Marvin Sapp Admits He Was “A Little More Assertive” When Instructing Ushers to Shut the Doors in Viral $40K Church Service [Video]

Marvin Sapp is once again clearing up the controversy surrounding a viral church service where he asked the congregation for a total of $40,000.

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During a sit-down with Rickey Smiley, Sapp clarified that the clip was actually filmed last August during a conference in Baltimore—not at his local church. He addressed criticism over instructing ushers to “shut the doors” and emphasized that he never told them to “lock the doors.” However, he did acknowledge how his words may have been perceived and offered an apology.

“They’ve taken issue with my tone. And I can honestly say, looking at the video, maybe I was a little more assertive than I should have been. And I can apologize for that,” he stated.

Sapp also reiterated that the money raised was not for his personal gain.

“The $40,000, if it was $40,000 that was raised, was never given to me. That money was raised for the purpose of taking care of the budget for their conference. Not Marvin Sapp.”

He further explained that his directive to the ushers was rooted in the “sacredness” of the church offering and security concerns.

“As a pastor, we understand and we know that churches are being robbed at gunpoint. It’s happening. All over the country. This is not something I’m making up. This is factual,” he explained.

The “Never Would Have Made It” singer also revealed that the viral backlash has led to serious consequences for him and his church. He shared that the “clickbait” surrounding the incident has resulted in death threats, harassing phone calls, and even people showing up at his church to confront him and his family.