TikTok Baby-Formula Test Draws Backlash for Ohio Church: North Canton Chapel Says the Call Was Staged
A TikTok creator's staged baby-formula test has drawn online backlash for North Canton Chapel in North Canton, Stark County, Ohio. According to The Canton Repository, TikToker Nikalie Monroe stages calls to churches across the nation to see whether they would give a mother baby formula, and the video she posted on November 10 testing North Canton Chapel has received more than 40,000 views on TikTok. The church responded in a Facebook post on November 11, and its lead pastor, Brandon Marshall, spoke to the Repository about the call.
Monroe says at the start of the video: "So I'm calling to test your church to see if they would help feed a starving baby." She went by the name Amber in the call. The church receptionist, who was not aware it was a staged call, took Monroe's information, said she would check whether the church had any supplies, and directed Monroe to The Pregnancy & Parenting Center in Canton, stating that the church does not usually help with baby formula.
The parenting center's reply was also recorded. Its receptionist said the center does hold formula that it gives out, but anyone who receives formula or any of its other items must be established as a client. To receive supplies, she said, a person would have to fill out paperwork and participate in parenting classes to earn points to purchase supplies, or could come in without an appointment but would still have to become a client.
The interaction received over 40,000 views on TikTok, with many commenters and reviewers asking for accountability from the church and the center, saying both should have done more since both believed they were speaking with a real mother in need. The church responded on Facebook on November 11: "We want to be clear: the phone call depicted in this video was a staged interaction and this is not genuine. We understand why a video showing a mother refused help would be upsetting. We would be troubled by that, too." The post said the video had led to misinformation about the church, including online comments and reviews from people who have never personally interacted with it.
Marshall told the Repository he first heard about the video from a congregation member and was saddened by it. "I was worried that people might get the wrong impression about our church and especially in an online context sometimes intentions can be really hard to understand and I was just worried about that," he said. He said the chapel has partnered with the parenting center for nearly two decades, that the center is poised to make the biggest impact for people in need, and that it is one of the church's many local partners. He said church staff have talked and are focusing on how to be compassionate to those who call.
Marshall said the receptionist was, in his words, "displaying the heart of Christ": she was very kind, very concerned for the caller, and did what she was trained to do. "We want to make sure that all those needs are met as best as possible, and that's why we direct to other agencies; that's why we partner. Those agencies are just better equipped to give a more fuller picture of health and help someone," he said.
Of Monroe's work, Marshall said he is grateful for what she is doing but unsure about the platform she uses. "I can appreciate it because she seems to want to shine a light on something that is important to me too, that we want to represent Jesus," he said. "However, my biggest concern, again, is that the platform isn't really conducive to the fuller conversation. If she would have asked why do you partner with the organization, we would have happily had that conversation but that's the missing piece that unfortunately Facebook and TikTok are not conducive to doing."
The church's Facebook post noted that the call was staged, but many comments pointed out that the receptionist did not know that and was interacting with Monroe as if she were a real caller. Marshall acknowledged that Monroe had the upper hand, since she had repeated the same call dozens of times with other churches. "It puts the church in an unfortunate situation in the sense that we're dealing with somebody who has done this dozens of times. ... but I don't want to defend ourselves. That's not what Jesus calls us to do. Jesus says to turn the other cheek and so that's what we're trying to do even today," he said. He said anyone with questions is free to call the church. The Repository said it left messages with Monroe and the parenting center seeking comment.
Source: The Canton Repository
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：North Canton市政中心与街钟资料图（经Wikimedia Commons），非涉事教会建筑，已裁为精确16:9。/ North Canton civic center and street clock (file photo via Wikimedia Commons); not the church building. Pre-cropped to an exact 16:9 frame.
