Nigerian gospel singer Victoria Orenze has criticised worshippers who use their mobile phones to record videos during church ministration, urging them to put their devices away and focus on their spiritual connection with God.

The gospel minister expressed her displeasure in a video from a ministration session that has attracted attention online. In the footage, Orenze interrupted the moment to address people recording her performance, warning that their focus on capturing videos was taking attention away from the purpose of the gathering.

The singer questioned the growing habit of turning church services and worship sessions into opportunities to create social media content, insisting that worshippers should approach such moments with reverence rather than concentrating on their phone cameras.

Her remarks have sparked renewed conversations about phone use in churches, particularly during intense worship sessions where some attendees prefer to document the experience instead of participating fully.

During the ministration, Orenze directly addressed those holding up their phones to record her, making it clear that she was uncomfortable with the behaviour.

She warned the worshippers to stop filming and focus on God, expressing concern that the desire to record everything was becoming more important to some attendees than the spiritual purpose of the gathering.

“Don't use your phone, I will send you far away from here. You don't know how to respect God. Everything is about recording, yet you have nothing inside,” she said.

The singer's comments reflected her frustration with what she appeared to consider a lack of reverence during worship.

For Orenze, the issue was not simply the presence of mobile phones in church but the attitude of worshippers who seemed more concerned about recording the ministration than engaging with it.

She also challenged the crowd to consider whether every personal experience needed to be documented, using an intimate comparison to explain why she believed certain moments should be experienced privately rather than turned into visual content.

“Do you record yourself while making love? Go to the club and record,” she added.

Her choice of words was blunt, but the message she sought to communicate was cthat worship should not be reduced to an opportunity to capture videos for social media.

Victoria Orenze is a Nigerian gospel singer and worship minister known for songs and live ministrations centred on prayer, surrender and devotion to God.

She has built a following among gospel music audiences through her worship performances and spiritually focused messages. Her music is often associated with personal devotion and congregational worship, making her ministrations important experiences for many of her listeners.

As with other gospel ministers whose performances attract large audiences, videos from her worship sessions can circulate widely online, allowing people who were not physically present to experience portions of the ministration.

The popularity of such recordings, however, also raises questions about the difference between sharing a worship experience and allowing the act of recording to interfere with it.

Orenze's warning has placed the spotlight on how worshippers balance personal participation with the desire to preserve moments on their phones.