T.D. Jakes
aka. Thomas Jakes

Thomas Dexter (T.D.) Jakes pulled himself up from a bootstrap beginning in Charleston, West Virginia, to lead boldly down a renaissance path toward the new millennium. Today, he is a best-selling author, a Grammy-nominated music artist, and conference and crusade speaker who draws each year a collective audience of hundreds of thousands ? the world?s celebrity and the suffering ? to arenas across the globe to seek a "God of Second Chances." He is pastor of one of the fastest growing churches in the nation ?the Potter?s House Church in Dallas. His "Potter?s House" television program is seen on Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN) and Black Entertainment Television (BET) throughout the United States, and in Uganda, South Africa and England.

Bishop T. D. Jakes walks today, no longer in the footsteps of the world?s most respected Christian leaders, but on the cutting edge of that frontier. He is a devoted husband to Serita Jakes, a proud and loving father of five, and known nationally by many as a "Shepherd to the Shattered" ? a source of inspiration to men and women of all races, faith, and life stages.

Most recently, he is a playwright engaging the nation in a close look at and a strong fight against domestic violence. His Woman, Thou Art Loosed! Conferences and healing message to women have found dimension in book, play, and music. His Manpower Conferences and ministry and message to men are gaining impact as he strives to lead his audiences toward inspirational, economic, and relational growth.

The Potter?s House Church local and national ministries to prison inmates and released offenders; Dallas street and shelter outreach to the homeless, the prostitutes, and the battered; and a state-certified drug rehabilitation program serve as significant models for faith-based entities nationwide.

Bishop T. D. Jakes learned hardship, hard work, and heartbreak, growing up the son of a pastor father who struggled daily with a fatal kidney disease, and a mother who taught home economics and shared with her family a passion for learning and excellence as she struggled to care for an ailing husband and three growing children. Young T. D. also learned hope, enterprise, and the importance of helping others. He watched his parents build a successful cleaning business from a mop and bucket beginning to support their family. He saw them strive to make a positive difference in the lives of others, despite their own struggle with illness and hardship. One of the most popular Christian preachers in America and a best-selling author who produced over a dozen books in just the first five years of his writing career, Bishop T.D. Jakes began recording in 1997 with a live version of his most popular book, Woman, Thou Art Loosed!. Born in 1957 in West Virginia, Jakes was raised as a Baptist, but an experience at a storefront Apostolic church gave him a sense of purpose to preach the unity to a disparate Christian America, whether the issue is denominational, racial or sexual. He attended West Virginia State University and studied psychology, though he later earned a master's as well as a doctorate in the ministry.

T.D. Jakes' renown grew during the rest of the decade as he gave several high-profile sermons around the nation, including the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship's convention before 45, 000 people. By 1993, he had begun writing Christian books, and in 1995 his Woman, Thou Art Loosed! became the second best-selling Christian book of the year. In early 1996, Jakes learned that W.V. Grant's large Eagle's Nest Family Church in Dallas was for sale. He bought the site -- as well as its media facilities -- and soon gained audiences of over 5, 000. Sacred Love Songs followed in 1999; Storm Is Over appeared two years later. ~