For the past year Americans have heard Marvin Sapp’s clarion tenor sing about Christ’s ability to sustain believers. “Never Would Have Made It” is his biggest song and its power has transcended the gospel world and landed in the middle of urban markets. A performance at this year’s BET awards was the evening’s apex trumping the usual secular favorites for a song reflective of the country’s need for a lifesaver among economic instability and the race for a new president. Kirk Franklin made gospel cool by mixing it with urban culture. Franklin’s success was not guaranteed by the infusion of hip-hop beats and dances but easier to explain. Sapp’s crossover success is an anomaly but it reveals a reverse history lesson; gospel music has returned soul to the radio. In the ‘50s and ‘60s it would take Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin to bring the gospel sensibility to popular music. By the ‘90s hip-hop took over and soul singers became extinct. At this time Sapp was a member of the revered gospel group Commissioned. By ’96 he went solo and began the path that has led to his seventh album Thirsty. Currently on the How Sweet The Sound tour in search of top-notch choirs around the country Pastor Sapp addresses the song’s success, his holistic ministry and how he always knew God was real.

What do you think it is about “Never Would Have Made It” that makes so many people connect to it instead of other gospel songs?

I think the thing that makes “Never Would Have Made It” such a heart wrenching song is because we’ve all had “Never Would Have Made It” moments. We’ve all found ourselves in places where we didn’t know what we were going to do how we were going to get through it. But after we come through it and learn the lessons that God was really trying to teach us all of become stronger better wiser individuals. I think that is really the grabbing point if you will of the song.

I read that this was something inspired by the passing of your father?

Yes yes, almost two years ago it will be two years in 9 days he died. The Sunday after I eulogized him the song “Never Would Have Made It” happened. It just kind of happened in a worship service. I concluded praise and worship at my church and after much prodding from my wife and other record executives we decided to go ahead and record the CD. When we decided to record it on the CD I didn’t think it was going to have this kind of impact you know God knows best.

Thirsty is a big album for you, and it is your seventh solo project, how have you grown as an artist?

It’s a different world being an artist I’ve always sold a good amount of CDs as it pertains to gospel. In the gospel world if you sell 100, 000 to 200, 000 units you’re doing very well. I’ve always maintained between 100 and 200, 000 units but with this one breaking gold and being on its way to platinum 49 weeks at number one in radio about 40 weeks now number one at Billboard it’s crossed over into a whole different genre you know we’re working harder. It’s causing us to even have a more deeper desire and passion to be a light to a dying world.

Why did you call it Thirsty?

I called the record Thirsty because I believe I was at a place at that particular point and time in my life where I was thirsty. I was doing the work of ministry but forgetting about the God of the work. And so many times we as individuals sometimes we can be so busy working working in the church that we lose focus on God of the work. And I like to talk about how a lot of us are working around Jesus rather than sitting at the feet of Jesus. I found myself at that place and I said ‘Man I Am Thirsty For God’s presence’ and that’s what Thirsty came from.

The song has inspired a lot of people but who inspires you?

Nobody’s ever asked me that question before I think the typical answer would be God he keeps me inspired and focused. But from a natural standpoint I look at people such as Coby John Caldwell who is a phenomenal pastor who has a five-hundred million dollar project taking place down in Houston, brother Dr.Floyd Flake Jamaica Queens, NY former congressman doing great things up in New York has achieved one-hundred million dollars in assets and stuff for the church Bishop TD Jakes of course, Marvin O.Winans who is doing a great thing in Detroit. Bishop Andrew Merritt, Charles Ellis these are all people that we sit up and we look at and aspire to accomplish what they have accomplished and just really look to those things coming to pass coming to fruition. If you were to ask me who inspired me I would say individuals who are succeeding in what I desire to succeed in.

You have described your Lighthouse Full Life Center Church in Grand Rapids and Battle Creek, MI as having a holistic approach to the ministry could you talk about that?

Well when we started our church 5 years ago we started our church with the holistic approach or mentality of making sure that we equip the body of believers totally not just spiritually but body, soul, and the spirit. So we have a health initiative at our church where we have work out sessions on our new campus which we have a seventeen acre campus, we have a full gymnasium, three or four basketball courts, two racquetball courts. Two of the racquetball courts we converted into a nursery. So we have a full health care initiative from workout sessions to walk-a-thons a nutritionist the whole nine yards. And then we also understand that in order to be effective as believers it’s easier for us to shout and praise God when all our bills are paid so we have instituted a kingdom academy in which we teach, train and show people the importance of having a high FICA score how to balance your checking account why IRAs all of these different things that we’re teaching that most if you will African-American pastor churches don’t even go into and so we wanted to make sure the people that we pastor will be equipped naturally and spiritually. Having a holistic approach to ministry has worked very well for us. There is more stuff to it but I just wanted to give you some examples.

You are a pastor and a singer do reach more people with your ministry or your music?

Well both of them are ministry I think you know I can honestly say now I’ve probably reached more people with my music (laughs) than I have preaching simply because we sold so many records but of course more people would know Marvin Sapp the singer now than they would Marvin Sapp the preacher. But I believe very strongly that they both go hand and hand andI believe that the musical component of Marvin Sapp is the preacher aspect of Marvin Sapp an opportunity to share the gospel when I hit the stage. I’m a preacher who realizes having this type of notoriety that it’s also a springboard that’s taking me to another level and giving me another audience that I would have the opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ with.

What is your favorite scripture?

Oh Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power, this is what I love, that works in us. In other words we’re partners co-laborers the only way it’s gonna happen is we’re gonna to have to use the power that’s in us.

When did you know God was real?

I’ve had so many different things to happen in my life when I was a little bitty boy I swallowed a nickel and began to choke and they had to rush me to the hospital and remove the nickel from my throat. Actually one of the ushers took her finger to go down my throat and move it from over from my windpipe and I couldn’t been no older than five when that happened. At nineteen years of age I was diagnosed as an epileptic and would have grand mal seizures I had to take nine-hundred milligrams a day of Dilantin in order to regulate it. I don’t know that’s a difficult thing to ask I knew God was real because I was alive at five I knew God was real because he didn’t allow me to die in one of these convulsional fits I was having at nineteen and twenty years of age. He’s always been real to me.

What’s next for Marvin Sapp?

What’s next for Marvin Sapp is we’re doing our thirty-five city tour starting in January trying to win thirty-five hundred souls across the nation. In the process of writing my second book my first book is entitled “Stepping Out On The Promise” so we’re in negotiations with a book company hopefully we’ll get a book deal coming up real soon . Of course pasturing my church, listening to music now for another CD that’s probably going to be put out late 2009 I got so many things on my plate that I’m doing we have a school Grand Rapids Academy Of Arts And Technology we’re doing after school programming on our campus that kicks off on Monday where we’re going to be dealing with the arts as well as Spanish and choral and so many different things. A lot of things really trying to build our campus in the process of talking to architects about seeing about seeing housing development we’re planning on putting on our own property city of Grand Rapids, MI if everything should work out right. I gotta stay busy because if I don’t stay busy I become bored and when you’re a visionary you gotta keep things moving and keep things rolling.