A pastor in Detroit, Michigan, made quite a scene in his church, openly rebuking a member for not donating the amount he had demanded during a fundraising event. A video posted on Reddit showed a church donation process. Several people were seated in the church, while others stood in line, forming a queue to approach the pastor at the pulpit.
The pastor was dressed in a pleated grey suit, and a woman in a white suit, accompanied by a young boy, could be seen handing over her seed in a white envelope. “I, Roberta McCoy, give in faith and stand in unity with the vision of Perfecting Church, sowing this seed of $1,000 plus $235 and receiving the blessings to come,” she declared.
“That’s only $1,200,” the pastor replied, which the woman affirmed. “You’re not listening to what I’m saying. If you have $1,000 plus $1,000…” the pastor stated again, insinuating that her donation wasn’t complete yet. The woman quickly mentioned that she would raise the remaining $800 soon, but the pastor, with a smile on his face, said that wasn’t what he meant. The woman smiled back and left the queue.
The comments section rained heavily on the pastor as viewers criticized his approach to giving. “This is the exact type of man Jesus supposedly told followers to stay far away from,” someone blasted. Citing a case of extortion, another added, “The guy is literally robbing this lady in daylight, but everyone agrees to it. I don’t know what else to say. You cannot win against ignorance and blind faith. It’s impossible.”
A third user added sarcastically, “The Lord is omnipotent, but he needs money!” while another fumed, “He’s pissed because that’s how he makes his money, by talking crap on a mic. They should’ve taken back their money and told him to piss off. “Jesus would be flipping tables at these places,” a Redditor chimed in. Commenting on the pastor’s appearance, someone wrote, “That is no cheap suit the pastor is wearing, purchased on the backs of his parishioners.”
Another person noted the behavior of the congregation, writing, “The most alarming part to me wasn’t the fact that some asshole had the audacity to be a preacher and abuse his power, but the laughter from the entire congregation. That, to me, is way more concerning, that many were okay with that level of disrespect over a donation, from a preacher no less.”
As reported by Atlanta Black Star, the man in the video has been identified as Bishop Marvin Winans, leading the church known as Perfecting Church of Detroit. The church is reportedly undertaking a long-delayed construction project at 19150 Woodward Avenue, near 7 Mile in Detroit. The project was first approved in 2004 but was halted in 2008 after financial difficulties. The city later sued the church in 2023, labeling it a public nuisance.
The church is now raising funds to resume the project, which has been revised to a 164,800-square-foot design with 3,365 seats and 659 parking spaces, expected to reach substantial completion by spring 2025. This comes after the initial plan, which proposed a 158,550-square-foot sanctuary with over 4,200 seats, a chapel, and a fellowship hall.
