“Can’t Have No Baby Shower” — Pastor Makes Unmarried Pregnant Woman Apologize to Church

Footage of a church service has shocked viewers, with many citing it as an example of why so many people are leaving organized religions in droves. The video, which was shared on TikTok by a user who goes by Meek (@lifenwithmeek) shows a young woman apologizing to her congregation for getting pregnant although she isn't married.

Much of the ire surrounding the video is directed at the congregation's pastor, who further commented on the young woman's pregnancy after she made her apology.

Meek avers in a caption for her TikTok that the in question pastor "is running his church like a cult."

The video opens up with the religious leader speaking into the microphone. He calls upon a "daughter" of the church to stand in front of the congregation "in Jesus's name."

Congregants in the building appear to be divided into two sections, with males wearing suits sitting in pews on one side of the church. On the other, women wearing white dresses with various white hats and other partial head coverings are seated as well.

A young woman in a white dress comes up to the front of the church, holding the microphone to her mouth. She begins speaking by stating, "Praise the Lord." She's then instructed by the Pastor to stand "right in front of the congregation."

Next, the woman begins her statement. "Um, I want to apologize to everybody in here. Because I am pregnant."

A silence falls upon the room, and the young woman stammers, and then rubs her eye. "Um ... um ..." she says, holding the microphone away from her mouth. Individuals in the congregation can be heard offering words of consolation to the girl. "It's all right, it's all right," one man's voice can be heard saying.

"I'm sorry y'all," she says after a few seconds of silence, her head hanging down. "And I just hope that y'all forgive me and hold prayer for me," she says, still wiping her eyes. She then walks away from the front of the church as some people in the audience applaud her as she walks off.

This appears to cause a chain reaction, with numerous attendees standing up in the room who also start clapping in response to her public apology. At this point in the video, the young woman is still standing in front of her fellow congregants, with her back turned to the crowd.

She places the microphone back in a stand and proceeds to walk off camera, presumably to the pews to sit amongst the other woman dressed in similar garb that she's wearing. Afterwards, the pastor approaches the pulpit and begins to quietly speak into the microphone.

"They say, uh, I assume she repent. Never wait later to repent. If you seeing, you don't wait no two, three, you don't wait till the baby come to repent. You repent now," the pastor preaches to the congregation.

He continued, "You just don't do it again. But you got to repent I don't care how you look at it. Y'all already know what time it is," the religious leader states. "I told you. It's not what you think it is. But the church praying for you."

The head of the congregation states, however, that their kindness shouldn't be confused for them approving of her getting pregnant outside of marriage.

And he states what should happen as a result. "We don't condone your sin now. We ain't gonna do that. Ain't no baby showers going on. That's what you lose out on. When you have a baby out of wedlock, ain't no baby showers. Nobody at this church about to attend one," the pastor makes clear.

Furthermore, he went on to state that the young girl's mother shouldn't celebrate her daughter getting pregnant as well. "Mama shouldn't have one neither. You got to take care of your granddaughter. You can't condone sin, you have no private baby shower. Can't have no baby shower you lose all the prize and glory, you lose all that," he reiterated.

The pastor then went on to tell the young woman that she is fortunate to be welcomed back into the community. "Thank God that God didn't take you out of here." He then begins coughing before approaching the pulpit again, reminding the community that he's not going to be around for much longer.

Numerous commenters who replied to the post expressed dismay and horror at the situation. One user on the app highlighted what they thought was a double standard in the situation: "Was the person who got her pregnant made to apologize?"

Another replied: "This is an example of why sooo many people have left the church."

There was one person who thought the idea of a human being apologizing to other human beings was ridiculous: "she had to repent to humans?"

Another, who came from a religious family, shared the way their own father, who is a pastor, handled her having a child without being married. "My father is a pastor and I got pregnant at 22 out of wedlock. And my dad told his congregation that if they had an opinion about me they could LEAVE! He would never embarrass me like this!"

Someone else channeled Jesus' teachings: "He who is without sin cast the first stone." They said: "I would NOT attend this church. I wonder if the pastor stands in front of the church and apologizes for his sins on a daily basis?"