10 Most Shocking Reveals From Netflix's Dancing For The Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult Documentary

Summary Chilling details about the alleged cult in Shekinah Church are exposed in Netflix's docuseries.

Shinn's dual roles as pastor and manager led to financial exploitation at Shekinah Church. Members were coerced into giving up earnings for church and management fees.

Ex-members detail abusive control tactics, with claims of sexual abuse surfacing.

Netflix’s Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult brings to light some shocking pieces of information surrounding the alleged cult within the Shekinah Church. The docuseries is split into three parts and examines the past and present behavior of Robert Shinn, a Los Angeles pastor, through the story of two pairs of sisters. In the present day, Melanie Wilking is concerned about her sister Miranda, who joined the church after signing with Shinn's management company, 7M Films. The Lee sisters, Melanie and Priscylla, are former members of the Shekinah Church and detail their troubles with Shinn.

The docuseries comes after Melanie and her family brought their concerns about Miranda onto the internet. The sister duo's online platform helped bring increased attention to Shinn's alleged cult-like operation. Due to the Wilking family's efforts, many former members of the Shekinah Church are featured in Netflix's true crime docuseries, bringing their experiences forward. 7M and the Shekinah Church are still operating under Shinn, and Dancing for the Devil introduces crucial details about his leadership.

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This article contains brief mentions of sexual abuse.

10 Robert Shinn Acts As Pastor And Manager

His positions in both organizations allow for more control.

The oddity of Robert Shinn's position is made clear from the beginning of Dancing for the Devil. Melanie and former members explain that Shinn is the CEO of 7M Films and a pastor for the Shekinah Church. The management company was founded in 2021 and Shinn has used his influence as a pastor to bring a mix of up-and-coming dancers in Los Angeles to the church.

Due to his two leadership roles fusing, it became easier for Shinn to take advantage of members' finances. Before starting 7M, Shinn took advantage of the church's members by forcing them to work at one of his multiple businesses where they received insufficient pay. However, with 7M, Shinn asks that dancers give up part of their earnings for various reasons, such as 20% for management fees and 30% towards the church.

9 Miranda's Absence Was Uncharacteristic

She was close with her family before joining the cult.

The Wilking family is the docuseries' entry point into the deeper history of Shinn and his leadership at the Shekinah Church, as Miranda Wilking's distance from her family was unlike her. The further Miranda got involved with the church, the less she spoke to her family. Throughout Dancing for the Devil, home videos were shown as the Wilking family recounted memories with Miranda, emphasizing the noticeable shift in her personality since signing with 7M and joining the church.

After bringing their concerns to the public via social media, the Wilking family contacted other dancers who had recently left the group and former church members, most notably the Lee sisters, Melanie and Priscylla. Miranda’s family pushed harder for her to return home after learning more about Shinn’s control and abuse of power. The last episode of Dancing for the Devil shows the group's effort to sue Shinn and get him arrested.

8 Church Members Were Told To Die To Their Families

Members were made to believe cutting ties led to their loved one’s salvation.

As heartbreaking as Miranda's distance from her family is, it's not an isolated incident. Shinn tells all church members that it's necessary for them to "die to" the things and the people they love. Shinn's teachings said that when members die to their families, cutting off all communication with them, they provide salvation for their loved ones and secure their place in heaven one day. In Dancing for the Devil, former Shekinah and 7M member Kevin "Konkrete" Davis describes how Shinn told him to save his son by "dying to" him.

A similar tactic was used with Melanie and Priscylla during their time with Shekinah. Once Melanie had managed to leave the church, Shinn convinced Priscylla that her sister was cursed. Fearful and believing his words, Priscylla didn't speak to her sister until months after she left the church herself.

7 Church Members Didn't Have Direct Access To Robert

The initial power imbalance created a desire among members to get close to Robert.

There was a large sense of exclusivity within the Shekinah Church. Melanie recalls early in the docuseries that attendance of the church’s services was by invitation only. One day when Shinn and his daughter, Kloe, insisted that Melanie attend a service at the last minute, she became suspicious of their behavior and stopped associating with the Shinns or other church members.

Still, the exclusive nature and hierarchy within the group continued for members of the church. Labeling himself as a "Man of God," members did not have direct access to Shinn and were only able to contact him through spiritual mentors of the church. Shinn achieved greater control by secluding himself from others and presenting himself as a holy man. Members were desperate to earn his approval. As Konkrete said, "Everybody wanted to get close to the Man of God so we could receive these heavenly blessings that he's talking about."

6 Robert Tried To Break Into Hollywood

To earn more money, Robert found himself in the entertainment industry.

Many of Shinn's motives are driven by his desire for money and before starting the 7M Films talent management company, Shinn attempted to make a name for himself in Hollywood. Shinn worked as an executive producer on a few small films and brought close members of the church with him on his journey of entertainment fame. Daniel, a former member and secretary of the Shekinah Church, had a few minor acting roles and Kloe had a short singing career.

None of these endeavors were able to reel in the income Shinn was hoping for, but he eventually found it with 7M. Shinn's financial exploitations accelerated after finding success with the talent management company. Shinn has taken advantage of the signed dancers who have a following but are largely inexperienced, by providing career-boosting opportunities. However, a large portion of the dancer's earnings are given to Shinn and the church.

5 Members Of Shekinah Church Signed NDAs

Members of the church began to feel doubtful about Robert due to increased secrecy.

The livestream by the Wilking family in which they expressed their concerns for Miranda gained a lot of attention due to the sister's presence on social media. The suspicion and worry that Miranda may be in a cult resulted in numerous social media accounts being created to expose Shinn and other members of the Shekinah Church. The audio recordings of Shinn's sermons, as presented in Dancing for the Devil, reveal a calm and confident pastor who ensures there's no truth to any of the claims and reminds members that the influx of attention is a good thing.

However, former members present for the docuseries, such as Konkrete and Kylie Douglas, say that they were made to sign non-disclosure agreements. The absolute denial from Shinn conflicted with reports and experiences from former members, making many wary of Shinn's words. The church's enforced secrecy and claims from former churchgoers confirmed to some members that they were in a cult.

4 Established Church Rules Were Reversed

Members were able to communicate and see their families to help with the church’s image.

Following the negative attention towards Shinn and the Shekinah Church, the previous rule instructing members to cut ties with their loved ones was removed. Church members, including Miranda, were now encouraged to meet up with their families. In Dancing for the Devil, Miranda's parents and sister expressed conflicting emotions about the chance to see their daughter and sister.

On one hand, they were happy to be reunited after having not heard anything from Miranda, including details about her wedding which they missed out on. However, Miranda made it known to her family that she did not want to discuss her association with Shekinah. The Wilking family are grateful to see Miranda but are still aware that the reason they get to do so is only to help Shinn and the church's public image. It seems that Shinn believes if members get to see their families and friends, there's no reason for them to make incriminating posts about Shekinah.

3 Miranda's Interactions With Her Family Were For Social Media

Many of the Wilkings' interactions felt forced and superficial.

After the Wilkings went live and Shinn allowed Miranda to see them, their first time seeing one another was livestreamed on Miranda's social media, per Shinn's request. Miranda flew back home with her husband and fellow Shekinah Church member, James "BDash" Derrick. Once the couple arrived at their meeting spot with the Wilking parents, Miranda began the livestream and pointed her phone at them, saying, "Since they wanted to make our lives public, we're going to go live."

Miranda then asked that her parents take down their social media posts regarding the church, but Kelly and Dean Wilking refused. It was clear to the Wilking parents that their meeting wasn't genuine and was only to correct public perception of the church, much like many of their future meetings were. Whenever Miranda came home for the holidays, everything was documented and posted online, which left her family, especially Melanie, feeling as though Miranda still hadn't fully returned to her typical self.

2 Shinn Faced Claims Of Sexual Abuse

Robert abused religion and his status to make advancements towards women.

In the wake of claims regarding Shinn's sexual advancement towards members of the church, Shekinah's spokesperson and Shinn's sister, Catherine, asked that he take responsibility for his actions. Shinn attributed his behavior to his natural urges as a man, and though many women, including Catherine, left the church because of the claims, others respected his explanation and stayed. Unfortunately, Shinn's status as a "Man of God" and members longing for his approval allowed his behavior to continue.

In Dancing for the Devil, Priscylla breaks down and details her encounters with Shinn. She often felt physically sick after being forced to massage him, but when she'd bring up her symptoms to Shinn, he'd explain it as a purification process. According to Shinn, the sickness that Priscylla was feeling was the demons within her being expelled, and this cleanse was needed if she wished to be in heaven one day.

1 A Prior Suit Against Shinn Was Unsuccessful

The Wilking family is hopeful about their case despite a previous suit against Shekinah.

Before the current and ongoing suit against Shinn, he'd been sued before by another ex-Shekinah member. However, it was difficult to legally hold Shinn accountable because of the member's willing participation and the limits of the First Amendment. Still, the individuals in Dancing for the Devil are hopeful they'll be able to gain justice.

The last episode of the three-part docuseries shows the Lee sisters teaming up with former Shekinah members and the Wilking family to sue Shinn for his actions. Once the group realized it'd be difficult to sue Shinn solely based on running an alleged cult, they contacted former members of the church and asked if they'd come forward about the sexual mistreatment they faced while with Shinn. The trial is expected to take place in July 2025, but the defendants in the case deny the claims and refuse to give comments for Netflix's docuseries.