The story of Bishop T.D. Jakes takes an intriguing turn as he discovers his roots in the Igbo tribe of Nigeria, West Africa. This revelation has not only been a personal journey for the renowned American preacher but also highlights the interconnectedness of history, culture, and identity.
Born Thomas Dexter Jakes Sr. on June 9, 1957, in South Charleston, West Virginia, Bishop Jakes grew up in Vandalia, West Virginia. He is an author and filmmaker aside from his faith work, and is worth $20 million. He started serving in the faith as a pastor at Greater Emmanuel Temple Faith in 1982, which had only 10 members.
Tracing Roots to the Igbo Tribe
The name Jakes has its roots in German culture, however, that identity is one that popular American preacher, Bishop T. D. Jakes, is no longer willing to embrace since he traced his roots to the Igbo tribe in Nigeria, West Africa. The idea to conduct the test to establish his ancestry was suggested by Harvard professor of African and African-American research, Henry Louis Gates. Since then, the experience has not only been phenomenal for Bishop Jakes, but for other celebrated figures like Oprah Winfrey, and Quincy Jones, among others.
Discovering his ancestry has helped the preacher to understand his personality traits from a broader perspective - Igbos are hardworking, industrious, and innovative, and these have always been inherent traits Bishop Jakes has exhibited all his life. One of the identities the Bishop finds astonishing is the fact that, though he was neither born nor raised in Nigeria, his keen interest in entrepreneurship is akin to that of an Igbo man, according to Punch Nigeria.
His children have also started learning more about the Igbo culture and ancestry since the DNA testing traced their father’s roots to the Nigerian tribe. In recent times, the Bishop has visited Nigeria more often to learn about his people and their culture. His favorite dishes are fufu and jollof rice - though the meals are hot and spicy, he interestingly has a liking for them. Another thing that stands out for him is how his identity has informed how he even decorates his home - it is adorned with a lot of African art.
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Bishop T. D. Jakes believes he has regained a part of himself that had been chipped away for a very long time. It is that very soul that connects with the many slaves who were captured from different parts of Africa. In his mind, the narrative that Africa is a continent riddled with poverty and backward is rather the reverse. Bishop T. D. Jakes had this to say: “we were taken from our homes, from our people, from our continent… We lost our history (and) assumed a name that’s not ours” so he feels extremely gratified to be able to connect with a vital part of his very being and existence.
Entrepreneurial Spirit and the Good Soil Forum
Though he is associated with religion, he believes that is not the only attribute he is gifted with, his strong business acumen has enabled him to establish several business holdings and properties. With his foothold consolidated in ministry, he extended his attention to the publishing and media space in 1995. The firm, TDJ Enterprises, ventured into the publishing of books, and is also responsible for producing movies. He also took an interest in radio broadcasting and began hosting his own radio and television show titled “Get Ready” from 1995 to 1996.
He then decided to go mega with his faith business in 1996 when he established the non-denominational church, The Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas. Bishop T.D. Jakes steps down from megachurch Potter's House. He later joined the Christian denomination High Ground Always Abounding Assemblies in 1988 until he moved to sow his church with a congregation of 300 members in South Charleston, West Virginia. His innovative shepherding brought the total number of his congregation to 1,100 when he moved across Lanes, West Virginia.
The Good Soil Forum, hosted by Bishop T.D. Jakes, is a three-day event focused on equipping Black entrepreneurs with funding, mentorship, financial literacy-- with talks from big names like Oprah-- to help turn hustle into generational wealth.“You are a good seed. That’s the unapologetic affirmation Bishop T.D. In an exclusive interview with theGrio’s Natasha S. Alford, Jakes made one thing clear: this isn’t just another conference-it’s a movement with real money waiting to be poured into people’s dreams. “Good Soil Forum gives you access to capital,” Jakes said. Backed by the T.D. Jakes Group and Wells Fargo Bank, this year’s Forum will feature a live pitch competition offering up to $500,000 in funding, small business grants starting at $5,000, and access to a newly launched app, Good Soils XP, to connect participants beyond the event. “We have built a coalition of corporations that are willing and interested in pouring into those that are having a hard time struggling with their businesses,” Jakes said.
The Forum couldn’t come at a more urgent time. continues to reckon with layoffs, inflation, and corporate backpedaling from DEI commitments, Jakes is sounding the alarm-particularly for Black women. “We have over 300,000 Black women who have lost their jobs in the last three months,” he told theGrio. “That’s horrifying. That’s three stadiums full of people. Where some see despair, Jakes sees opportunity. “Ninety-two percent of African American businesses are women, are accelerating but they’re not staying in business because they don’t have access to capital,” he said. “Good Soil Forum gives you access. It connects you with the resources. The grant money. The information.
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Jakes also spoke directly to the grind many know too well-working multiple jobs, trying to turn side hustles into something sustainable. “Your hobby could be a business. Your cake designs could be a business,” he said, shouting out platforms like Cast Iron and Nourish, which help turn passions into income. “To get the extra money, you may have to do extra work initially to get yourself to a place where you can invest in yourself. Investment, Jakes said, is a critical mindset shift. “It doesn’t have to be big money. It has to be smart money,” he explained, noting that investments can lead to freedom in all areas of life. “You make better choices when you’re self-sufficient. You date better when you are self-sufficient. You marry more wisely when you self-efficient. Your children have a better chance at education when you yourself sufficient.
Beyond the dollars and cents, Good Soil is rooted in legacy-a concept Jakes embodies both as a father and spiritual leader. “I told my daughter, my landing space is your launching space,” he said, referencing his recent transition of church leadership to his daughter, Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts. “We are descendants of Nigeria. Igbo people. Known for business acumen. It’s genetic. That’s why the Forum’s speaker lineup is filled with visionaries who’ve built empires from the ground up: Oprah Winfrey, Jerry Lorenzo, John Hope Bryant. “I picked them because they started with nothing,” Jakes said. “Oprah was making mud pies in Mississippi.
Jakes says his work with the Good Soil Forum is part of his larger legacy. Even after stepping down from the pulpit, he’s got new initiatives in the works, launching a podcast, My Next Chapter, through iHeartRadio this fall. “I gonna get to talk about things that weren’t pulpit conversations,” he said. For those who feel burned out or are tempted to check out given the state of the world, Jakes puts his spiritual hat back on and offers this encouragement: “Everybody has a different breaking point. I think when your body tells you you’ve had enough, you need to listen to it. That doesn’t mean that you quit. There’s something between stop and go and it’s called pause.
In 2009, he made the move to enter into a business deal with CBS Television Distribution, Dr. Phil McGraw, and Jay McGraw, but with little success. The show ran for two years and came to an end, following poor ratings.
A Call for Unity and Investment
The discovery of our interrelatedness with the African-American Jakes sparked a light in my mind that it is possible to extend the frontiers of this DNA discovery to linking our brothers and sisters in Europe, North and South America, like a geo-locator, to the precise family from where they were rooted in the past. It might seem impossible now but think about it, the concept of tracing paternity itself was once a mystery. With the advancement in technology this possible.
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In Nigeria, we drug up our differences when ever elections are close by. In so doing we put more barriers to the knitting that would have been possible. In so doing, we spend energies that would have built us the greatest black industrial success in burning down relationships and stultifying our development.
Another possibility is the setting up of investment advisory services for those who, having located their families, may wish to return. For those who wish to close their bitter experience of slavery, it would be possible under this programme to return home and be integrated back fully into their roots, much as the Jews are returning home. I’m convinced that this is doable.
Imagine how extremely satisfying it will be when millions of Africans lost in North, South America and Europe are able to bring a closure to their gaping wounds that the slave trade inflicted. I look forward to being part of that process.
It is that very soul that connects with the many slaves who were captured from different parts of Africa. Memories and stories shared by his great-grandmother when he was 10 years old have been adding up for the Bishop, as well as stories of slavery.
He later joined the Christian denomination High Ground Always Abounding Assemblies in 1988 until he moved to sow his church with a congregation of 300 members in South Charleston, West Virginia. In 1990, Jakes moved to South Charleston, West Virginia, and his congregation grew again, to 300 members.
With his foothold consolidated in ministry, he extended his attention to the publishing and media space in 1995. The firm, TDJ Enterprises, ventured into the publishing of books, and is also responsible for producing movies. He also took an interest in radio broadcasting and began hosting his own radio and television show titled “Get Ready” from 1995 to 1996.
In 2005, Jakes accompanied President George W. Bush on his visit to the areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina. On January 20, 2009, Jakes led the early morning prayer service for President Barack Obama at St.
T. D. Jakes is an advocate of sexual abstinence and has made appearances advocating it on Good Morning America and Dr. In 2015, Jakes stated that his views on homosexuality and LGBT rights are evolving.
In 2003, Jakes' album A Wing and a Prayer won the "Best Gospel or Chorus Album" at the 46th Grammy Awards. He has also received Grammy and Dove Award nominations for the gospel album Live at The Potter's House.
Bishop T.D. Jakes steps down from megachurch Potter's House.
Thomas Dexter Jakes Sr. (born June 9, 1957) is an American non-denominational Christian evangelical pastor and motivational speaker. He was the senior pastor of The Potter's House, a non-denominational American megachurch in Dallas, Texas, from 1996 to 2025.
Jakes' church services and evangelistic sermons are broadcast on The Potter's Touch. In 1982, at age 25, Jakes became the pastor of Greater Emanuel Temple of Faith, a storefront church in Smithers, West Virginia, with ten members.
In an exclusive interview with theGrio’s Natasha S. Alford, Jakes made one thing clear: this isn’t just another conference-it’s a movement with real money waiting to be poured into people’s dreams. “Good Soil Forum gives you access to capital,” Jakes said.
Even after stepping down from the pulpit, he’s got new initiatives in the works, launching a podcast, My Next Chapter, through iHeartRadio this fall. “I gonna get to talk about things that weren’t pulpit conversations,” he said.
For those who feel burned out or are tempted to check out given the state of the world, Jakes puts his spiritual hat back on and offers this encouragement: “Everybody has a different breaking point. I think when your body tells you you’ve had enough, you need to listen to it. That doesn’t mean that you quit. There’s something between stop and go and it’s called pause.
The revelation by T. D Jakes that he is a full blooded Nigerian of Igbo extraction is nothing short of the extension of the capability of DNA to unravel centuries old history. The interview is in English and makes a good watch.
The discovery that Bishop T. D. Jakes has full Nigerian blood coursing through his being is exciting. It shows the interconnectedness of humanity even when history had disconnected us over years through trade, war, disease, jealousy, and affections. Makes you wonder why we hate and utter profanities against each other.
- birth an African-American Home Coming tourism project where those desiring to locate their kith and kin in Africa can register to have their genes matched with those of Nigerians on this side of the aisle. This will spark an industry and create employment opportunities. But more than that, it will assuage the craving of many Black Americans to discover their roots. This has been the subject countless songs, poems, and fantasies. Now, DNA makes this a very doable project. Now fantasies can become a reality.
Speaking on the implications of the discovery of his Igbo roots, T D. Jakes had this to say: ‘we were taken from our homes, from our people, from our continent… We lost our history, we assumed a name that’s not ours’T. D. Imagine how extremely satisfying it will be when millions of Africans lost in North, South America and Europe are able to bring a closure to their gaping wounds that the slave trade inflicted. I look forward to being part of that process.
