Eight-time Stellar Award winner Pastor Mike McClure Jr. (PMJ), had to tug the plug on one of his gospel bandmates after he called the church “crazy” during an interview earlier this week.

The 38-year-old founder and senior pastor of Rock City Church in Forestdale, Alabama, took to social media to call out Tye Tribbett by name and inform him that not only were his comments irresponsible, but that he wouldn’t win the Grammy-nominated singer. without your support.

“I heard Tye Tribbett’s interview on The Breakfast Club this morning and I understand what he was trying to say. However, he made a very irresponsible statement on the wrong platform. He said, “The church sucks,” PMJ said in a recording circulating on The Jasmine Brand.

“How can you stand on a national platform and completely throw under the bus the very institution that made you who you are?” he then asked.

The “Victory” singer said in an interview with Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Envy and Jess Hilarious hosts this conversation that he doesn’t need anything to distract him from God as his “source” and that every part else ought to be a “resource” in pointing people to God.

DJ Envy asked about the “pastor” trend where everyone desires to be a preacher and begin a church, when Tribbett shared his belief that the church is a “religious system” and its “structure” is “stupid.”

“I do not subscribe to this service, even though I grew up with it and benefited from it,” the recording artist said. “But I found out that God is not a church, and when I realized, ‘oh, God is not a church,’ for me – you know, it means I’m not from the street – that was a huge event for me.”

“The institution of the Church sucks.” – @TyeTribbett ⛪️

The full interview is available NOW @KlubŚniadaniowy YouTube 📺 pic.twitter.com/SlnGgiQhRf

— Moc 105.1 (@Moc1051) March 6, 2024

Charlamagne then referred to Acts 17:24, which states that “The Lord of heaven and earth doesn’t dwell in man-made temples,” to which Tribbet asked, “How often do you hear this sermon?”

According to a Camden, New Jersey resident, pastors make people care more about the identity of a church member than about serving and loving people, and cite this as the reason he left the church. “The church should focus on people, but it is the people who care about the church.”

PMJ, who recently performed at the WOW Gospel Live event in Savannah, Georgia, believes Tribbett missed the mark by trying to put his opinions ahead of responsible service.

“You had the opportunity to shine God’s light… to push people back to a place of healing, but instead you wanted to feel peace. You could have been the light. You could tell people, “Man, falling in love with God was the neatest thing I ever did and I discovered the right church.” Go and find the right church,” he said.

Adding: “There is no telling who will accept this statement and leave a church that could have truly impacted their life.”

People move on social media he believed that PMJ was defective.

“This ‘reprimand’ only proves his point! Instead of listening to his words… you took up arms in defense of the institution! You are this system and I promise it won’t save any souls!” one person wrote.

“And here we go!!!! Smh!!! More divisions among brothers in Christ!!!” another person wrote. “He could have called or had this conversation in private!!! This is a mess!!! Tye never said the church sucked. He said that the SYSTEM… The institution of the Church is useless… But OK!!! I pray people watch the entire interview and LISTEN to understand and not respond!!!”

One person agreed with PMJ, writing in part: “This is definitely irresponsible. Some lost souls MAY still need to associate with other believers to strengthen their walk with Christ, and if they reach the point in their lives that they decide to leave the church, they will have all the tools necessary to do so.

The preacher-turned-singer confessed in his remarks that his church is not perfect and neither is anyone else’s.

“There is no perfect church, just like there is no perfect restaurant… there is no perfect radio show. Everyone fails,” he said, before adding, “I literally met you at a church meeting. You changed my life forever. The Church is not stupid.”

PMJ, whose real name is Michael McClure, grew up in the church, his father was a pastor and his grandfather was civil rights leader Bishop Calvin Woods.

With his old-school heritage and newer way of reaching people, he amassed a following that made his church one of the most popular in Birmingham and helped him gain over 830,000 followers on Instagram alone, where he shares inspiring words with those who are looking for a message inside or outside the church.

He said God told him he would be “an interpreter for the generation that was leaving the Church,” and with that guidance he started his church in 2009 with ten people. In two years, his church has grown from just a double-digit number to thousands, and now he is spreading his message around the world, redefining church “systems” as his father and grandfather knew them.