Sarah Jakes Roberts takes the stage at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre tonight at 8 p.m. as the Rogue Route Tour rolls through the Loop, pairing the bestselling author's message of personal transformation with a lineup of guest performers. The Chicago stop is one date on a seven-city run spanning October.
Roberts appeared on WGN-TV's Daytime Chicago to discuss the tour and what she calls taking the road less traveled, previewing tonight's appearance to the program's weekday audience. The Chicago stop features guest appearances from author and humorist Luvvie Ajayi Jones, Grammy-winning gospel singer Tasha Cobbs Leonard, entrepreneur Arian Simone, and speaker Kayla Wanakee, according to Ticketmaster.
A Tour Built on Scripture and Seven Cities
The Rogue Route Tour spans seven U.S. cities throughout October, including Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis, Birmingham, Nashville, and San Antonio. Per the tour's own site, Woman Evolve, the tour draws its spiritual inspiration from Romans 12:2, framing the message around personal transformation over cultural conformity.
Roberts is already a familiar name to audiences well beyond the pulpit. She was named to TIME magazine's TIME 100 Next list of emerging global leaders in September 2023, an honor that came with a tribute from filmmaker Tyler Perry praising her ability to carve out her own distinct voice in ministry beyond her father's legacy, as reported by CBN News. She is also a New York Times bestselling author, with book releases including the April 2021 title Woman Evolve and the April 2024 book Power Moves: Ignite Your Confidence and Become a Force, both published by Thomas Nelson, according to records from Christianbook.
From Her Father's Legacy to Her Own Movement
Roberts' national platform traces back to her father, Bishop T.D. Jakes, who publicly anointed her at the final Woman, Thou Art Loosed! conference in Atlanta in October 2022 to carry forward his decades-long women's conference legacy, the Chicago Defender reported at the time. She now serves alongside her husband, Touré Roberts, as co-senior pastor of The Potter's House in Dallas — a pastoral role distinct from the independent touring and media brand she has built under the Woman Evolve name.
Inside a Landmark Built by Adler and Sullivan
Tonight's event takes place at the Auditorium Theatre at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive.
The Daytime Chicago appearance that introduced Roberts to local viewers airs weekdays on WGN-TV from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The Rogue Route Tour's Chicago stop begins at 8 p.m. at the Auditorium Theatre.
