An Indiana church is facing backlash after admitting that it would allow a registered pedophile to attend services and be around children at the church.
TikTok creator Nikalie (@nikalie.monroe) has an ongoing series in which she calls churches while pretending to be married to a registered child sex offender and asks whether they would be welcome to attend. In one of the videos, she contacted The Church of Jesus Christ in Indiana.
After a pastor at the church answered the call, Nikalie asked whether she, her husband, who she said was a registered child sex offender, and their son would be welcome to attend services. The pastor responded, “We deal with that all the time, ma’am.” He then encouraged her to come, saying that “God forgives people.”
To see how the church would respond, Nikalie then asked whether it would be acceptable for her husband to attend services even though, according to her scenario, he was not allowed to be around children. Rather than saying that would not be possible, the pastor told her not to worry and said he would address the situation with other church members if it became an issue.
The conversation became even more controversial when Nikalie claimed that her “son” had been one of her husband’s victims. She then asked whether the pastor could explain the biblical concept of forgiveness to her son so that he would forgive his father for what had allegedly happened. The pastor said he would be willing to “set up some meetings” to discuss the matter.
The pastor then said the church had dealt with similar situations involving sex offenders in the past. “They tried to pinpoint some stuff on me,” he told Nikalie, adding that detectives had also become involved. He went on to say that it was “terrible” how people treat sex offenders. The pastor then once again said that he would “love” to have her family attend the church.
During the call, the pastor also referred again to the previous situation involving alleged sexual misconduct at the church. He mentioned a “lady” who, according to him, had continued bringing up the matter on Facebook. After the video was posted, a woman in the comments claimed she was the person he had been referring to. She also alleged that she had lost many friendships because of how the pastor and the church treated her. “This pastor and this church have put me through absolute hell,” she wrote. These claims have not been independently verified.
The call between Nikalie and the pastor lasted about 18 minutes. Throughout the conversation, the pastor repeatedly discussed the previous situation involving his son in law and the church. He also continued to reassure Nikalie that she and her husband, whom she described as a registered child sex offender, would be welcome to attend services. At one point, he said it was “none of their business” for other church members to know about her husband’s past conduct. Those remarks quickly sparked outrage online.
Viewers Outraged After Call With Indiana Church
The video sparked reactions online. Many viewers expressed outrage after listening to the Indiana pastor’s remarks. Many said they were shocked that he appeared willing to allow a registered child sex offender to attend services where children could be present. “They won’t judge a PDF, but they’ll judge someone of another religion, race, immigration status and sexual orientation…. Make it make sense,” one person wrote. Another commenter said, “Now call and ask if a gay man can come.”
More viewers said they were disturbed by the pastor’s comments during the call. “He was way too excited to express his sympathy for the abuser,” one person wrote. Another commenter said, “I’m not even half way thru this video yet. I want to scream and throw up!” Someone else added, “this video pisses me off for soo many reasons, but how many [expletive] pdf go to this church????”
The video sparked a conversation about how churches should balance forgiveness, redemption, and the safety of their congregations. This is especially when dealing with people who have committed serious crimes. It also led to discussions about the importance of child safety policies. Many viewers said that families should understand a church’s safeguarding practices before allowing their children to participate in its activities.
