 22 European nations. Bishop Jakes’ conferences attract audiences as high as 52,000 people, 30 percent of whom are not regular church attendees.
In 1994, Jakes established T. D. Jakes Ministries, Inc. a separate nonprofit organization with about 150 employees for the propose of producing his conferences and television programs, distributing his tapes, videos, and managing his crusades. A decision was made to fold the separate organization into the Church. They then treated this separate organization as just another ministry of the Potters House of Dallas, Inc. They use the Name "TD Jakes Ministries" as a dba.
This ministry has chosen not to be open and transparent with MinistryWatch.com. As a result it is difficult to understand all aspects of its ministry.
Prudent donors want to understand what it is they are going to support. Some ministries claim they have no legal obligation to share financial or other information — but they do have a moral obligation to do so. Without access to comprehensive ministry information it is not possible for donors to make optimal giving decisions. Ministries that seek to obscure critical information from scrutiny undermine the faith and trust of donors and damage attitudes that have a long term negative impact. For those few ministries that state it has no legal obligation, it should be noted that donors are even less so obligated with any legalist obligation to give, but they do have a moral obligation to give in a prudent and wise fashion. Transparency is a consensus of practical sound wisdom. Many Christians are willing to live ethically without a governmental entity mandating that they do so. Transparency is the key component to a growing and prosperous donor — ministry relationship and fundamental to long-term ministry success. Information, however, must be timely, relevant, accurate and complete for it to be used effectively.
Christians should have nothing to fear by being open. All will be judged at a future date, and with this thought in mind, how are we to conduct ourselves before God today? Organizations described as “Christian Ministries” are at least giving people an image of God. Is God characterized as closed, impartial and hidden; or, open, personable and knowable? Scripture enjoins Christians to conduct themselves honestly (1 Thes. 4:12; 1 Tim. 2:2), with due candor (Jms. 5:12) and grace (Col. 4:6), without deliberate offense to Jew, Gentile or the Church of God (1 Cor. 10:32), with decency and orderliness (1 Cor. 14:40), blameless, giving no occasion for rebuke (Phil. 2:15), and offering no opportunity for false accusation (1 Pet. 3:16). Responsibility for the resources God has placed in the trust of His saints is called “stewardship” in the Bible (1 Pet. 4:10), the person responsible for the resources is called the “steward” (Lk. 12:42; 16:1-8). Most Christians would not argue with the principle that the chief aim of man is to ...”to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” However, how can a “Christian Ministry” “glorify God” if they are not open? Are not organizations that hide things characterized as cults? Should not Christian ministries lead by example? Besides being characterized as a steward, Christians can be characterized as ambassadors and as light because God is light. Just these few summary ideas indicate that Christian ministries should be open and transparent. In addition, responsibility to God is linked to responsibility to government and mankind.
MinistryWatch.com's hope is that Christian ministries are indeed an example to follow and not otherwise. It is one of our premises that Christians should be light in a world of darkness and as such, Christians should be setting the standard by their conduct.
It is not enough for ministries to live up to the minimum of any written law, or to give all men their due. Ministries ought to give them more than their due. Ministries should be concentrating on the good of others, seeking reward in self-denial and sacrifice, and not of personal advantage. Therefore ministries should treat others as they would want to be treated by them, regardless of unworthiness and ingratitude.
Donors should be seeking information before they give as well as after. Before in order to have an idea where the money is intended, as well as if it corresponds to the donors values. And then after to see if it really happened. Trust but verify, so that they know if they would desire to continue to give.
TD Jakes Ministries expresses its mission as follows:
T.D. Jakes Ministries endeavors to contribute to the spiritual, relational and entrepreneurial advancement of the Christian community by providing Biblical enrichment, spiritual guidance, motivational resources and economic empowerment. Bishop Jakes hopes that his ministry will enable Christians to overcome personal obstacles and limitations and adopt a zeal for advancement.
Program Accomplishments [ Back to top ]
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Statement of Faith [ Back to top ]
THREE DIMENSIONS OF ONE GOD (1 John 5:7; Mathew 28:19; 1 Tim 3:16)
We believe in one God who is eternal in His existence, Triune in His manifestation, being both Father, Son and Holy Ghost AND that He is Sovereign and Absolute in His authority.
We believe in the Father who is God Himself, Creator of the universe. {Gen 1:1; John 1:1}
We believe that Jesus is the Son of God. (Col 2:9) He suffered, died, was buried, and rose from the dead for our total salvation (Luke 3:21-22; Philippians 2:5-11). We believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him (John 3:36; John 3:31-32; John 14:6).
We believe in the Holy Spirit who is God indwelling, empowering and regenerating the believer. This Holy Spirit is called the Comforter. The Spirit of Truth (John14:17, 14:26)
We believe that the blood of Jesus Christ atones for our sins and iniquity. It is through His shed blood that we are saved, healed and set free from bondage and the forces of darkness (Romans 5:9-11; Ephesians 1:7; Revelation 12:11).
We believe that every believer must have a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, for apart from Him we can do nothing. Each person has a ministry from God that no one else can fill. We are to instruct, teach, exhort, and admonish believers in the ways of God (John 15:1-5; Hebrews 13:5-6).
We believe that the Bible is the true infallible Word of God, which cleanses our souls. It holds the words of eternal life and the keys of the Kingdom of God. The Bible shows us God's principles and standards for living; and it is the food that sustains us in all circumstances (John 1:14; 2 Timothy 3: 16-17; 1 John 2:5-6).
We believe that we are to wash and renew our minds daily by the Word of God.
We must learn His ways and exchange our way of thinking for His. We are to be conformed to the Kingdom of God by the molding and shaping of His Hands (Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:23-29; Philippians 4:8).
We believe in justification by faith. We believe that salvation is free and apart from any work of man is a result of the sovereign grace of God. (Eph 2:8-9, Gal 5:5, Rom 5:1)
We believe in worshipping the Lord in spirit, song, dance and with the raising of our hands. We believe that we are to praise and worship Him with our whole being (Psalms 150:1-6; John 4:24).
We believe that in Godly living and the pursuit of a holy life should be the goal of every believer. (Heb 12:14, Phil 3:14)
We believe that believers should be water baptized by immersion for the circumcision of our hearts. It is through baptism that we publicly identify with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3-6; Colossians 2:11-14; Acts 2:38).
We believe that all Christians need to partake of the communion elements which represent the Lord Jesus' body and blood. It is by participating in the Lord's Supper that we proclaim His death until His return (John 6:53-58; 1 Corinthians 11:23-30).
We believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the sign of speaking in other tongues. We believe that Christians must be filled daily by using our prayer language, but the evidence of the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence is a changed life (Acts 2:4; Ephesians 5:18-21).
We believe in the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He ministers to His people through tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy; words of knowledge and wisdom, discerning of spirits, faith, working of miracles, and healing (Mark 16:15-18; Acts 5:16; 2 Corinthians 12:1-11).
We believe that it is God's will to heal and deliver His people today as He did in the days of the first Apostles. It is by the stripes of Jesus that we are healed, delivered and made whole. We have authority over sickness, disease, demons, curses, and every circumstance in life (Luke 10:19; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5; 1 Peter 2:24).
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature... And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." (Mark 16:15-18)
1957, T. D. Jakes was born June 9, and grew up as the youngest son in a South Charleston, West Virginia family.
1974, Jakes felt called to the ministry at age 17 and began preaching part-time while he was a student at West Virginia State University and while working at a chemical plant. He eventually became part-time music director at the Baptist church in which he grew up.
1980, As a part-time pastor, Jakes helped found Greater Emanuel Temple of Faith in a storefront in Montgomery, West Virginia with only 10 members.
1981, T. D. Jakes married Serita Ann Jamison. They had met while he was a guest speaker at her church. They have five children.
1982, Jakes began full-time ministry after the chemical plant where he worked closed and his father died of kidney disease.
1983, Jakes held his first conference (now called “The Bible Conference”) with 80 attendees.
1988, T.D. Jakes was ordained a Bishop by The Greater Emmanuel Apostolic Faith Tabernacle, Inc. in Portsmouth, OH.
1990, Jakes moved his ministry to South Charleston. The congregation then grew from 100 members to more than 300.
1992, Jakes preached the sermon “Woman Thou Art Loosed” in Sunday school. This message became his trademark.
1993, Jakes wrote his first book, also titled Woman Thou Art Loosed. He also began his weekly television program, Get Ready with T. D. Jakes, a program that is now called The Potter’s House and airs four times a week. Later that year, he moved his ministry to Cross Lanes, West Virginia. The congregation grew to nearly 1,000 members of all races, including 40 percent Caucasian.
1994, Jakes established T. D. Jakes Ministries, Inc. (EIN: 31-1394705) a nonprofit (IRS 501(c)(3)) organization with about 150 employees for the propose of producing his conferences and television programs, distributing his tapes, videos, and manages his crusades. A decision was made to let the 501(c)(3) organization expire. They then treated this ministry as just a sub-part of the Potters House of Dallas, Inc. They use the Name "TD Jakes Ministries" as a dba (doing business as) name for the Potters House.
1996, Jakes moved his family and 50 other families from West Virginia to establish the Potter’s House in Dallas. The present church is on the 28-acre site where the old Eagle’s Nest Church of television evangelist W. V. Grant had been.
1998, T. D. Jakes and the Potter’s House dedicated Project 2000, a 231-acre tract of land, with the hope to be transformed into the City of Refuge to meet transgenerational needs for rehabilitation, education, and training.
This organization has not offered MinistryWatch.com with specific needs to be posted on the profile. At such a time that MinistryWatch.com receives a response from the ministry, it will be posted immediately.
Research Analysis
Transparency Grade [ Back to top ]
| Transparency Grade of : F |
| Criteria category | Grade | Other Comments |
| Timeliness: | 0 | |
| Financial Information: | 0 | |
| Foundational Clarity: | 70 | |
| Level of Cooperation: | 0 | |
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MinistryWatch.com’s Take
November 2003
By Dan Wray, Research Fellow
Arise, Go Down to the Potter’s House
“Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.”
Jeremiah 18:2
People are flocking in droves to the Potter’s House in southwest suburban Dallas, Texas to hear the words of Bishop Thomas Dexter, “T. D.” Jakes. Situated on twenty-eight acres at the former site of deposed televangelist W. V. Grant’s Eagle’s Nest Church, the Potter’s House headquarters one of the fastest growing churches in North America and is at the center of an impressive array of fifty nine ministry services ranging from non-denominational Sunday worship to community social reforms and educating downtrodden in the culture of success. The ministry name derives from Jeremiah 18, wherein God is portrayed by the prophet as a potter, willing and able to re-fashion and re-mold until the clay presents without blemish – fitting for a ministry dedicated to perseverance and hope in the midst of struggle and crisis. The Potter’s House’s broad appeal is evident in the church’s attendance demographic, ethnically diverse though predominantly black, and boasting 45% male attendance, disproportionately high for a largely minority membership.
‘Jakes of all trades...’
Heralded on the ministry website as “pastor, community advocate, humanitarian, author, song writer, playwright, conference speaker and broadcaster,” Jakes reaches out to the homeless, drug and alcohol addicted, prostitutes and single mothers, and others with ministries designed to touch the hurting by taking tangible relief and remedy beyond church walls. In addition to a host of more traditional ministries, Rahab International Ministries for victims of domestic abuse, New Creation Prison and Jail Ministry, reaching the community of the incarcerated – offender, releasee and family, The Guardians, promoting spiritual growth and cultivating self sufficiency among the homeless, and Samaritan Ministry, working with the HIV infected all serve to illustrate why Jakes has earned a reputation as “Shepherd to the shattered.” A national newsweekly numbered Jakes among America’s “100 Best,” and a major New York newspaper included him among five preachers most likely to succeed Billy Graham as the nation’s pastor.
Minister on a mission
The Potter’s House takes its ministry Mission Statement from Isaiah 51:3, a prophetic pronouncement of comfort in Zion, restoration, joy and gladness for the Lord’s people. While the Biblical passage clearly anticipates the joy of Messiah’s reign, Jakes makes no pretense of waiting for restoration to begin. In March, 1998, in the presence of then Texas Governor George Bush and Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk, Jakes broke ground on the City of Refuge, a vision for South Dallas community reclamation, replete with schools, innovative businesses, cultural venues and a broad spectrum of human services. The goal is an environment wherein spirituality can develop and flourish after the basic life essentials of food and shelter have been addressed. |We want them| “to have a home to go to and to be able to eat once in it,” says Jakes. The Bishop envisions a climate wherein business plans can incubate under the watchful supervision of City of Refuge business leaders, where skills of the street life can be transformed into honorable business acumen. Explains Jakes; "If you're pushing drugs on the street and you're any good at it, that means you are a skilled salesman. What we want to do is take that skill and turn it around."
Relationship responsibility
Relationships are the touchstone of T.D. Jakes’ appeal to men and women alike, whether in the pulpit – Jakes’ Bible conferences have broken attendance records and his crusades are beamed into prisons weekly via his Potter’s House Prison Satellite Network, in print – Jakes has authored over 2 dozen books including numerous best sellers (“Woman, Thou Art Loosed,” “The Great Investment: Faith, Family and Finance,” “God’s Leading Lady”) – or in person in the intimacy of accountability groups – Jakes regularly meets with men in discipleship groups, some of which are recorded for TV or radio broadcast. Jakes’ wife, Serita, conducts her own Woman-to-Woman ministry with a point of emphasis for women at every stage of life including a debutante program, mentoring young women in commitment to personal purity, Christian character, and the cultural and social graces consonant with an expectation of excellence in life. Broadcast media has also been effectively used to communicate the Jakes one-to-one congeniality via TV and radio, as well as webcast of the Potter’s Touch, a taped talk show hosted by the Bishop and featuring notables from various walks of life.
Oneness
Jakes has been criticized by conservative evangelicals for a view of the Godhead generally known as Oneness Pentecostalism, and for his open embrace of the brand of prosperity theology championed by Kenneth Copeland, Paul Crouch, Creflo Dollar and others. Jakes’ responses on the Godhead have done little to quiet the critics.’ Of material prosperity he says, it’s “...not about prosperity as much as it is economic empowerment. And people who work in the inner city understand how important it is that we have people who, with integrity -- not embezzlement, but integrity -- can provide proof positive that it can be done in my color. That is worth fighting for; not the right to wear a ring or watch, but the right to say: 'Even in my color against all odds, I did it and you can do it, too.”
When the dust settles, the Potter’s House ministry is still T. D. Jakes and his signature message of healing and restoration for the hurting individual, both spiritually and materially. It is a message that is resonating with millions.
Operating the business
Whether one considers the non-profit Potter’s House Ministries, or his for-profit T. D. Jakes Enterprises, marketer for his literary work in print, music and theatre, it is clear that T.D. Jakes’ is doing well financially. Well established among the proponents of prosperity theology, Jakes’ teaching that God will prosper his people directly proportionally to their monetary support of the ministry has perpetuated growth and enabled an outreach most ministries only imagine, and has provided a lifestyle for the Bishop and his family rivaling those of business and entertainment moguls. Supporters are offered an array of books, music, teaching tapes, and worship and Bible conference videos for purchase, at live venues and through the ministry website, producing annual revenue estimated at $20 million. Friends of T.D. Jakes and the Potter’s House are invited to “partner” in the ministry with regularly scheduled giving, from $20/month to $1000/year, with Luke 6:38 serving as inspiration. Interestingly, clear articulation of a position on tithing or stewardship of finances is conspicuously absent from the ministry’s Vision, Mission, Belief, or Doctrinal Statements. Some will also undoubtedly question what may simply be an injudicious choice of words in enumerating one of the points of ministry focus as a goal to “operate the business professionally and efficiently.”
Bits and Pieces
Born in 1957 into a Christian home, Thomas Dexter Jakes’ early days were influenced by the work ethic of his parents – father, Ernest, ran a janitorial business, mother, Odith, was a home economics teacher who taught her kids to cook, clean and sew – and he is said to have begun preaching to imaginary congregations as a child. With formal education interrupted by family health issues, Jakes eventually completed a GED requirement and college undergraduate work, a Master’s degree, and ultimately a Doctorate in Ministry through correspondence. Jakes’ theological influences are considered to include Baptist, a mix of Pentecostal – historical and contemporary – and Church of God in Christ. His preaching style is a deceptively well-honed amalgam of authoritative Biblical injunction and sympathetic common sense, delivered with hoarse imperative that suddenly shifts to soothing baritone.
Critics of success?
While success itself can seem to be the perennial ideological target for some critics, Jakes continues to draw fire for a certain flamboyance which cannot be reasonably maintained on “working man’s wages,” and though eschewing the “name it and claim it “ label, seems unalterably linked to a theology that equates the “peaceable fruit of righteousness” with material blessings. To critics of this theology of largess, Jakes’ style is embarrassingly reminiscent of the gospel lyric; “My father is rich in houses and lands.” Others wonder with incredulity at the extent of this prosperity prophet’s collection of property and possessions, evoking the worn Madison Avenue refrain, “This isn’t your father’s Oldsmobile!” Indeed. This father’s son drives European, several of them. On balance, most would agree this busy laborer is certainly worthy of his hire and is entitled to the legitimate fruit of his honest endeavor, whether preaching, publishing or playwriting. It goes with the territory however, that as stewards of the sacrificial ministry gifts of God’s people, preachers of the gospel will continue to be scrutinized over the particulars of their own personal profit.
Manifestations, modes and mystery
T. D. Jakes’ most unrelenting criticism involves his view of the Godhead. Professing to disciplinedly avoid quoting theologians of any stripe and disavowing any notion that he himself merits such designation, Jakes claims to get his hybrid theology directly from Scripture, safe ground for any evangelical. In fact, as many have noted, Jakes’ theology proper appears to be a contemporary form of historical modalism, long held to be an aberration from orthodoxy, and heretical. If Jakes’ explanation published in a prominent Christian periodical has clarified anything, it is that the criticisms are not unfounded. Jakes seems hopelessly mired in a view of the Godhead wherein each divine Person is a different “manifestation” – Jakes’ term – (or mode?) of the same essence, having “distinct and separate functions,” and “ ...individual attributes.” While attempting to prove that each divine Person has distinct personality, he crystallizes the impression that each Person is himself a part of a greater Whole, and so by clear inference, less than the whole. Historical orthodoxy has always held that with respect to life, the Godhead, while inscrutable, is irreducibly simple, i.e., not the sum of many parts. Though Jakes does not suggest the worn “three strands of one rope” analogy, he does appeal to the illustration of water in three forms – liquid, steam, and ice – essentially making his critics’ case for a faulty view of one God manifesting in three modes. Jakes’ appeal to Scriptural support fails inasmuch as none of the five references commonly cited makes any definitive statement about the Triunity of the Godhead, but rather about distinctions within it and among the Persons.
Modern nuance on an old story
Finally, for some, there is something puzzling about a gifted and distinguished preacher who champions another’s message without necessity. Bishop T. D. Jakes persuades. He persuades that God is benevolent, that he feels the feelings of His children’s infirmities that He wants to bind up the broken, to heal the wounded and succor the destitute. And the people give. They would give if Jakes never uttered a syllable about material prosperity. They give because they have believed the messenger and the message, that N. T. Church saints are first class citizens of the heavenlies, whether they travel first cabin or not, aliens and strangers in a land where it is not their class, culture or ethnicity that distinguishes them, but their peculiar pedigree as those representing every kindred and tongue and people and nation, bought by the precious blood of a Lamb, “slain before the foundation of the world,” and worthy to judge. If, as some observe, this monumental black American preacher is to take the pastoral mantle of another, it will be because his message is nuanced, not with Christian pop culture social reforms or the gospel of success, but with “the old, old story” and the unambiguous body of doctrine, once for all delivered unto the saints.”