The Nikalie Monroe Church Series on TikTok Is a Major Wake-Up Call

It started as a social experiment, but what Nikalie Monroe uncovered on TikTok has turned into a spiritual reckoning. Her viral “church series” of 43 calls to churches across the U.S. asking for baby formula at the time of this writing revealed something many believers already fear: that the modern church is too cautious, too busy, or too skeptical to meet people where they are.

In the videos, Nikalie posed as a struggling mom trying to feed her baby. Out of 43 churches, only 10 offered help. The other 33 turned her away or redirected her.

Whether she truly needed the formula or not, the results raised a haunting question: what if the need had been real? And what statement is the church making in America?

Each video followed the same format: TikTok Influencer Nikalie calling local churches and explaining that she needed just one can of formula. Many of the responses were polite but firm refusals.

Some churches said they only help members. Some said they stopped doing that, while others said she needed to contact the government for that help. And still others just left her with a "no," even as she had the sound of a baby crying in the background.

Nobody can ignore the message this series is sending out about the church.

The same institution called to serve the least of these often seemed paralyzed by doubt and red tape. As Jesus said in Matthew 25:45, “Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

Those words cut deeper now, not because of one woman’s experiment, but because of what it revealed about the heart of some of the churches in America.

Even if Nikalie’s motives weren’t perfect, the issue she highlighted is real. Too many churches talk about compassion and love, but rarely act on it when the opportunity arises.

If the request had been real, if there really was a hungry baby, how many chances to serve Christ, share the gospel, and feed a starving baby would have been missed? Even one is too many, but Nikalie has a running total so far of 33.

After the series blew up, pastors and church leaders began reacting in their Sunday morning pulpits. A few labeled the experiment “deceptive,” even calling it evil. Others claimed they had the “gift of discernment” that told them not to help.

One pastor said, "I apologize to the devil... we are supposed to rebuke evil" and called her experiment "low" for pretending to have a crying baby. He went on to describe her as having a "spirit of a witch."

It is true that she was acting with deception. And sure, not every church is structured to provide immediate aid. But why miss an opportunity to share the love of Jesus? What if she was really in need and that one act was the very thing God wanted to use to reach her? To reach hundreds? Thousands? Millions of others?

Instead the answer was no, and then the public response from the pulpit was even worse.

This wasn’t about thousands of dollars or long-term support. It was about a single can of baby formula, which is about $20, a mom crying out in desperation, and a starving baby.

It was an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus, help someone in need, and show them the love of Christ while doing it.

The churches her turned her away are not representative of the values of Christianity, but unfortunately represent a watered-down, wrong version of American Christianity.

They sit in their warm churches with stomachs full of food, having driven to the church in their luxury vehicles and wearing expensive clothing, and talk about Jesus but don't really know Him or the true heart of the Gospel.

Thankfully, out of all the churches she called, a few got it right. One in particular touched her heart and many others.

Not every church failed the test. One moment stood out from Heritage Hope Church of God in Somerset, Kentucky. When Nikalie called, the TikTok shows the man who answered didn’t hesitate.

He asked for her name, number, and the type of formula she needed, even clarifying whether it was for an infant and if it had any flavor. “We can do this,” he said, adding that he’d go buy it himself if necessary because he was a great-grandfather.

When Nikalie revealed that the call was only to test churches, he didn’t lash out. Instead, he spoke with love. He admitted that many in his own congregation were too embarrassed to ask for help, and together they brainstormed ways to make the church more accessible for people in need.

The clip went viral for all the right reasons, a reminder that compassion still exists, even when the rest of the world seems to have lost it.

If the church can’t respond to someone asking for a single can of formula, what does that say about how they are taking the gospel to all the world and reflecting the love of Jesus?

They rationalize and call it "discernment," but that does not change the command to love people the way Christ loved us. Natalie's calls are fake, but the pain of real mothers, struggling families, and unseen neighbors is not. If the church truly wants to reflect Jesus, it has to act like Jesus through love and help.