He’s a gospel singer and pastor known for the 2007 hit song “Never Would Have Made It.”
After he explained he just paid $2000 for renewing his ordination and licensing, Marvin asked the congregation for donations in a manner that didn’t sit right with many people.
“There’s 1000 of you tonight, and those that are watching… it’s a 1000 that are watching online,” he said. “If I get a 1000 online to give this, if I get a 1000 in the sanctuary to give this — that’s 40,0000 dollars tonight. I’m challenging each of you down here to give a $20 seed.”
While paying tithe (or giving 10% of your income as an offering to support the church and clergy) is a traditional practice in many Pentecostal churches, the viral clip received a lot of backlash for his delivery.
One person said, “lmfao, Marvin Sapp ain’t never been wrapped too tight, so I’m not surprised that he held that congregation hostage until they gave $40K. NEVER WOULD’VE PAAAAAAAAID IT.”
“Marvin Sapp was OUT OF ORDER. I would have immediately dialed 911 as I walked toward the exit. You gone open these doors, or you’re catching a false imprisonment charge,” another person wrote.
This person suggested, “Marvin Sapp is clearly HUSTLING his congregation for 40k— and using God’s name to do it. he’s calling for the doors to be locked? that’s not faith, that’s a shakedown and a false prophet. someone had a bill to pay, and it wasn’t to the church.”
Even viral creators like KevOnStage and notkaltonbanks joined in the conversation, making comedic videos about what it would be like to interact with the ushers closing the doors.
Well, the viral clip and the discourse got back to Marvin and he responded to the backlash, more or less doubling down on his methods to raise $40,000 by locking the doors.
On his Facebook page, Marvin said in the lengthy response, “Some have taken issue with a particular moment when I instructed the ushers, rather firmly, to close the doors during the offering. To those unfamiliar with the church context or who may not regularly attend worship gatherings this has been misinterpreted as holding people hostage as well as offensive. That was never my intent.”
“The truth is, when finances are being received in any worship gathering, it is one of the most vulnerable and exposed times for both the finance and security teams. Movement during this sacred exchange can be distracting and, at times, even risky. My directive was not about control it was about creating a safe, focused, and reverent environment for those choosing to give, and for those handling the resources.”
“Unfortunately, in this social media age, snippets are easily shared without context, and assumptions are quickly made without understanding the full picture. Conferences have budgets. Churches have budgets. And people have budgets. As the assigned ministerial gift for this international gathering, one of my responsibilities was to help raise the conference budget. That’s not manipulation, it’s stewardship.”
Marvin continued by giving “biblical context” by citing Chronicles 29 from the Bible, referencing that people once gave “gold, silver, bronze, iron, and precious stones” and never focused on the specific amounts given.
In the end, Marvin hoped his explanation would give context to the viral clip, and several people (with religious ties) did come to his defense. But, alas, the jokes and criticism are still going strong.
You can watch the actual moment for yourself here at the 3:30:30 mark, and share your thoughts.