Grammy-nominated gospel Marvin Sapp never imagined his church offering instruction would lead to threats. The 58-year-old pastor and artist behind hits like “Never Would Have Made It” now finds himself defending his words during what he considered a routine ministerial duty. A short video clip from July 2024 showing Sapp authoritatively commanding ushers to “close the doors” in the church during an offering collection has unleashed a firestorm of outrage. Marvin Sapp adds context to viral video of him ordering usher to “shut the doors.” (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images) In the video taken at the 109th Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Convention in Baltimore, Sapp can be heard firmly telling ushers, “There’s 1,000 of you… I said close them doors. Ushers, close the doors. Close the doors, close the doors. We’re all gonna leave together.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Psalms House (@psalmshousetvshow) He then proceeded to ask each of the 1,000 people in attendance and another 1,000 watching online to contribute $20 each, with the goal of raising $40,000, strictly for conference expenses. Social media erupted with criticism as users accused the gospel star of “hustling” money from the congregation for himself. One X user wrote, “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.” Mocking his hit song, many wrote, “Never would have paid it.” 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. https://t.co/MtBRENSb0t pic.twitter.com/SqLtOwRrSW— Boochie is the Name (@stoppfeenin) March 26, 2025 Sapp has since clarified several key points about the misinterpreted video. “That’s the narrative that has been shared that they’ll lock folks up in my church, that I made them give $40,000 and I wouldn’t allow them to leave until they gave it to me. And to be honest with you, that is absolutely false,” Sapp explained during an appearance on “The Rickey Smiley Morning Show” after the clip gained traction. He emphasized that the event occurred not at his local church but at a national conference where congregations from around the world had gathered. He also made a clear distinction between his words and what was reported online. “People took issue with me saying ‘shut the doors.’ Understand, I never said ‘lock the doors.’ I said ‘shut the doors.’ Shutting doors means that people still have the ability to go in and out,” Sapp stated, though he acknowledged his tone might have contributed to the misunderstanding. “Maybe I was a little more assertive than I should have been, and I could apologize for that,” he said. Regarding the money collected, the “Praise Him In Advance” artist clarified that none of the money was for his personal benefit. “The $40,000, if it was $40,000 that was raised, was never given to me. That money was raised for the purpose of taking care of the budget for their conference,” he said. The pastor also highlighted standard church protocols that inform his instructions. “Anybody that goes to church, ushers one-on-one, that’s the first thing they teach you as being an usher is that there are three times you don’t walk: you don’t walk during the altar call, you don’t walk during prayer, you don’t walk during the offering,” he explained. These practices serve both spiritual and practical purposes, according to Sapp. Beyond preserving “the sacredness of the moment,” closing doors during offerings is increasingly a security measure in response to church robberies occurring nationwide. One such incident occurred in July 2022, when Bishop Lamor Whitehead was robbed at gunpoint while delivering a sermon at his Leaders of Tomorrow International Church in Brooklyn. Three masked gunmen stole jewelry valued at over $1 million, including a $399,000 Cuban link chain and a $75,000 Rolex watch. The shocking robbery was captured on the church’s livestream. The fallout from the viral misrepresentation has created real-world consequences for Sapp. “My church has been getting phone calls. People have called my church and cussed me out. My staff are afraid,” he said revealing, noting that people have shown up to his church creating, “issues and challenges.” The situation has been particularly distressing for Sapp’s children. “My children, they are afraid and the reason is because I’m their only parent,” he said. “I’m a widower. They’re afraid for my safety.” “Now we’ve had to update and increase security and all the things I’ve never had to do before because of the vitriol and the anger that people have shown,” he explained. In a Facebook post on March 26, Sapp contextualized his role at the conference. “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,” he wrote in a lengthy response. “Movement during this sacred exchange can be distracting and at times, even risky. Responding to claims he manipulated the congregation, Sapp added, “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.” Many supporters have rallied behind the gospel giant. On the Art of Dialogue’s Instagram, one person commented, “No one that was in that room has come out and said that they felt like they were held hostage. Nobody came out and said that they felt like he was being disrespectful.” For his part, Sapp has maintained that he has no financial need to collect church funds for personal use, noting his successful career in music. “I’m one of the only gospel artists with billions of streams,” he confessed. “I’ve been blessed. I’ve sold millions of records, millions. I’m a songwriter.” As the controversy continues to simmer online, Sapp’s response highlights the growing challenges religious leaders face in an era where moments captured on video can be stripped of context and turned into viral outrage. His closing message emphasizes understanding rather than judgment: “I’m not blaming anybody because of their misunderstanding. I’m just saying get an understanding… not a dime of that money came to me.” ‘My Children, They Are Afraid’: Marvin Sapp Reveals Fear for His Safety as His $40K Offering Request Ignites Fury and Threats Online ...read more read less