Pastor Responds to Claims He Held Congregation ‘Hostage’ for $40K Offering

Singer and pastor Marvin Sapp is addressing backlash over a now-viral video that critics claim shows him ordering the doors closed until a $40,000 offering is raised. TMZ, The Daily Mail, and others have covered the video, which shows Sapp ordering the ushers to close the doors and then imploring the 1,000 in attendance and the 1,000 watching online to give $20 each so that $40,000 can be raised. 

"Ushers, close the doors," Sapp says in the video. 

"I'm challenging each of you all down here to give a $20 seed," he says

"This is easy, saints," he says later in the video. "This is an easy miracle. We should be able to raise $40,000 tonight just from y'all giving."

TMZ's story ran under the headline, "No One Leaves Until We Get $40K." The Daily Mail's headline declared, "Pastor Marvin Sapp accused of holding congregation 'HOSTAGE' and refusing to let them leave until collection plate hit $40k." 

Sapp is a well-known gospel singer who has won GMA Dove, Stellar, and BET awards.

He responded to the controversy on Facebook, asserting it was overblown. His post was titled "Let's Add Context to the Clip on Social Media."

"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," he wrote. "In that same moment, I also challenged leadership to lead by example by sowing $100. That evening, I personally gave much more.

"Some have taken issue with a particular moment when I instructed the ushers, rather firmly, to close the doors during the offering," Sapp added. "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. 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."

Unfortunately, he wrote, clips in today's social media age are "easily shared without context," and "assumptions are quickly made without understanding the full picture."

"Conferences have budgets. Churches have budgets," he wrote. "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. Now allow me to give you some biblical context, not opinion, not tradition, but Scripture."

Sapp cited 1 Chronicles 29. In that biblical passage, he wrote, "we find a powerful moment where David, preparing for the building of the temple, challenges the people to give." 

"He starts by giving of his own treasure over and above what he had already set aside. Then, he calls on the leaders to do the same. What happened next? The people gave willingly and generously. In fact, they gave so much that a record was kept of each gift, and ultimately, David had to tell the people to stop giving because the need had been exceeded. 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."

Sapp concluded, "So when someone challenges people to give a specific amount, it is not unbiblical. It is not manipulation. It is in order. It is consistent with Scripture."

"I hope you'll share this explanation with the same passion and speed that the original clip was shared," he wrote. 

Marvin Sapp stops service to demand his congregation to raise $40,000 before they leave. 👀🤯

pic.twitter.com/apUtF5cXe8

— My Mixtapez (@mymixtapez) March 27, 2025

Photo Credit: ©Facebook/Marvin Sapp

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

Originally published March 28, 2025.