Detroit pastor under fire after publicly demanding $2,000 from parishioner who only offered a $1,200 donation

A Grammy-winning Detroit megachurch pastor went viral this week after he criticized a congregant for only donating $1,235 to his church.

The viral clip shows Marvin Winans, a pastor at Perfecting Church, receiving the donation from a woman and her child at the Day of Giving service on Sunday. Winans, 67, is also a member of The Winans, a popular gospel quartet that has won five Grammy awards, according to the Perfecting Church website.

When the woman handed Winans her donation, he told her, “Now, that’s only $1,200.”

“You’re not listening to what I’m saying,” he continued. “If you have $1,000 plus $1,000.”

The woman said that she would “work on” the other $800, but Winans replied, “That ain’t what I asked you to do.”

The Independent has contacted Perfecting Church for comment.

The viral clip was pulled from the church’s livestream of the service. Now, social media users are slamming Winans for his response to the woman’s donation, according to the Atlanta Black Star.

“I would’ve took my money back so fast and would never set foot in that building again,” a Threads user commented.

Another user wrote: “And then wonder why ppl are leaving the church in droves — these mega pastors are literal thieves — aren’t millions of ppl unemployed right now?!”

This isn’t the first time Winans and his church have faced controversy. Two years ago, his church was sued by the city of Detroit over a construction project that first began in 2004. The city alleged the ongoing project had become a public nuisance and that the church hadn’t been issued a building permit since 2015, the Detroit Free Press reports.

However, the city dropped the lawsuit after reaching a deal with the church that required the building developer to submit evidence of financing and obtain city approval before continuing construction, according to the Detroit Free Press.

"The church and its Board of Directors looks forward to working cooperatively with the city to complete this important project," Winans said in a statement after the case was dropped.

Cindy Flowers, chief executive officer of Perfecting Church, told the Detroit Free Press last August that construction could start in October 2024 and the estimated completion date was March 2026. The current status of the project is unclear.

Winans and Perfecting Church were also sued in 2018 by Lakaiya Harris, who worked as a housekeeper for the church. Harris alleged she was told she had to donate her money to birthday gifts for supervisors, and tithe 10 percent of her income, according to the Detroit Free Press. Harris claims she was fired after she refused to do so.

Harris’s complaint was dismissed with prejudice in June 2021, according to public court records.