Never Would Have Paid It: The Marvin Sapp Tithes Story

Marvin Sapp is a household name for anyone who is into gospel music. His career has spanned decades, and he’s had a number of popular gospel hits — including the chart-topping “Never Would Have Made It,” which gave him crossover appeal.

Well, now, social media is changing the title of that song to “Never Would Have Paid It” after a recently resurfaced video shows Sapp holding a church full of people hostage until they pay their $40,000 ransom.

OK, that’s not exactly what happened. Sapp didn’t tell them they were hostages, and he didn’t tell them the $40,000 was a ransom.

At the July 2024 Pentecostal Assemblies of the World summer convention in Baltimore, Marvin Sapp preached a sermon and sang gospel music before a crowd of 1,000 worshippers, according to TMZ. When he was done, Sapp told the crowd that he was looking to raise $40,000 that day, and he made it clear no one was leaving the sanctuary until the fundraising goal was reached.

“I said close them doors,” Sapp ordered the ushers. “Ushers, close the doors. Close the doors. Close the doors.”

“We all gon’ leave together,” he added. “Y’all ain’t going no place but to the restaurant.”

“There’s one thousand of you here tonight, and those of you that are watching … it’s a thousand that’s watching online. This is a small seed,” Sapp said, asking each person to donate $20 to get him to $40,000.

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He noted that some people may not have cash and would instead donate electronically. He asked those people to come on stage and show proof that they had donated.

Sapp instructed the clergy members standing on stage with him to donate $100.

“Because again,” Sapp said, “it costs to sit up here.”

He called for the donation baskets to be brought to the front of the church and told everyone to come up and let him see them donating. For those giving electronically, he told them to stick their phones “on the bucket.”

The worshippers did as they were told, presumably, and according to TMZ, no one called the police, but that hasn’t stopped people on social media from blasting Sapp for the way he handled this.

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Marvin Sapp responded to the backlash via a Facebook post on Wednesday night.

Response: Let’s Add Context to the Clip on Social Media.

Recently, a clip has gone viral of me challenging 2,000 individuals(virtually and in person) to plant a seed of $20 during an international gathering held at a convention center, with over 4,000 people in attendance that evening plus virtual viewers. In that same moment, I also challenged leadership to lead by example by sowing $100. That evening, I personally gave much more.

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.

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.

The comments on Sapp’s Facebook post were mostly supportive.

What do you think? Did Marvin Sapp go too far?

Let us know in the comments.

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Source: NewsOne