(RNS) — Sarah Jakes Roberts, a popular conference speaker and pastor, has been named to the Time100 Next list of up-and-coming leaders.
The designation by Time magazine for Jakes Roberts, 35, appeared on newsstands Friday (Sept. 15), as she was leading a conference that drew 40,000 women to Globe Life Field in the Dallas suburb of Arlington. The Woman Evolve conference comes after her father, Bishop T.D. Jakes, concluded his Woman, Thou Art Loosed events last year after more than a quarter of a century.
“When your father is T.D. Jakes and you follow his footsteps into the world of ministry, there’s a lot of pressure to find your own voice,” wrote producer and philanthropist Tyler Perry, who has known her for decades, in the Time100 Next tribute to Jakes Roberts.
“Now, as co-pastor of the Potter’s House churches in L.A. and Denver, that same voice speaks loudly to a generation desperately in need of compassion, teaching, and love. Her lived experience using the grace of prayer to find a way through personal pain and tragedy resonates deeply with so many.”
Woman Evolve conference poster with Sarah Jakes Roberts. Courtesy photo
Jakes Roberts has risen in popularity after a pregnancy at age 13 initially upended her dreams. She has since developed a podcast and book club and called the honor “another layer of healing to an old wound” and a “full circle moment” in a statement on her Instagram account.
“In 2001, my dad was on the cover of Time Magazine,” she wrote. “A year later, I was the pregnant teenager of America’s Next Billy Graham. I wanted to hide. So, I did. I hid in shame, pain, depression, and fear. When I found a flicker of light to clench, it wasn’t because I sought to start a ministry or empower others. I just wanted to believe that healing was available to me.”
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Time CEO Jessica Sibley said in the magazine’s announcement: “The honorees on this year’s TIME100 Next are rising stars whose work and determination is creating a better future.”
Other Time100 Next honorees include Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, a Republican who is known for his support of interfaith relations, and Ramy Youssef, the co-creator of “Ramy,” the Hulu series that is considered the first U.S. sitcom about a Muslim family.
