let me start by saying this… i love marvin sapp. the man has blessed the world with songs that make you cry, dance, and hit the highest falsetto note you didn’t know you had. “never would have made it”? classic. but what i saw recently… whew. sir, what were we doing? so here’s he story. at the 109th pentecostal assemblies of the world convention, marvin sapp got up in front of about 1,000 people and asked for $40,000. that’s not the shocking part…we’ve all been in services where someone’s trying to raise a big offering. but marvin took it a step further and said, “close the doors!”. yes. close the doors. as in, nobody’s leaving until the offering plates are full. now listen, i know in many churches this is a part of the program. there’s a message, maybe a song or two, and then the asking begins. i get it. church bills are real, events cost money, mission causes, and sometimes ministries need help etc etc etc. but when you start closing the doors like we’re in a holy version of “ocean’s eleven”? that’s where i draw the line. i wasn’t there…but if i had been? you would’ve seen a blur of smoke shaped like me walking straight out. and i’m not trying to be disrespectful, but at the end of the day, faith should never feel like a trap or make you feel uncomfortable….or atleast i thought so…shrugs. here’s the thing, i’ve actually experienced something like this before. it was at a church in clayton county (i won’t say which one), and the guest speaker got up and asked the congregation to give $40,000 to help replace the carpet. i kid you not. now thankfully, they didn’t tell the ushers to shut the doors, but the way they looked at people who didn’t give… whew, you would’ve thought we owed them rent. let’s just be real here…. asking for support is fine, but doing it with pressure, guilt, or a shut door policy? nah. that’s giving more “cult vibes” than “church service.”. and marvin, if you’re reading this…i still love your music man. i’m not trying to “cancel” you (can’t believe i wrote that lol). but this should be a wake up call to you and every other preacher or guest speaker out there who thinks offering time is the time to flex. it’s not. it’s church, not a game show. i know some folks will say, “but the bible talks about giving.” true. and we should give from the heart. but the bible doesn’t say anything about not being allowed to leave until the debit machine hits its goal. worship should feel free, not forced. if you gotta trap people in the sanctuary just to meet your offering goals, maybe it’s time to rethink your approach. (pleasseeee watch the entire video below). post navigation. spring is almost here, and i think i need a vacation!
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let me start by saying this… i love marvin sapp. the man has blessed the world with songs that make you cry, dance, and hit the highest falsetto note you didn’t know you had. “never would have made it”? classic. but what i saw recently… whew. sir, what were we doing? so here’s he story. at the 109th pentecostal assemblies of the world convention, marvin sapp got up in front of about 1,000 people and asked for $40,000. that’s not the shocking part…we’ve all been in services where someone’s trying to raise a big offering. but marvin took it a step further and said, “close the doors!”. yes. close the doors. as in, nobody’s leaving until the offering plates are full. now listen, i know in many churches this is a part of the program. there’s a message, maybe a song or two, and then the asking begins. i get it. church bills are real, events cost money, mission causes, and sometimes ministries need help etc etc etc. but when you start closing the doors like we’re in a holy version of “ocean’s eleven”? that’s where i draw the line. i wasn’t there…but if i had been? you would’ve seen a blur of smoke shaped like me walking straight out. and i’m not trying to be disrespectful, but at the end of the day, faith should never feel like a trap or make you feel uncomfortable….or atleast i thought so…shrugs. here’s the thing, i’ve actually experienced something like this before. it was at a church in clayton county (i won’t say which one), and the guest speaker got up and asked the congregation to give $40,000 to help replace the carpet. i kid you not. now thankfully, they didn’t tell the ushers to shut the doors, but the way they looked at people who didn’t give… whew, you would’ve thought we owed them rent. let’s just be real here…. asking for support is fine, but doing it with pressure, guilt, or a shut door policy? nah. that’s giving more “cult vibes” than “church service.”. and marvin, if you’re reading this…i still love your music man. i’m not trying to “cancel” you (can’t believe i wrote that lol). but this should be a wake up call to you and every other preacher or guest speaker out there who thinks offering time is the time to flex. it’s not. it’s church, not a game show. i know some folks will say, “but the bible talks about giving.” true. and we should give from the heart. but the bible doesn’t say anything about not being allowed to leave until the debit machine hits its goal. worship should feel free, not forced. if you gotta trap people in the sanctuary just to meet your offering goals, maybe it’s time to rethink your approach. (pleasseeee watch the entire video below). post navigation. spring is almost here, and i think i need a vacation!
Let me start by saying this… I love Marvin Sapp. The man has blessed the world with songs that make you cry, dance, and hit the highest falsetto note you didn’t know you had. “Never Would Have Made It”? Classic. But what I saw recently… whew. Sir, what were we doing?
So here’s he story.
At the 109th Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Convention, Marvin Sapp got up in front of about 1,000 people and asked for $40,000. That’s not the shocking part…we’ve all been in services where someone’s trying to raise a big offering. But Marvin took it a step further and said, “Close the doors!”
Yes. Close the doors.
As in, nobody’s leaving until the offering plates are full.
Now listen, I know in many churches this is a part of the program. There’s a message, maybe a song or two, and then the asking begins. I get it. Church bills are real, events cost money, mission causes, and sometimes ministries need help etc etc etc. But when you start closing the doors like we’re in a holy version of “Ocean’s Eleven”? That’s where I draw the line.
I wasn’t there…but if I had been? You would’ve seen a blur of smoke shaped like me walking straight out. And I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but at the end of the day, faith should never feel like a trap or make you feel uncomfortable….or atleast I thought so…shrugs
Here’s the thing, I’ve actually experienced something like this before. It was at a church in Clayton County (I won’t say which one), and the guest speaker got up and asked the congregation to give $40,000 to help replace the carpet. I kid you not. Now thankfully, they didn’t tell the ushers to shut the doors, but the way they looked at people who didn’t give… whew, you would’ve thought we owed them rent.
Let’s just be real here…. asking for support is fine, but doing it with pressure, guilt, or a shut door policy? Nah. That’s giving more “cult vibes” than “church service.”
And Marvin, if you’re reading this…I still love your music man. I’m not trying to “cancel” you (can’t believe I wrote that lol). But this should be a wake up call to you and every other preacher or guest speaker out there who thinks offering time is the time to flex. It’s not. It’s church, not a game show.
I know some folks will say, “But the Bible talks about giving.” True. And we should give from the heart. But the Bible doesn’t say anything about not being allowed to leave until the debit machine hits its goal.
Worship should feel free, not forced.
If you gotta trap people in the sanctuary just to meet your offering goals, maybe it’s time to rethink your approach.
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let me start by saying this… i love marvin sapp. the man has blessed the world with songs that make you cry, dance, and hit the highest falsetto note you didn’t know you had. “never would have made it”? classic. but what i saw recently… whew. sir, what were we doing? so here’s he story. at the 109th pentecostal assemblies of the world convention, marvin sapp got up in front of about 1,000 people and asked for $40,000. that’s not the shocking part…we’ve all been in services where someone’s trying to raise a big offering. but marvin took it a step further and said, “close the doors!”. yes. close the doors. as in, nobody’s leaving until the offering plates are full. now listen, i know in many churches this is a part of the program. there’s a message, maybe a song or two, and then the asking begins. i get it. church bills are real, events cost money, mission causes, and sometimes ministries need help etc etc etc. but when you start closing the doors like we’re in a holy version of “ocean’s eleven”? that’s where i draw the line. i wasn’t there…but if i had been? you would’ve seen a blur of smoke shaped like me walking straight out. and i’m not trying to be disrespectful, but at the end of the day, faith should never feel like a trap or make you feel uncomfortable….or atleast i thought so…shrugs. here’s the thing, i’ve actually experienced something like this before. it was at a church in clayton county (i won’t say which one), and the guest speaker got up and asked the congregation to give $40,000 to help replace the carpet. i kid you not. now thankfully, they didn’t tell the ushers to shut the doors, but the way they looked at people who didn’t give… whew, you would’ve thought we owed them rent. let’s just be real here…. asking for support is fine, but doing it with pressure, guilt, or a shut door policy? nah. that’s giving more “cult vibes” than “church service.”. and marvin, if you’re reading this…i still love your music man. i’m not trying to “cancel” you (can’t believe i wrote that lol). but this should be a wake up call to you and every other preacher or guest speaker out there who thinks offering time is the time to flex. it’s not. it’s church, not a game show. i know some folks will say, “but the bible talks about giving.” true. and we should give from the heart. but the bible doesn’t say anything about not being allowed to leave until the debit machine hits its goal. worship should feel free, not forced. if you gotta trap people in the sanctuary just to meet your offering goals, maybe it’s time to rethink your approach. (pleasseeee watch the entire video below). post navigation. spring is almost here, and i think i need a vacation!
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let me start by saying this… i love marvin sapp. the man has blessed the world with songs that make you cry, dance, and hit the highest falsetto note you didn’t know you had. “never would have made it”? classic. but what i saw recently… whew. sir, what were we doing? so here’s he story. at the 109th pentecostal assemblies of the world convention, marvin sapp got up in front of about 1,000 people and asked for $40,000. that’s not the shocking part…we’ve all been in services where someone’s trying to raise a big offering. but marvin took it a step further and said, “close the doors!”. yes. close the doors. as in, nobody’s leaving until the offering plates are full. now listen, i know in many churches this is a part of the program. there’s a message, maybe a song or two, and then the asking begins. i get it. church bills are real, events cost money, mission causes, and sometimes ministries need help etc etc etc. but when you start closing the doors like we’re in a holy version of “ocean’s eleven”? that’s where i draw the line. i wasn’t there…but if i had been? you would’ve seen a blur of smoke shaped like me walking straight out. and i’m not trying to be disrespectful, but at the end of the day, faith should never feel like a trap or make you feel uncomfortable….or atleast i thought so…shrugs. here’s the thing, i’ve actually experienced something like this before. it was at a church in clayton county (i won’t say which one), and the guest speaker got up and asked the congregation to give $40,000 to help replace the carpet. i kid you not. now thankfully, they didn’t tell the ushers to shut the doors, but the way they looked at people who didn’t give… whew, you would’ve thought we owed them rent. let’s just be real here…. asking for support is fine, but doing it with pressure, guilt, or a shut door policy? nah. that’s giving more “cult vibes” than “church service.”. and marvin, if you’re reading this…i still love your music man. i’m not trying to “cancel” you (can’t believe i wrote that lol). but this should be a wake up call to you and every other preacher or guest speaker out there who thinks offering time is the time to flex. it’s not. it’s church, not a game show. i know some folks will say, “but the bible talks about giving.” true. and we should give from the heart. but the bible doesn’t say anything about not being allowed to leave until the debit machine hits its goal. worship should feel free, not forced. if you gotta trap people in the sanctuary just to meet your offering goals, maybe it’s time to rethink your approach. (pleasseeee watch the entire video below). post navigation. spring is almost here, and i think i need a vacation!
