Megachurch pastor Marvin Sapp slammed as he allegedly holds congregation ‘hostage’ for donations

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Gospel singer and megachurch pastor Marvin Sapp, 58, is in hot water after a resurfaced video shows him getting real aggressive about church donations.

The viral clip, taken at an unnamed church, captures Sapp instructing ushers to "close the doors" at least three times as he allegedly held about 1,000 people inside.

"Ushers, close the doors. Close the doors. Close the doors," he declared.

"We all gone [sic] leave together. Y'all ain't going no place but the restaurant," he added, sparking laughter from the congregation. But the chuckles faded fast when he made it clear that everybody in the building—and his online viewers—needed to cough up at least $20 for a total donation of $40,000.

"This is a small seed… This is easy, saints," he assured them.

A date night lesson and zero excuses

To make his demand more relatable, Marvin Sapp reminisced about his date nights with his late wife—explaining that $20 once covered a movie ticket, popcorn, and a shared drink.

"I wasn't cheap; that's swag," he quipped, basking in the congregation's laughter. "I was looking into her eyes, she was looking into mine."

But Sapp wasn't done yet. He turned his attention to the folks standing behind him, asking each of them to fork over $100 because "it costs to stand up here."

Sapp also had a plan just in case someone thought they could slip through the cracks without donating. He ordered every single in-person attendee to march to the altar so he could see their donation, the Daily Mail reported.

"I need to see a thousand people moving," he commanded, hunching over the lectern. "I want to see the folk, y'all start moving."

As the congregation moved to fill the donation baskets, Sapp pulled out his own money clip and counted out $100 for everyone to see.

He then shushed the crowd and reminded them: "Giving is worship." 

"This ain't a time to talk," he ordered. "This is an easy miracle."

Marvin Sapp slammed online for his conduct

The backlash was swift on social media, with many calling Pastor Marvin Sapp out for what they saw as a straight-up "shakedown".

"Seeing things like this is why I stopped going to mega churches. This is disgusting," one posted on X.

"Some churches ARE cults. Would’ve had to beat Marvin Sapp’s big a** and hide the bible if God watching," another wrote.

"I would have called the cops on Marvin Sapp. Holding people hostage for the money is nuts," someone else added.

"You should never have to lock doors to FORCE people to give money. This was an organized bank robbery just done at church," read a comment.

"And next Sunday he pulling up in that brand new 2025 V Cadillac Truck," another quipped.

Marvin Sapp defends himself

Marvin Sapp took to Facebook to defend his actions following the backlash. He cited Chapter 29 of the first book of Chronicles, referencing how King David asked followers to give gold and silver to build the temple.

According to Sapp, David was "challenging the people to give".

"The Bible says they gave gold, silver, bronze, iron, and precious stones. Specific amounts were recorded not because God needed their money, but because the people needed to show their commitment to the vision and because stewardship demands accountability," he wrote.

Sapp insisted that locking the doors was purely for security reasons.

"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," he added.

However, he didn't explain why he made people come up front to show their donations in front of him.

"So yes, you saw a moment. But I invite you to understand the movement behind it," Sapp concluded.

It's worth noting that in October 2020, Sapp performed at a campaign event for then-Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen Kamala Harris (D-CA) at First Saint John Cathedral in Fort Worth, Texas.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.