The woman at the center of the controversial video in which Bishop Marvin Winans of Detroit’s Perfecting Church was captured making comments deemed unacceptable during a donation drive says the exchange has been taken out of context.
Roberta McCoy was the face of a viral clip a few days ago, showing Bishop Winans seemingly chastising her during a Sunday service.
The viral footage appeared to show Winans interrupting McCoy as she declared her $1,235 offering. Many viewers interpreted his tone as harsh, accusing the gospel legend of humiliating her over money. But now, both Winans and McCoy are speaking out — and their account paints a very different picture.
Clearing the Air
In a sit-down interview with WXYZ News, McCoy clarified what actually happened that day, describing the exchange not as a rebuke, but as a misunderstanding.
“He absolutely did not rebuke me,” McCoy said plainly. “Now there’s a difference. There was a correction because, let me clearly state, pastor gave instruction on the lines to get into.”
According to McCoy, Bishop Winans had directed members to line up according to the amounts they were contributing to the church’s building fund. She mistakenly joined the $2,000 line when her donation fell into a lower category. The pastor’s comment, which many online took as a public shaming, was, in her view, simply him pointing out that she had joined the wrong line.
Winans Responds
Bishop Winans echoed her explanation, explaining that his intent was never to embarrass McCoy.
“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,” Winans told reporters.
He went on to clarify that the correction was logistical, not personal:
“We had someone that had given out of before, and I corrected it, and I told everybody to listen and come when you call, and that’s all that was.”
Winans also apologized to McCoy, though she maintains she never took offense to begin with. McCoy confirmed she remains a devoted member of Perfecting Church.
When Perception Becomes Reality
The controversy highlights how quickly perception can outpace truth in today’s media landscape. The initial viral clip, stripped of context, seemed to show a pastor publicly chastising a congregant for not giving enough money, a scenario that struck a nerve with audiences already wary of financial pressure in megachurches.
But as the full story emerged, it became clear that the clip had been interpreted through a social media lens that thrives on outrage. In reality, it was an instance of miscommunication during a structured fundraising service.
That distinction — between rebuke and correction — is one that resonates deeply in faith communities. In the Black church tradition, correction from leadership is often a part of communal discipline, not necessarily condemnation. Yet, in a viral age, tone can overshadow context, and clips can be divorced from cultural nuance.
A Lesson in Listening
This incident serves as a reminder that the line between spiritual guidance and perceived shaming can be easily blurred — especially in an era where every service can become content. It also underscores a broader question many faith leaders are now confronting: how to balance authenticity, authority, and optics in front of a camera.
For Bishop Winans and Roberta McCoy, the situation appears resolved. For the watching public, however, the viral moment offers a quiet caution — not about tithing or theology, but about how quickly a partial truth can become a complete story.
