– Marvin Sapp Lighthouse Full Life Center gets successor Rory Marshall
Gospel singer and senior pastor at Lighthouse Full Life Center in Grand Rapids, Bishop Marvin Sapp has appointed Rory Marshall as the incoming senior pastor of Lighthouse Full Life Center during a celebration of the church’s 16th anniversary on Sunday.
At Sunday’s worship service, Sapp also led the congregation in a ceremonial burning of its mortgage, as the church is now debt free. This will allow Marshall “to focus on preaching, teaching and outreach,” Christian Post reported in through a statement made available by the church.
The 32-year-old new senior pastor was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and his father, Rory Marshall Sr., was a pastor in the city and one of Sapp’s early mentors. The family moved to Chicago when Rory Jr. was 12.
Marshall will relocate from Illinois, where he was a staff pastor at The Powerhouse Chicago under the leadership of Archbishop William Hudson III. He will start leading worship at Lighthouse Full Life Center sometime in November.
Sapp founded Lighthouse Full Life Center in Grand Rapids and Muskegon with his late wife, MaLinda Prince Sapp, in 2003. He stepped down as senior pastor of the church in September to become the senior pastor of Chosen Vessel Cathedral in Fort Worth, Texas. However, the celebrated gospel singer continues to be chairman of the board at Lighthouse Full Life Center.
Marshall’s pastoral appointment came after the church’s search committee and board reviewed a list of potential candidates. He received a unanimous vote.
In June, Sapp said his decision to step down from Lighthouse to lead Chosen Vessel Cathedral was the fulfillment of a prophecy God began speaking to him in 2017.
