Marvin Sapp denies holding conference goers ‘hostage’ for $40K offering, defends shutting doors

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Thursday, March 27, 2025

“Never Would Have Made It” gospel singer and Pastor of The Chosen Vessel church in Fort Worth, Texas, Marvin Sapp, defended ordering ushers to shut the doors at a recent Christian conference until attendees donated a collective $40,000 to help cover the budget for the event citing biblical precedent.

“Some have taken issue with a particular moment when I instructed the ushers, rather firmly, to close the doors during the offering. 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,” Sapp explained in a statement shared on Facebook Wednesday.

“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.”

Sapp who is well known for other gospel songs like, “The Best In Me” has been facing significant backlash online after a viral video clip, shows him ordering ushers to “close them doors” until he collected the $40,000 at what he says was an international conference. The event was held at an unidentified convention center, with over 4,000 people attending in person and many others online.

“I said close them doors. Ushers close the doors, close the doors. Close the doors. We all gon’ leave together. Y’all ain’t going no place but to the restaurant,” Sapp said in the undated clip.

He then explained to conference attendees that he needed 1,000 of them inside the building and 1,000 people watching online, to give $20 each to reach his $40,000 target. He further clarified that ministers seated onstage with him needed to give $100 each because it “costs to be up here.”

Many persons who watched the clip online however raised objection to Sapp’s approach to collecting his donations.

“Soon as Marvin Sapp would’ve said locked the doors and give up $40,000 I would’ve called the police so quick,” wrote Syetta Kambria on X. “B**** don’t tell me I need to give you my hard earned money! God ain’t tell you to tell me to give you money.”

Other taking a dig at Sapp’s “The Best In Me” declared he would have “saw the worst in me” if they were in the audience when he locked churchgoers inside the convention center, to collect the offering.

Sapp insisted that he was being a good steward in ensuring the funding for the conference’s budget was collected because “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,” he said before citing 1 Chronicles 29 as biblical defense of his actions.

“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,” Sapp argued.

“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,” he added.

“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.”