A cringeworthy viral social post of gospel singer and pastor Marvin Sapp asking his congregation to donate $40,000 before leaving the church has sparked debate online.
Underscore on the word, asking.
In the undated clip circulating on social media, Sapp is seen instructing ushers to close the church doors until the financial goal is met.
“Close the doors, we all gon’ leave together. Y’all ain’t going no place but to the restaurant,” Sapp told attendees. “There’s 1,000 of you tonight, and those that are watching…it’s 1,000 that’s watching online. This is a small seed. If I get 1,000 online to give this, if I get 1,000 in the sanctuary to give this, that’s $40,000 tonight.”
That part.
Check this out: The pastor specifically asked those seated near the pulpit to contribute more, stating: “Now, everyone up here, we’ve all sowed and seeded, but I need everyone up here to sow $100 because it costs to sit up here. So, put your $20 away. That $20 wasn’t for you.” Throughout the appeal, Sapp repeated the phrase, “Giving is worship.”
The wild video has drawn mixed reactions online. One social media user who shared the clip commented: “Marvin Sapp is 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.”
Others joined the conversation with humorous references to Sapp’s famous song, with one person joking: “never would have paid it,” while another stated: “I promise I would’ve called the police and screamed I’m being kidnapped.”
Some viewers defended the practice of church fundraising, while others questioned the approach of temporarily preventing people from leaving until donations were collected.
Yea, okay, fundraising.
Marvin Sapp has not publicly addressed the viral video or the resulting discussions. The incident has renewed conversations about financial expectations in religious settings and the methods used to encourage donations.
What are your thoughts on this approach to so-called church fundraising? Let us know your passionate ideas in the comments.