Photo of Marvin Sapp
Screengrab

Bishop Marvin Sapp received death threats after a resurfaced video shows him asking church members to donate $40,000.

In the video, the famed gospel singer told ushers to close the church doors before asking his 1,000 church members for $20 donations. He also asked viewers at home to donate $20,000.

The incident happened during his sermon at the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World annual summer convention in 2024. But the video resurfaced on social media last week.

Sapp said his goal was to raise $40,000 for the church, but he didn’t specify why.

In an appearance on Rickie Smiley’s morning show, Sapp explained that he’s receiving “death threats” and his staffers fear for their lives.

“People have called my church and cussed me out. My staff are afraid because I’ve received death threats,” said Sapp. “People have come to our campus. They have come to my church to try to cause problems…”

“This was a service that happened last August,” he said. “People took issue with me saying shut the doors. Understand I never said lock the doors,” he continued. “Shutting doors means people still have the ability to go in and out.”

In a previous statement on Facebook, Sapp said he asked ushers to close the doors for the safety of his parishioners.

Sapp also admitted that he was more “assertive” than he should’ve been under the circumstances.

Pastor John Gray III, who has his own share of controversies, defended Sapp’s fundraising efforts.

“I’ve seen a lot worse donation requests in other churches,” Gray told TMZ. He suggested that a church’s fundraising efforts may look questionable to outsiders.

Gray praised his own church for the “reverse offering” method, where congregants are allowed to take what they need from the offering plate to meet their financial needs.

Watch the video below.