Renowned gospel artist Bishop Marvin Sapp urged those attending the 109th Pentecostal Assemblies for the World Convention in Baltimore in July 2024 to contribute a $20 seed towards a $40,000 goal. However, Marvin Sapp has received major backlash – including death threats – after a video clip of him repeatedly asking the ushers to close the doors during this offering has gone viral.

“People took issue with my tone, and looking at the video, maybe I was a little more assertive than I should have been, and I can apologise for that,” Sapp said during an interview on the Rickey Smiley Morning Show. He also denied this being a ‘shut in’, adding: “I never said lock the doors… Shutting doors means people still have the ability to go in and out.”

In a statement on social media last week, he gave the further context for this video: “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.”