Pastor Michael Todd of Transformation Church is going viral from the pulpit again. The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based faith leader known for his jarring Sunday messages has come under fire for salaciously discussing the current state of his flock.
His remarks were reshared from week 3 of the “Fresh Fruit The Power Of Shared Vision” sermon on Feb. 18. It marked the first time he spoke to his congregation about the fallout caused by his 2022 illustration of trusting God’s vision for your life even when you cannot see it with your own eyes.
Todd was at the center of controversy when he spat in his hand, rubbed them together, and then rubbed his excretion across the face of a male parishioner who stood on stage with his eyes closed, similar to the biblical tale of Jesus giving a blind man the ability to see.
In the resurfaced clip, he said the incident led some congregants and staff members to leave his church. Todd said he exchanged screenshots with his friends, exposing how he has been disparaged by others.
“People have basically written off every good thing I have done because of one thing that wasn’t a sin. It was just gross. It was just disgusting. But I can think a lot of other things y’all do with spit too,” he claimed in the telecast, noting that he was unable to recite the words ex-members of the church wrote about him.
This really saddens me. I discovered Michael Todd through Elevation & thought he was a great young Pastor. Who he has turned into is gross and unrecognizable. I am one that immediately unfollowed after the spit-gate and he continues to get worse. https://t.co/H5eipqXIaw
— india. (@IndiaDionna) April 5, 2024
He further alleged that some who turned their backs on him were “people I’ve prayed for their children and gave them money personally when they houses were about to be foreclosed on.”
Todd continued, “Seeing them do podcasts on me, watching pastor friends that I built their conferences take me off of the flyer. I’m saying it’s alright now, but in the moment, I want to be real, it did not feel alright.”
Still speaking about his enduring faith, he continued, “I would come in here so many days and not have any energy to do anything. Another staff member just left. All they said was it’s ‘because God called them somewhere else.’ After six years you can’t even tell me the real reason but you do subliminal Instagram posts? I’m being too real up here. But this is real.”
He issued a public apology in real time as he faced backlash for the saliva fiasco. “I watched it back, and it was disgusting. Like, that was gross,” he said at the time. “I want to validate everybody’s feelings, that that was a distraction to what I was really trying to do. I was really trying to make the word come alive and for people to see the story, but yesterday it got too live, and I own that.”
However, his February admission during service was viewed as “messy.” “The whole congregation messy lmao,” responded an X user to the post recirculating segments of the sermon. Others took issue with not only Todd’s demeanor but his overall appearance. “He turned Church into a Wendy Williams show, with chains on, designer clothes and his taco meat chest showing,” read a comment.
Another compared him to “false prophets” described in biblical text. Someone else remarked, “Black pastors have a habit of thinking their members and staff are supposed to be loyal to a church building or a leader. THAT IS NOT BIBLICAL! If he said he was leaving because God is calling him some where else, that IS A GOOD ENOUGH REASON. Period! Serve and stop being messy.”
Todd and his wife, Natalie, have served as lead pastors of the church since 2015. The high school sweethearts have been married for 14 years and share four children. They faith-filled mission is to “re-present” God to the masses.