*Roberta McCoy, a member of Perfecting Church in Detroit, has retracted her previous defense of Pastor Marvin Winans following a controversial donation incident that drew national attention. McCoy had originally stood by Winans after he confronted her for contributing $1,235 rather than the $2,000 he had requested during a church service last month.
Speaking to a local news station, McCoy clarified that Winans did not rebuke her, but corrected her for being in the wrong donation line. “He absolutely did not rebuke me,” McCoy said, per SandraRose.com. “Now there’s a difference. There was a correction because let me clearly state that pastor gave instruction on the lines to get into.” She added, “There was a correction, not a rebuke.”
McCoy’s initial defense of the pastor drew sympathy, but public opinion shifted once she sided with Winans. Through an emotional Facebook message, she disclosed that church leadership demanded she apologize to Winans for damaging his reputation and described feeling ostracized by the congregation afterward.
“It’s like I’m turning invisible now. I’m no longer useful to them. I served their purpose. I was only damage control. They wanted to protect the name. Protect the brand. Their calls of ‘concern’ stopped when the media ‘storm’ stopped. I see that with wide open eyes now. They turned on me. They blame me!!!” McCoy shared in her post.
Scroll to continue reading
McCoy also pointed to declining church attendance as evidence of the controversy’s impact on the congregation. “Did you see the empty seats on Sunday at 10:45 [a.m.]?” she questioned.
She suggested that genuine pastoral accountability could help rebuild trust in religious institutions. “People are appalled and tired of being mistreated in churches. Do you know what would bring people back to church in great numbers? I think seeing the human side of a pastor. I think if they saw a Pastor who was not prideful, but who was humble, like Jesus, and just said he was sorry for the offense. I think that would bring a lot of people back to churches all over the world,” McCoy stated.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: ‘It Ain’t Enough! Bishop Marvin Winans Dragged for Publicly Scolding Woman’s $1,235 Donation | WATCH
Sign up for our Free daily newsletter HERE.
