Is Shekinah Church from Netflix's Dancing for the Devil still active? Explained

Netflix's latest docuseries, Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult, tells the harrowing stories of dancers whose lives have been affected by an LA-based talent management company. Released on May 29, 2024, the three-part documentary series depicts former employees of 7M Films who accuse the company of being a cult.

As per Netflix, the synopsis of the show reads:

"After TikTok dancers join a management company and its associated church, unsettling details about the founder and their dark realities come to light."

7M Films Management Company is owned by Robert Shinn, who is also a pastor at Shekinah Church. While Shinn has claimed that both operations function separately with no connection to each other, former 7M employees as well as church members have accused Shinn of controlling behavior.

At the time of writing this article, Shekinah Church is reportedly still in operation, as per the Church's official website.

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Dancing for the Devil: The link between 7M and Shekinah Church

A still from 'Dancing for the Devil' (Image via Netflix)

As per a Forbes article that came out on the same day Dancing for the Devil was released, Robert Shinn founded the Shekinah church in Los Angeles in 1994 as a religious refuge for the Korean-American community. Initially, its members comprised mostly of his and his sister Catherine's families.

As depicted in the documentary, Shinn allegedly promised love and acceptance to people like sisters Melanie and Priscylla Lee. According to Melanie, he expanded his influence by establishing several businesses staffed by church members, who endured long hours for minimal pay. Despite an unsuccessful stint as a Hollywood executive producer, Shinn's entrepreneurial spirit persisted.

As per a March 2022 Instagram post by 7M, the management company was founded by Isaiah Shinn in 2021 whose father, Robert Shinn, was apparently brought on as CEO to help the dancers with their business affairs.

Under Shinn's management, these dancers landed high-profile gigs, including commercials, appearances on The Ellen Show, and performances at Los Angeles Clippers games. Simultaneously, Shinn continued to lead Shekinah church, weaving his business success into his sermons and garnering admiration and loyalty from his congregation, many of whom were his clients.

Dancing for the Devil dives into the accusations levied against Shinn, which include s*xual, emotional, and financial abuse. While Shinn has denied any wrongdoing, the official Instagram account of 7M Films stated in a March 2022 post:

"It is true that the CEO of 7M, Dr. Robert Shinn, is also the Pastor of Shekinah Church. It is not true that there is any business affiliation between the two entities. The Shekinah Church and 7M are run and operated separate and apart from each other."

While the social media account has since been inactive, the websites for both 7M and Shekinah Church seem to still be in operation. Neither contains any photographs and information about its members or staff, but they do provide a portal for contact.

As per the Dancing for the Devil documentary, church membership can be attained only through invitation.

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More details about Shekinah Church

A still from 'Dancing for the Devil' (Image via Netflix)

As per the Shekinah Church International website, they define their mission as:

"Shekinah Church International was born with the calling of saving one billion souls, raising up leaders for the Body of Christ and supporting the gospel with all means."

The aforementioned Instagram post by 7M claims that neither the Church nor the management company endorsed the Seven Mountain Mandate as accused. The conservative Christian Mandate, often abbreviated as 7M, seeks to invade and influence the seven societal aspects of family, religion, education, media, arts & entertainment, business, and government.

The "M" in 7M Films apparently stood for "Millennium." The post also stated that one did not have to be a member of the Shekinah Church to be represented by 7M or vice versa.

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All three episodes of Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult are currently available to stream on Netflix.