Potter’s House megachurch pastor bishop T.D. Jakes has issued a response to a bizarre incident that unfolded at the church’s Fort Worth location last week.
It all unfolded when a church volunteer named Audrey Stevenson got into a confrontation with an elder while trying to get onto the stage to help with something service-related. After being told she was not authorized to access the stage, she was eventually brought to a church office by a church safety officer. While there, the three got into a heated exchange, that exchange was caught on video, and it’s now been viewed 3.6 million times.
The church safety officer ended up handcuffing Stevenson, and refused to let her leave the office.
Jakes has released a statement. He said in part, “While many of the extenuating circumstances are not shown in the video that was published March 25, 2018, this still does not justify the lack of professionalism exhibited by the safety officer we require and expect from all of our employees. Emotions quickly escalated and a complete breakdown of communication occurred resulting in what played out on video … I’m extremely disappointed and apologize for how Ms. Stevenson was treated and the ill-conduct she received. Privately, we will be reaching out to Ms. Stevenson to offer her the apology she rightly deserves.”
He also added, “Effective immediately, I have ordered a policy review with all of our safety officers to ensure that delicate situations like these are handled appropriately.”
