Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, & ZOOMER Jakes
Youth'ntm Your Life with Inspiraton
ZOOMER Magazine, AgeVenture, Boca Raton, Florida 07-22-07
JET magazine's July 23 issue reports on Bishop T.D. Jakes 31-year road to success in
"FROM A POOR HOUSE TO THE POTTERS HOUSE."
Dont let Bishop T.D. Jakes national appeal and worldwide accomplishments fool you, says JET.
Even though he preaches to a 30,000-member congregation in a $45-million facility in Dallas (The Potters House), he shares with JET his struggles on his journey to success.
We couldnt buy diapers and we used to take paper towels and duck tape and wrap them around the kids. Jakes, who has been preaching for 31 years, has only fully enjoyed success in the last decade.
He tells JET there was a time when he preached in tattered clothing and holes in his shoes. Today, a man who is recognized globally and has been dubbed Americas Best Preacher, Jakes remains humble. Im a regular guy. Im very human. Im very earthy. Im not some preacher above you. Im a guy.
"Even in a profession peopled with multitaskers, Bishop Thomas (T.D.) Jakes stands out," said TIME magazine (Feb 2005) in its cover article, "The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America."
A beloved pastor, a successful entrepreneur, a global advocate and philanthropist, shepherd to millions around the globe, Bishop Thomas Dexter (T.D.) Jakes Sr., founded Greater Emmanuel Temple of Faith, his first pastorate, in 1979. It was a small beginning, in a small West Virginia church, pastoring a small congregation 10-members strong.
More than 25 years later, he pastors what Christianity Today calls "one of America's fastest growing mega-churches." The Potter's House, a multiracial, nondenominational church with 50-plus active outreach ministries, has dominated church growth records since its inception in 1996.
In its almost 10-year existence, the church has grown from the 50 families that relocated with the Jakes family from West Virginia to Dallas to more than 30,000 members to-date.
Jakes' success rivals many corporations. The ministry employs nearly 400 staff members, including full-time finance, human resources, information technology, materials distribution, public relations, publications and television production departments.
The Potter's House is fiscally sound, retiring within four years the financial debt incurred by the 191,000 square foot, $45 million sanctuary construction.
T.D. Jakes inspirational books are available for sale at:
Image credits: JET magazine, and T.D. Jakes.
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