Swift Growth Shapes Potter’s House

Swift Growth Shapes Potter’s House

T. D. Jakes has the type of church problems most preachers crave. The Potter’s House has recently added 1,000 parking spaces, hired nine off-duty Dallas police officers to control traffic, and put a full-time minister on staff just to handle new members.

The nationally televised 40-year-old preacher and author bought a 5,000-seat church building in Dallas 18 months ago. Now the Potter’s House has grown to more than 14,000 worshipers, including Dallas Cowboys stars Deion Sanders and Emmitt Smith, both baptized in October.

Gary Johnston, director of Church Growth Network in Temecula, California, says the Potter’s House is one of the nation’s fastest-growing megachurches. “It’s phenomenal growth,” says Johnston, noting that other megachurches such as Saddleback Valley Community Church in Mission Viejo, California, and Willow Creek in South Barrington, Illinois, took several years to become so large.

The Potter’s House bought 34 hilltop acres of southwest Dallas for $3.2 million from evangelist W. V. Grant, recently released from prison.

While the complex is large enough for worship services, there has been some trouble juggling space for ministries, including Bible studies, drug- and alcohol-abuse programs, prison ministries, feeding the homeless, tutoring for students, faith-based weight-loss programs, emergency counseling, and job training.

Jakes is a leader and elected bishop of the Higher Ground Always Abounding Assembly, a nine-year-old fellowship of about 200 Pentecostal churches. He is the author of 15 books, including the best-selling Woman, Thou Art Loosed and his new cookbook, Lay Aside the Weight. In addition, his program Get Ready is seen three times each week on the Trinity Broadcasting Network and Black Entertainment Television.

Jakes started a church in West Virginia in 1980 with 10 people and supplemented his income by digging ditches. When he left Charleston in 1996, his two side-by-side homes included an indoor pool and bowling alley.

“When I moved to Dallas, I bought the biggest house I could afford,” says Jakes, who, with his wife, Serita, has five children. “I don’t live in a mobile home. There’s nothing wrong with being blessed and successful.”

Copyright © 1998 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Also in this issue

Cuba's Next Revolution: Christians are transforming Castro's Communist stronghold. But will the Protestant-Catholic relationship bred by persecution withstand the pope's high-profile visit?

Cover Story

Cuba's Next Revolution

Classic & Contemporary Excerpts from January 12, 1998

Pottery Shard Points to Temple

Born-again Christians Lead Norway

Christians Protest Trade Embargo

Suit Challenges Religion Classes Credit

The Apostle Shows Grit, Grace

Top Religion Stories of 1997

Sandi Patty Stages Comeback

Madison Avenue’s Spiritual Chic

China’s Leaders Critical of ’Clandestine’ Missions

Internet: IRS Spurs Nonprofit Disclosure on Internet

News

Vineyard: Vineyard Founder Wimber Dies

Spiritual Mapping Gains Credibility Among Leaders

Why Evangelicals Have the Biggest Seminaries

News

News Briefs: January 12, 1998

Billy Graham Had a Dream

Vishal Mangalwadi

The Only Way

Roe v. McCorvey

Wanted: A New Pro-life Strategy

Bittersweet Cuban Memories

Santeria Holds Cuba in Thrall

Brothers to the Rescue Pawn in Policy Discord

Editorial

What Really Died in Oregon

A Hundredfold Return

How Should We Pray for Cuba?

Wire Story

Evangelicals, Catholics Issue Salvation Accord

News

News Briefs: January 12, 1998

View issue

Our Latest

News

Died: John Huffman, Pastor Who Told Richard Nixon to Confess

The Presbyterian minister and CT board member committed to serve the Lord and “let the chips fall where they may.”

The Pastor Who Rescues People from Japan’s ‘Suicide Cliff’

Yoichi Fujiyabu has spent three decades sharing God’s love to people who want to end their lives.

An Ode to the Long Season

Why fans love a game designed to break their hearts.

Is This Heaven? No, It’s Banana Ball

What baseball’s most amusing team gets right about joy in sports.

News

Black Clergy and Christians Grapple with Charlie Kirk’s Legacy

Many say the activist’s inflammatory statements on race should inform how we remember his life.

News

A Sudden Death: Voddie Baucham, Who Warned the Church of Fault Lines

Known for confronting critical theory, moral relativism, and secular ideologies, Baucham died a month into leading a new seminary in Florida.

Why Many Black Christians Reject the Evangelical and Mainline Labels

The history of a prominent church pastored by MLK in Alabama shows the reason African Americans often don’t embrace either term.

News

Pastor Abducted in Nigeria Amid Escalating Kidnapping Crisis

Armed gang continues to hold him after family paid the ransom.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube