Gospel Singer Marvin Sapp Defends Decision to Close Church Doors in Viral Fundraising Clip

Renowned gospel artist Marvin Sapp is addressing the backlash he received over a resurfaced video where he asked church ushers to close the doors while requesting donations.

In the video first recorded last July, the 58-year-old singer urged attendees and online viewers of the 109th Pentecostal Assemblies for the World Convention in Baltimore to contribute towards a $40,000 goal.

"I said, close them doors," Sapp said repeatedly at the three-hour, 32-minute mark linked here. “We all going to leave together, y’all ain’t going no place but to the restaurant.”

“There's 1,000 of you tonight, and ... it’s 1,000 watching online. This is a small seed,” he continued. “I’m challenging you all down here to give a $20 seed.”

In a lengthy statement shared to his Facebook page last Wednesday (March 26), Sapp addressed the criticism and memes made on social media by saying his directive was taken out of context.

“Some have taken issue with a particular moment when I instructed the ushers, rather firmly, to close the doors during the offering,” Sapp wrote, adding he encouraged leadership to donate $100 before personally contributing “much more.” 

“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,” he added. “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.

Check out some of the reactions to Marvin Sapp’s financial collection video below.