Bishop Addresses Viral Video Showing Him Scold Churchgoer for Donation, Says He 'Corrected' Her

Winans and the donor said the clip was taken out of context.

Singer Marvin Winans performs onstage at the 2017 Black Music Honors at Tennessee Performing Arts Center on August 18, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Image via Rick Diamond/Getty Images

Detroit bishop and gospel vocalist Marvin Winans is under fire this week after a viral video purportedly showed him scolding a churchgoer for donating less than what he sought.

At the time, Winans' Perfecting Church was holding a fundraiser when attendee Roberta McCoy gave the pastor a check for $1,235.

"Now that's only $1,200 dollars," Winans said in front of the congregation. "Y'all not listening to what I'm saying. If you have $1,000 plus $1,000..."

"Well, I'mma work on the other $800," McCoy interjected.

"Well, that ain't what I asked you to do," Winans shot back.

Winans caught flack on social media, but both he and McCoy agreed that the interaction was taken out of context on local news station ABC 7.

"He absolutely did not rebuke me," McCoy said. "Now there's a difference. There was a correction, because, let me clearly state, pastor gave instruction on the lines to get into."

In a separate interview, Winans explained that he was "calling by increments" as to not confuse the donors.

"The whole church was coming, and we didn't want people standing, the mothers and all that, so I was calling them by increments," Winans said. "And we had someone that had given out before, and I corrected it, and I told everyone to listen and come when you're called. And that's all that was."

McCoy, who has since received threats after the clip went viral, has gotten an apology from Winans. Earlier this year, Bishop and Grammy-winning singer Marvin Sapp was met with backlash after a similar video showing him demanding that the church doors be closed to drum up at least $40,000 in donations.

Sapp responded to the controversy with a song titled "Close the Door."

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