Thomas Dexter Jakes (born June 9, 1957) is an American non-denominational Christian evangelical pastor and motivational speaker.

[2] 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.

[8] On January 20, 2009, Jakes led the early morning prayer service for President Barack Obama at St. John's Church in Washington, D.C.[9] In 2009, Jakes partnered with Phil McGraw, Jay McGraw, and CBS Television Distribution to launch a syndicated, secular talk show; however, due to economic issues within the syndicated television market, the program never premiered.

However, Jakes stated that his words were misinterpreted and that while he does not support same-sex marriage, he "respect[s] the rights that this country affords those that disagree".

Time magazine featured Jakes on the cover of its September 17, 2001, issue with the provocative question, "Is This Man the Next Billy Graham?

[25] On the PBS program African American Lives, Jakes had his DNA analyzed; his Y chromosome showed that he is descended from the Igbo people of Nigeria.