The Potter's House Church, Dallas
Encyclopedia
The Potter's House is a megachurch
in Dallas, Texas
, USA founded by Bishop T. D. Jakes
.
Outreach Magazine
ranked it the 10th largest in the USA as of 2008 based on attendance of 17,000.
.
After Grant was convicted of tax evasion in 1996 he sold the facility to T. D. Jakes
, a fellow televangelist, who renamed it and relaunched it as The Potter's House.
Jakes had moved from West Virginia with 50 families, who formed the nucleus of the new congregation.
To handle expansion, the church built a 191000 square feet (17,744.5 m²) sanctuary at a cost of $45 million, paying off the debt in four years.
The auditorium was completed in August 2000 and features cascade seating, a large stage, a choir loft that can seat 450 and a state-of-the-art audio-visual system.
The sanctuary seats about 7,600 people and is also used for non-church events such as graduations, concerts and corporate presentations.
By 2000 Jakes was holding three services every Sunday, with attendance of over 23,000 in the sanctuary and the overflow room.
In December 2009 the church held its New Year's Eve Watch Night service at its main worship center, but also let people watch the service by satellite at the Fort Worth Convention Center and the North Church in Carrollton.
As of 2010 the church had 30,000 members and four campuses in Dallas, Fort Worth, North Dallas
and Denver.
The Fort Worth campus was opened in March 2010, initially meeting at the Fort Worth Convention Center. The campuses are linked by Satellite video.
The Denver campus, formerly the Heritage Christian Center and led by the Rev. Chris Hill is a separate organization, but Chris Hill is a protégé of T. D. Jakes and the two churches are associated.
, an organization that pushes for more inclusion of gay people in churches
. However, the church insists that marriage is a union between a man and woman as stated in the Bible.
The church runs a program for ex-offenders trying to find their feet after being released from jail, helping them to find jobs and housing and to deal with substance abuse problems.
The church also has programs for teenage mothers, abused women and the homeless, runs a GED literacy program and an outreach for substance abusers, and has an AIDS ministry.
In July 2010 the church began collaboration with the Palmer Theological Seminary
in Pennsylvania
, through a program under which seminary students would gain practical experience at the Potter's House as part of their studies.
The church, a non-profit organization, employs nearly 400 people in positions such as finance, human resources, information technology, materials distribution, public relations, publications, and television production.
Initiatives include a non-profit corporation that fosters economic growth in underserved communities, a school and a housing project for single families and seniors.
The church has provided aid and sent missionaries to places such as Belize, Mexico, Guyana and Kenya.
Megachurch
A megachurch is a church having 2,000 or more in average weekend attendance. The Hartford Institute's database lists more than 1,300 such Protestant churches in the United States. According to that data, approximately 50 churches on the list have attendance ranging from 10,000 to 47,000...
in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, USA founded by Bishop T. D. Jakes
T. D. Jakes
Thomas Dexter "T. D." Jakes Sr. is the chief pastor of The Potter's House, a non-denominational American megachurch, with 30,000 members, located in Dallas, Texas.T.D...
.
Outreach Magazine
Outreach Magazine
Outreach Magazine is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Vista, California. It focuses on activities of growing churches and is non-denominational.It is a periodical from the organization Outreach, Inc...
ranked it the 10th largest in the USA as of 2008 based on attendance of 17,000.
History
The church building was established by televangelist W. V. Grant as the Eagles Nest Family Church. It is located in southwest Dallas right next to Dallas Baptist UniversityDallas Baptist University
Dallas Baptist University , formerly known as Dallas Baptist College, is a Christian liberal arts university located in Dallas, Texas. The main campus is located approximately fifteen miles southwest of downtown Dallas overlooking Mountain Creek Lake...
.
After Grant was convicted of tax evasion in 1996 he sold the facility to T. D. Jakes
T. D. Jakes
Thomas Dexter "T. D." Jakes Sr. is the chief pastor of The Potter's House, a non-denominational American megachurch, with 30,000 members, located in Dallas, Texas.T.D...
, a fellow televangelist, who renamed it and relaunched it as The Potter's House.
Jakes had moved from West Virginia with 50 families, who formed the nucleus of the new congregation.
To handle expansion, the church built a 191000 square feet (17,744.5 m²) sanctuary at a cost of $45 million, paying off the debt in four years.
The auditorium was completed in August 2000 and features cascade seating, a large stage, a choir loft that can seat 450 and a state-of-the-art audio-visual system.
The sanctuary seats about 7,600 people and is also used for non-church events such as graduations, concerts and corporate presentations.
By 2000 Jakes was holding three services every Sunday, with attendance of over 23,000 in the sanctuary and the overflow room.
In December 2009 the church held its New Year's Eve Watch Night service at its main worship center, but also let people watch the service by satellite at the Fort Worth Convention Center and the North Church in Carrollton.
As of 2010 the church had 30,000 members and four campuses in Dallas, Fort Worth, North Dallas
North Dallas
North Dallas is an expensive area of numerous communities and neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas . The phrase "North Dallas" is also sometimes used to include any suburb or exurb north of Dallas proper within the metropolitan area. The majority of North Dallas is located in Dallas County while a small...
and Denver.
The Fort Worth campus was opened in March 2010, initially meeting at the Fort Worth Convention Center. The campuses are linked by Satellite video.
The Denver campus, formerly the Heritage Christian Center and led by the Rev. Chris Hill is a separate organization, but Chris Hill is a protégé of T. D. Jakes and the two churches are associated.
Activities
In May 2008 a church service was attended by a contingent from SoulforceSoulforce (organization)
Soulforce is an American social justice and civil rights organization that supports acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people through dialogue and creative forms of nonviolent direct action...
, an organization that pushes for more inclusion of gay people in churches
LGBT-affirming Christian denominations
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender affirming Christian denominations are Christian denominations that do not consider homosexuality or transgenderism to be sins. They include entire religious denominations, as well as individual churches and congregations...
. However, the church insists that marriage is a union between a man and woman as stated in the Bible.
The church runs a program for ex-offenders trying to find their feet after being released from jail, helping them to find jobs and housing and to deal with substance abuse problems.
The church also has programs for teenage mothers, abused women and the homeless, runs a GED literacy program and an outreach for substance abusers, and has an AIDS ministry.
In July 2010 the church began collaboration with the Palmer Theological Seminary
Palmer Theological Seminary
Palmer Theological Seminary was founded in 1925 as Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Originally located on Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, it moved in 1940 to its present location in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, just across the street from the city boundary...
in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, through a program under which seminary students would gain practical experience at the Potter's House as part of their studies.
The church, a non-profit organization, employs nearly 400 people in positions such as finance, human resources, information technology, materials distribution, public relations, publications, and television production.
Initiatives include a non-profit corporation that fosters economic growth in underserved communities, a school and a housing project for single families and seniors.
The church has provided aid and sent missionaries to places such as Belize, Mexico, Guyana and Kenya.