Pastor and Grammy-nominated gospel artist Marvin Sapp is addressing criticism after a resurfaced video went viral on X showing him instructing ushers to “close the doors” while taking up a church offering.
Pastor Marvin Sapp preaching at Pentecostal Assemblies of the World convention in Baltimore in July 2024. (Video screen grab)
The clip, taken during the 109th Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Convention in July 2024, shows Sapp directing ushers to shut the doors as he called on 2,000 people to “plant a seed” of $20 to raise $40,000.
“I said, ‘Close the doors,’” Sapp repeated. “Ushers, close the doors. Close the doors. Close the doors—We all gonna lead together. Y’all ain’t going no place but to the restaurant.”
Sapp then explained there were approximately 1,000 attendees in person and 1,000 online, and if everyone contributed $20, they could meet the $40,000 goal.
Sapp then turned to the leaders on stage and suggested they contribute $100 each. “It costs to sit up here,” he said. “Put your $20 away, preachers—that $20 wasn’t meant for you.”
He then told attendees to “come up to the altar and give” their donations, whether digitally or tangibly.
“I need to see 1,000 people move,” he added.
Social media users accused Sapp of pressuring the congregation, with some calling the act manipulative and likening it to false imprisonment. Content creators also parodied the moment, further fueling the backlash.
“NEVER WOULD’VE PAAAAAAAAID IT,” one X user wrote, referencing the Grammy-nominated singer’s popular song, “Never Would Have Made It (Thirsty, 2007).”
Another follower commented, “I love Marvin Sapp. I do. But he was wrong. His video to explain why he did what he did is inexcusable. Sounds just like the pastor that said God told him he should have a private jet. The problem with Marvin’s plea is he should have allowed those who wanted to leave.”
Sapp responded to the backlash in a Facebook post on March 26 that began with, “Response: Let’s Add Context to the Clip on Social Media.”
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“Recently, a clip has gone viral of me challenging 2,000 individuals (virtually and in person) to plant a seed of $20 during an international gathering held at a convention center, with over 4,000 people in attendance that evening plus virtual viewers,” Sapp began. “In that same moment, I also challenged leadership to lead by example by sowing $100. That evening, I personally gave much more.”
Sapp added that his intention in closing the doors was to create a safe, secure, and respectful environment for focusing on giving—not about control or being offensive.
“Unfortunately, in this social media age, snippets are easily shared without context, and assumptions are quickly made without understanding the full picture,” he said. “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.”
Sapp cited 1 Chronicles 29 to underscore his point, highlighting biblical giving as demonstrating commitment and accountability.
“So yes, you saw a moment,” Sapp concluded. “But I invite you to understand the movement behind it.”
The Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. also issued a statement on Facebook on Saturday, saying leaders of the denomination asked Sapp to seek a “free-will offering” to help pay for expenses of its International Summer Convention, and other P.A.W. expenses.
“Months later, a short clip from our convention has now gone viral and unduly misrepresented not only Bishop Marvin Sapp, but the P.A.W., and churches worldwide,” the denomination said. “Closing doors during giving is an internal security protocol that was, unfortunately, taken out of context. No doors were locked, and no one was held in the room against their will. We do not force or coerce anyone into supporting the operations of our organization, and we never will. We apologize to those who may have been offended by the manner of receiving donations.”
Sapp is a gospel artist now recognized for his solo career accomplishments following his recording with the group Commissioned during the 1990s. He won the BET Award for Best Gospel Artist twice, in 2008 and 2010. He received multiple nominations at the GMA Dove Awards, winning Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year in 2011 for “The Best In Me.” In 2021, his song “Thank You For It All” was nominated for Top Gospel Song at the Billboard Music Awards.
In 2003, Sapp and his wife founded Lighthouse Full Life Center Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. On November 17, 2019, Sapp became the senior pastor of The Chosen Vessel Church in Fort Worth, Texas.
A Scam Alert on The Chosen Vessel’s website warns readers to beware of scams impersonating Sapp. The alert says Sapp has been a constant target for impersonators on fake social media pages, dating sites, and other online scams for “nearly a decade.” The church emphasizes that neither Bishop Sapp nor his children ever contact individuals directly through social media, phone, text, or email and urges victims of a related scam to report the incident immediately.
The viral clip has 5.1 million views on X at the time of publishing.
Adelle M. Banks and Fiona André also contributed to this report.
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