Renowned gospel singer, Marvin Sapp, has come under intense criticism after a video surfaced online showing him passionately appealing to his church members to contribute $40,000 during a service.
The viral footage captures the moment Marvin Sapp not only urged the congregation to donate but also instructed the church ushers to shut the doors, preventing anyone from leaving until the funds were raised.
In the video, Sapp is heard justifying his appeal by highlighting that there were thousands of people physically present in the auditorium and thousands more watching the service online. Given this large audience, he expressed confidence that raising $40,000 should not be a difficult task.
“This is a small seed,” he declared while addressing his congregation, emphasizing that their collective contributions could easily meet the target. He further broke it down, stating, “I’m challenging each of you all down here to give a twenty-dollar seed.” According to his calculations, if 1,000 members inside the church and another 1,000 online viewers each donated $20, they would effortlessly reach the $40,000 goal.
The video has since sparked mixed reactions across social media, with many questioning the ethics of his fundraising approach and the necessity of closing the church doors. Critics have accused the gospel singer of using coercion, while others defended him, stating that it is common for churches to request donations for various causes.
As the backlash continues, Marvin Sapp has yet to publicly address the controversy or provide further clarification regarding the purpose of the requested funds.