Bishop T.D. Jakes, pastor of The Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas, passed the mantle of leadership to his daughter, fellow preacher Sarah Jakes Roberts, during the 2022 Woman, Thou Art Loosed! conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
As the WTAL 2022 conference was initially described as “the grand finale” in promotional materials, it was assumed that the decades-old conference would be coming to a close.
Instead of shutting down the longtime women’s conference, Jakes revealed as he called his daughter to the stage that it instead would be getting an upgrade.
“Sarah Jakes Roberts, when you walk onto this stage, you are walking into your destiny,” he said before 22,000 women on September 25, the conference’s final day.
“After 30 years of Woman, Thou Art Loosed! and 45 years of preaching the Gospel, the time has come that I must decrease, and you must increase,” Jakes added. “This is not an inheritance; this is a calling. You are not standing on this stage for family legacy. This is not a favor, but a divine assignment that Woman, Thou Art Loosed! must evolve.”
Jakes Roberts, who co-pastors ONE church in Los Angeles with her husband Touré Roberts, published the bestselling book Woman Evolve in 2021 — the apparent inspiration for the long-running global conference’s new name.
The 34-year-old preacher has proven to be as influential as her father in ministry, attracting more than 4 million online followers and drawing millions of views to her sermons on YouTube.
According to a press release: “Jakes Roberts will assume the role as leader of the next generation of women’s leadership events in addition to her own ministry and conference, Woman Evolve.”
Only time will tell how Jakes Roberts will move forward with both her father’s blessing and WTAL, which first began in Atlanta nearly 30 years ago.
