By Ngozi Nwanji
December 12, 2023
Source: Afro Tech
Photo Source: Unsplash,
The Dallas-raised pastor and daughter of Bishop T.D. Jakes is leading the conference Sept. 14-16 at Globe Life Field.
Sarah Jakes Roberts, the founder of Woman Evolve, is leading a women's conference Sept. 14-16 at Arlington's Globe Life Field.(Courtesy of Sarah Jakes Roberts)
Growing up as the daughter of Bishop T.D. Jakes, senior pastor of Dallas megachurch The Potter’s House, Sarah Jakes Roberts didn’t feel she belonged at church. She dreamed of becoming a rock star or a rapper and felt even more out of place when she got pregnant at 13.
“That further confirmed for me that this is not a space for girls like you,” said Jakes Roberts, now 35. She felt she disappointed her dad and God, and that church was for “the good girls who follow the rules.”
Jakes Roberts got married at 19, in 2008, and went through what she called a “totally toxic and abusive” relationship. She hit a turning point in 2010, when a Texas Child Protective Services officer questioned her about the environment her children were growing up in.
“I realized, like, whatever’s happening inside of me is going to ruin my life if I don’t finally acknowledge it,” she said.
She then decided to “try Jesus.” As she started her journey of faith, she began blogging about her experiences.
Online, she found many other women who could relate to feeling out of place at church. Her following grew to the thousands, and she eventually had the idea to create a women’s ministry inspired by Eve from the Bible: Someone who was flawed, but whom God had a plan for anyway.
So in 2018, Jakes Roberts started Woman Evolve, which has become a women’s empowerment brand with a podcast, weekly devotional newsletter and book club. The group will host a women’s conference focused on empowerment and healing Sept. 14-16 at Arlington’s Globe Life Field. Over 40,000 women are registered; speakers include Brené Brown and Anita Phillips.
Last year, Jakes Roberts’ father hosted the final edition of his long-running women’s conference Woman, Thou Art Loosed. He has encouraged his followers to attend his daughter’s Woman Evolve conference.
With her second husband, Touré Roberts, Jakes Roberts also serves as co-pastor of two affiliate churches of The Potter’s House, one in Los Angeles and one in Denver, the latter now running only online.
When asked if he ever expected his daughter to go into ministry, T.D. Jakes said “absolutely not,” his daughter remembered with a laugh.
“Since I’ve been on this journey of embracing myself, seeking God for myself and really having a connection with my God,” she said. “I have learned that I never disappointed God or my dad to a point where I was not able to receive their love.”
She hopes to share that message with the women at the conference this week.
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