A resurfaced video of Bishop Marvin Sapp firmly telling church ushers to "close the doors," presumably to prevent church attendees from leaving the sanctuary as he challenged them to raise $40,000, is causing quite the stir on social media.
In the clip, Bishop Sapp repeatedly told the ushers to close the doors as he attempted to persuade churchgoers, in-person and virtually, to give $20 each, which would amount to $40,000 collectively (see below).
The incident happened back in July 2024 as Bishop Sapp preached at the 109th Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (PAW) Convention in Baltimore, Maryland.
Some have taken issue with Bishop Sapp's approach for a number of reasons, including his tone to the ushers, his pressuring members to give money, his preventing members from leaving the sanctuary without knowing their medical or transportation situation, and his assuming that all members had the $20 to give.
Since the video, Bishop Sapp has explained that he was not attempting to hold anyone hostage as he tried to raise the $40k.
He shared on social media, "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."
Moreover, he explained that movement during financial giving could be a security risk. He explained, "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."
It remains to be seen if fans of Bishop Sapp and those in the faith-based community in general will accept his explanation and continue their unwavering support of the gospel superstar.
Oddly enough, many don't seem to be giving Bishop Sapp the benefit of the doubt. After watching the entire video from the 2024 PAW Convention, one plausible explanation for Bishop Sapp's behavior that night is the following: Attendees at that night of the 2024 Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (PAW) Convention had already been there for nearly 3.5 hours. So it's reasonable to assume that once Bishop Sapp finished preaching that many would be anxious to leave, which was before the offering had been taken up.
Therefore, Bishop Sapp's insistence on "closing the doors" may have been his way of helping to maximize giving on behalf of the Convention that invited him by having attendees stay just a little while longer for the offering.
Nevertheless, Bishop Sapp did not mention this rationale in his lengthy explanation.
It remains to be seen if the backlash to the viral video reflects something deeper percolating in the church and in the country in general- how the privileged in power treat others, especially those who may be experiencing financial hardships and economic anxiety.
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