Bishop Marvin Winans from the Perfecting Church in Detroit, Michigan, has certainly grabbed headlines for all the wrong reasons, and it seems that the controversy will not end soon, as it is a drip-drip situation where every day, a little piece of information is released to the media, and none of it is pretty.
Viral Video Shows Pastor Marvin Winans Scolding Member Over Donation
This month, Pastor Winans was holding what is called the “Day of Giving,” when members of his church made large donations for a plan he has: he wants to complete a church project he started building decades ago, which will cost several million dollars.
Videos shot during the church service have gone viral after one woman, named Roberta McCoy, gave $1,235 instead of the $2,000 that Pastor Marvin Winans had requested.
One video shows the woman standing with her son and humbly offering the amount, explaining that she will work her best to recover the remaining $765 that is missing.
The churchgoer said: “I, Roberta McCoy, give in faith, and stand in unity with the vision of Perfecting Church by sowing this seed of $1,000, plus $235, in receiving the blessings to come to all that participate.”
However, Pastor Winans was very disappointed and visibly unthrilled that the woman did not do what he had asked, which was to donate $1,000 and raise another $1,000 toward the completion of his mega-church, which is apparently a cathedral.
As McCoy explained her situation and why she was short of the requested amount, Winans, a man of God and a man of faith, boldly interrupted her and scolded her, telling her that it was not what he had asked for and demanded.
He asked if she was listening to his instructions. He went on to belittle the woman by again demanding that she comply with his request. The pastor stated: “Now that is only $1,200. Y’all not listening to what I’m saying. If you have a thousand plus a thousand. That ain’t what I asked you to do.”
Pastor Marvin Winans And Roberta McCoy Claim Viral Clip Was “Out Of Order”
Speaking to local media, Winans defended his actions by explaining that the woman was in the wrong because he was calling the congregants up by amount to maintain order.
He stated: “I was calling because the whole church was giving, and it was our day of giving, and the whole church was coming, and we didn’t want people standing, the mothers and all that, so I was calling them by increments. And we had someone that had given out of order, and I corrected it, and I told everybody to listen and come when you call, and that’s all that was.”
Roberta McCoy also sat down for an interview, where she clarified the situation. The woman stated that Winans was “correcting” her about standing in the wrong line based on the donation increment, rather than rebuking or rejecting her donation.
She stated: “He absolutely did not rebuke me. Now there’s a difference. There was a correction because let me clearly state that the Pastor gave instructions on the lines to get into.”
The worshipper revealed she has been the target of threats since the incident and felt compelled to clear the pastor’s name. She also stated that the pastor has apologized to her and they have closed that unfortunate chapter.
Gospel Stars Defend Pastor Marvin Winans’s Fundraising Tactics
Many Christians, including some famous and others not, have taken to social media to defend the pastor, with Gospel singer Fred Hammond sharing a longer clip of the service.
He implied the edited viral video was misleading, stating: “I wonder if those who cut it up will play this version? I wonder who cut it in the first place? And what was the motive? Organizations raise money all the time. There’s nothing wrong with the church taking care of its own.”
Darrell Scott, a pastor and self-proclaimed “Trump advisor,” also defended Winans on social media, claiming the video did not reflect the full picture: “Marvin Winans is one of the greatest gospel singers of all time, has Pastored for over 30 years, and has done great work for the Kingdom of God. This video is out of context.”
The $23 Million Cathedral Is Slated For 2026 Opening
Marvin Winans is seeking donations to build the 3,200-seat Perfecting Church Cathedral, a $23 million project that began decades ago. He was forced to pause construction on the 168,000-square-foot structure in 2008 when funding dried up due to the recession. He resumed in 2024 with a target opening date of June 2026.
The pastor shared: “We’ve been working. This is 2025, we have been having folk in and out since we started back up, you know, it has been a continual grind, slowing some areas, some things, our long lead items where you have to place the order months and months ahead.”
After the controversy,business mogul Tyler Perry donated $100,000 to Winans.
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