I have had type 1 diabetes since I was eight years old. I did a DTS in Denver 10 years ago 2011. We met up with a few other bases in Orange County CA to do "revival tent" nights for a week. One night the pastor declared God wanted to heal someone with diabetes. Of course everyone that knew me turned around and freaked out so it drew a huge crowed of strangers that started putting their hands on me and saying how much God loved me and wanted to heal me and that I just had to have faith. This really overwhelmed me, I had never asked to be healed. But seeing how much God "spoke" to other people during my time at DTS and never really feeling like I had that same experience, I was questioning my faith and really didn't want to let anyone else down by not being healed. So that night I disconnected my insulin pump from my body. My blood sugar began to climb. I went to sleep. It sky rocketed so much that I almost had to go to the ER. The next morning I felt so sick. Then I had to walk into a church with all our leaders coming up to me asking me if I was healed. Seeing the dissapoinment and judgement in their eyes when I said no. I felt like a failure, but I was so confused because the relationship between me and God had never been about my health. I felt like and outsider the rest of my time there. There were so many moments my gut was telling me something was off. I had one good friend I met there and he described them as "expierence junkies". I've never heard it put more accurately. 4 months later after DTS was over and I was back home I felt so icky and jaded. I've since left religion behind and it brought me so much peace. It was only over the last year I started to hear other people share what they saw during their time. It breaks my heart that this is still happening 10 years later.
I'm so sorry to hear that you had this experience. I have never gone through YWAM myself thankfully, but as a former MK and current faith worker myself, I find myself coming across YWAMers often and I'm not impressed. I just wanted you to know that sometimes God heals, and sometimes God doesn't heal. I find that YWAMers often are chasing signs, or commanding God like a circus monkey to perform for them. It's very un-Biblical, and the very reason we often see Jesus refuse to perform signs in front of many people. I am saddened to hear that you no longer are part of what you said is "religion." I'm not sure if that means the human ritualistic organization that is religion, or faith as a whole, but if it is the former, good on you. If it's the latter I would say, there is a way to continue pursuing that optimistic heart which led you to want to go to DTS. I hope all is well.
So sorry you experienced in biblical spirituality and perhaps bordering on the situation abusive. So hard to heal from. Glad you've left religion behind. If it's any consolation, Jesus was anti religion too and God is still there.
I can relate to some of what your sharing (more accountability, stronger biblical discpleship), thanks for taking the time to express your experience. I did 5 YWAMs, an SBS (great school) and 5 years of bible college. I would like to give you food for thought regarding inner healing. The bible is very clear on the power of forgiveness. Without it we carry a load, a yoke that we aren't meant to. It can be heavy and bring about sickness in our life. Very biblical. For sure, many of the methods in "how" people / leaders approach inner healing can be be off, biblically speaking ... to say inner healing is false is also not correct. Inner healing in regards to forgiveness ... forgiving our debters brings about healing. This has not just a been a "theology" for me, forgiving others whom have wronged me has brought about emotional and physical healing in my life experience. A big thing I have learned is to chew the meat spit out the bones. I am saying this as a person who even experienced some spiritual abuse from one of the immature leaders in YWAM. Its important not to paint YWAM as a whole with big general statements like "they don't support the church." Every YWAM I did was completely different. All my YWAMs were very big on going to and being apart of a local church. I have heard other bases with less focus on church involvment. The truth is... YWAM is very spread out. Its grown very fast and with little oversight & as a result, it does have the ingrediants for soaking in and teaching bad theology. This though, is not different then any big church or home church... everyone needs accountability. I personally feel its just as important to celebrate what YWAM is doing well as pointing out the flaws. YWAM are doing many things well too. Missions. Social justice ministry and planting a fire in young people's hearts for God and getting their foot in the door. It does not claim to be the only true church like many false religions but seeks to get that fire burning in anyone. That alone is worth celebrating. Truthfully, at the end of the day... if we were to listen to your current understanding of correct "theology" we would most likely find some flaws too. Its fairly easy to pop bubbles in what is not correct but it takes effort to find the good thing, where God is moving in the midst of a certain denomination, ministry or church that we don't see eye to eye with. We all are a mosiac of what God is doing and we all need eachother (hands, feet, head, body) AND I would suggest that this Includes YWAM (flaws and all) ....
I'd say do some research, like you are doing, but understand YWAM is like any part of the church. Some bases are incredible. Some not so much. My experience for the most part was quite positive. I had great leadership from the DTS leaders and great people to share that experience with. But not everyone has the same experience. Keep in mind that some DTS' are very specific. Like homeless ministries or ministering to prostitutes or reaching tribes in the middle of the jungle. So pray, ask God for direction, and ultimately do what you think is the best choice to make.
totally agree with most of what you said. I've done numerous inner healing 'stuff' too. Didnt do DTS, but did Elijah House, whose teachings are very similar to YWAM too. I've met some really nice YWAMers but also some really arrogant, high and mighty ones...u get them in any denomination, yes even in reformed circles. I've also suffered countless abuses from all sides of the divide. i realize that nobody's perfect or got the 'perfect' theology. But what i must share is this - i see a lot of abuses esp. within the charismatic/pentecostal movements all throughout the years. Sometimes i think it's getting worse, but then remember there's nothing really new under the sun. The horror shows we see today, were also there 30-40-50 years ago. But Scriptures say in the last days, deceivers will get worse, and i can't help but feel there's a surge of all sorts of false teaching esp. in the last 2-3 years since the pandemic began. One very subtle one is the gospel of accomodation. It almost seems ppl get very confused with law vs grace - its either we swing from one extreme of keeping the law to the dot (legalists) or to the other extreme of being overly liberal (almost to the point of becoming licentious) - and hiding behind 'We have to love not judge'. And then there are those who try to find the balance (equally confused) and settle between both extremes or worse, antinomianism or gnosticism. In other words, many still struggle to understand the full Gospel. Others just give up altogether and say let's just follow Jesus instead, but ignore all sound doctrine. Contextualisation is important but certainly not at the expense of absolute truth. i can't stand for e.g. those after they've attended inner healing/deliverance programs, think they have the authority to go round laying hands on random strangers to minister healing and cast the bejeesus out of ppl, without a clue or deep understanding of inner healing. Not every person has a demonic/spiritual problem. Sometimes it's trauma-related, or psychological/biological or maybe it's something deeper like an addiction problem, which you don't just pray for deliverance and ur job's done. May as well jsut shut down all those Teen Challenge or rehab centres if it's that easy. Quick fixes. Always about instant results, so little about discipleship. Funny, isn't DTS a discipleship course ? So why go out to administer quick fixes onto others, when DTS students themselves had to go through the 9 month program, and even then, many still struggle with all sorts of issues even after graduation. For e.g. porn and masturbation. Many still struggle with the addiction even after DTS. I'm sure it's an open secret too. I think its an easy trap to fall into by thinking DTS is a ywamer's identity, instead of being a child of God first and foremost. Ironic, considering thats pretty much the main focus throughout DTS. You don't return as a prodigal and after 9 months later, start going out acting all weird, behaving like the self-righteous older brother instead. It's often what i feel when i encounter YWAMers. That i'm somehow spiritually inferior, but then when i hear bout their struggles, pfftt they're no different. They can't talk normal, even at a cafe...they have to prophesy, give out words of knowledge and tell you their visions out loud. And i'm like "I just want to enjoy my meal please !". Obviously, i'm not tarring all ywamers with the same brush, becos i've met some nice ones, but im just sharing my bad memories of past encounters. I'm actually kinda glad i didnt do DTS, after stumbling upon this video. For a long time, i've put YWAMers on a spritual pedestal. Now i know it's idolatry on my part and after the public fallout of various ministers in recent years, there's only one Person that we anchor our faith in...the rest are all sinking sand and fallible creatures.
I did my DTS in 2004 in England and was on staff at Kona 2008-12. Your experience duplicates mine in many ways. The power they have to draw young people takes advantage of the good intentions of christians. Many young christians seek adventure and want to experience what being a missionary is like. I had the mountain top experience in DTS...and like you said happens to lot of DTS grads, was recruited immediately to "join the staff". My pride contributed to my involvement for an additional 4 years during which time we dumped about $30k into it. On the positive side, the bible school (SBS) had pretty good leaders, at least in England, Montana and Australia . I can verify your comment that most of the DTS leaders are not qualified to do their job. Confusion & distortion is the rule and a lot of people get hurt by it.... and it carries forward and repeats as you pointed out. I know of a few well managed bases, but they are rare. Those that are considering YWAM better do their research carefully... or just avoid them totally. Consider those programs/schools that have stood the test of time....similar to Hillsdale College. Be careful and think critically. Our merciful Lord will guide those that press into Him... He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Heb 11:6
Yo, you did your school right before I did mine. Thank you thank you from the bottom of my heart thank you. I’ve waited two years for other people to start opening up publicly about this stuff. Right from the start you touched on a huge point about something I’ve explained to my friends and family so many times about my experience on outreach- the part about teaching that Jesus makes your life better. It’s just not true, and I couldn’t lie to people that we were ministering to, so I was miserable. Not sure if this was your experience also. All the other points you made resonated completely as well. You highlighted the manipulation sooo well. When you mentioned the awkward group meetings where it was just pray until you hear something and it wasn’t really appropriate to just say you didn’t hear, wow that took me back. We had to leave those meetings with SOMETHING. We could never just say “okay let’s just make some wise decisions and use our heads because no one’s feeling inspired right now, and that’s okay. It’s not a sign of spiritual warfare or lack of sincerity.” I think what you’ve ultimately highlighted here is crucial and so glad you saw through it.
Thank you very much! I’m glad my video could be an encouragement to you! I plan on making more videos of other peoples similar experiences. Feel free to share the videos around if you think it could help others that you know. God bless.
@@noahproclaims4005 Wow, thank you for sharing your impressions and feedback!!! Just today I started studying this program and I just knew intuitively that it was too good to be true! With programs and bases all over the world, that’s just not what sATAN would allow so easily, if this were a true biblical evangelical sound doctrine Christianity! Just whoa! 🤦♀️ I was getting too excited and looking for a program for myself and contemplating which country to go to. But then it did sound too good to be true, and usually that raises an alarm, thank God for wisdom and discernment from above! And then I saw a couple of other videos and it raised some red flags immediately. It looks too worldly, to lukewarm, and to New Age-y! Just like a regular youth camp, nothing of Christianity or of the Holy Spirit did I notice there. So far. By the looks and sound of things... And now I see your video… I will continue praying and asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but I do not think that this is worth my God-provided money and five months of my life to have complete isolation from the world, from my church, from my Christian fellowship, work and everything else, as they had explained to me today. Sounds more like a *HERETICAL SECT or a CULT* , if you ask me, based on what I know by now and what I was able to understand with the discernment and wisdom from above. Thank God for His Holy Spirit! All glory be to Jesus Christ our Lord forever!!! I will continue searching, watching feedback and praying about this. But I think I already have my answer. I guess this is a no-no for me. I’m going to have to look for other (GODLY) ways to become a true missionary to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ across the world! 🤷♀️🤷♀️ By the way, do you know anything compromising of the sort about SAM (South American mission)? Is that a legit program, by any chance? Or the Samaritans purse? Or Billy Graham‘s some sort of international foundation? So many wolves in sheep‘s clothing these days, we got to be sober as vigilant as never before! More so with every day. HalleluYah!!! All glory to Jesus! Shalom.
@Abby T.: Thank you for your honest feedback as well! This is very important that you guys share. There are so many young and inexperienced Christians, I mean spiritually young, for whom this deception is obviously designed. People with no discernment and wisdom from above because they are new to Christianity or simply because they don’t pray for them! This is sATAN’s entrapment and delusion 101. That’s how people get into different heretical movements, false prosperity gospels, “your best life now” charismatic movement, “7 mountains mandate”, and other satanic deceptions of the sort. 🚨🤦♀️😖 We must be bold to expose the goats and wolves in sheep‘s clothing, and spread the information far and wide, so others don’t get caught on the same hooks! Thank You, Lord Jesus, for the spiritual awakening, sobriety and vigilance, and wisdom and discernment from above! Without You we wouldn’t be able to see and discern anything. HalleluYah!!! Peace be unto you, guys. ❤️
YWAM was the best thing that happened to me. People are people and even in the best organization, there are going to be flaws or you might across something not so good. To tarnish the name of the whole based on just your experience is.....
@@elizabethsdesk Is.. what?! In YWAM didn't they train and teach you to finish sentences and thoughts at your Base?!?!? Oh yeah, you probably can't complete a thought or sentence without YWAM telling you what you are to say and think ;) YWAM is total garbage. I was trained for YWAM leadership and personally started a Base so I probably know a lot more about YWAM than you do. It's a scam and is abusive of people. And a total waste of money (unaccredited). I don't really care if you had "a good time" and "best thing that happened" to you. That doesn't mean YWAM isn't what I make testimony of just because you disagree. YWAM commonly is brainwashing people into loving it before even fully knowing what it is.
I did my DTS back in the early 80s, and it was a awesome experience for me. I learnt and grew a lot in God, however I went back to YWAM for a short period in 2011. That and it was nothing of what I remembered. It left me very disillusioned about what YWAM is really about now. You are so right about the lack of accountability. Looking in from the outside now, I see that a lot of the success/or failings is dependent on those who are running and staffing at each base. Honestly, YWAM has become no different to many churches, they are still running on the success/reputation of their past. It is a form of pride. I have learnt that if we want to follow God, if we need his guidance we need to go to the Word and God and not look to man or a institution. All past experiences, good or bad become a foundation to see God's truth in a new way. You have already shared some of this on this video. God wastes nothing even the rotten stuff can get changed for good.
You kinda echo my thoughts before I came here. I am thinking that there is no doubt that when YWAM was started, it was a calling from God. It doesn't mean we should just accept everything that comes out of a place like that. One thing is a calling from God to one person. But we are to judge prophecies, we are to check if the teaching that we submit to is sound teaching. How else than stopping with the eisegesis and poor hermeneutics can that be done? Just because something once was, does not mean it still is.
Noah I like your honesty. And understand your experience. I grew up as a YWAM missionary kid, my dad is the baseleader of a small YWAM base. The DTS was runned in our house and it was really cool to see people all around the world seeking God. I believe God is using YWAM, but let us pray and act to change these misleading theologies that you mentioned. I just want to mention that YWAM is full of people and you know people they are sinful and in also NOT very wise. And young people are even more unwise usually (not always). Leaders have a big responsibility, but even David the man after God's Heart made BIG BIG BIG mistakes. So please have grace upon leaders because they dont have all the answers. But also rebuke or correct them if they are wrong.
Hi there...thank you for your video. It was very helpful. I am from the UK and did a DTS here about 30 years ago. It was an amazing time of spiritual growth for me and I learnt a lot about myself and God. My son is 18 and considering doing a DTS at the moment. Your criticisms of YWAM reminded me of situations I was in, like being told God wants to heal everybody, of leaders whose only Christian experience was being in YWAM and had an over inflated opinion of the organisation. We were encouraged to attend local churches in our base and managed to get out of the spiritual bubble and meet with mature believers who encouraged us not to become too introspective but to test everything, eat the meat and throw out the bones. I know many YWAMers in the UK who are wonderful, well balanced believers. YWAM really does need to take note of your criticisms and improve the organisation. Thank you again and God bless you in all that you do.
Oh buddy. I did a DTS with YWAM and then went on to be staff for 2 years with them. I experience many things like you did. I was told it was always God's will to heal. People on the base would talk about getting crazy commands from God to do stuff to heal people. One day we were praying for my eyes to heal (nothing that bad I just have glasses) and they came up with a list of things for me to do to act out my healing in faith. I had to put water on my eyes, take my glasses off, and start reading the Bible without my glasses. Another person said they got a word and told me to close my eyes. I close my eyes and that person flicked my eyeballs. Thank God it didn't do damage to them, but how insane is it to think this is ok? My base had a huge focus on "worship" we would spend hours and hours singing worship songs. When we went out to do "evangelism" all we did was sing worship songs. They taught us the harder we worshipped, the more the atmosphere would change. ugh I could go on and on and on. (I will say, they did at least encourage us to go to other churches and work with different ministries). Thankfully my faith is still intact after that experience, but I have had to go through therapy and I still struggle with my time with YWAM. Thanks for sharing this video brother.
Thanks a lot for sharing your experience. It really is a difficult thing to come out of when there's so much social pressure. Praise God you kept your faith intact!
@Dave: Wow! The more comments I read, the more I’m convinced that this is a very dangerous SATANIC/ DEMONIC/ HERETICAL/ WITCH CULT, designed to lead people astray from God, as far as possible from Jesus Christ and His NARROW PATH, and to be completely disappointed in Him. If anything, it is raising generations of witches and warlocks, à la New Age. THIS IS STRAIGHT-UP WITCHCRAFT & SORCERY 101. This atrocious abomination obviously has nothing to do with Jesus Christ, true Christianity and TRUE, SOUND Christian doctrine! It is straight up demonic and they’re teaching people to listen to satanic voices, nobody else’s. Because God does not speak to people this way. God speaks to us when HE needs to speak to us, NOT when we want Him to. 🤯🤦♀️😳 And by far God does not heal everybody, otherwise there would be NO sick people in this world. Thank God, you had firm faith and solid wisdom and discernment from above! We must only trust God and rely and be guided by His Holy Spirit! Nothing and no one else. Praise Jesus for His truth!!! I’m glad you got away safe and relatively unharmed in the long run by this traumatic experience. We must look at the very heads of this “movement”, because that’s where it all starts! Have you looked into the *founders/initiators* of this wicked, deceptive, heretical satanic organization? I am sure they are luciferian/occultist wolves in sheep’s clothing, who willfully serve the devil and had organized this gig to lead people astray and to spread false gospel and to preach false Christ and to push false prophets! Lord, please keep all your children away from this SATANIC LIE, deception and delusion! Give us all eyes to see, ears to hear, exceptional and maximal spiritual discernment and wisdom from above! For all times. In Jesus’ almighty name. Amen.
@@InspektoraDeFrutas I think we should be more careful with our claims . I think a lot of that may be overstating the intent and heart of Ywam. I would say that the vast majority of intentional ywamers are brothers though they are more than likely in error. We should still try to be as unified as possible with many of them. The higher ups however seem to be more dangerous. I think it’s wise not to make too much speculation. God forbid we speak slanderously of our brothers. 1 John speaks very seriously about loving our brothers as well as identifying them. I really do appreciate that you got a lot out of the video just make sure it doesn’t swing you too far to the other end of the spectrum. God bless
@@noahproclaims4005 Free will! You’re free to think whatever you want. But I’m saying with the Holy Spirit shows me. I trust only God and no man. With all due respect little brother and with much love, I do not need a lesson in Bible study or in Christian doctrine. From someone who is apparently much less experienced and less established on that path as of yet. No offense meant, but this is no time to be politically correct. I am calling things what they are. I don’t care if any men like it or not. But this is the truth and it needs to be spoken. If you refuse to believe it, then you you ain’t seen nothing yet! You need to pray for spiritual discernment and wisdom from above, and for your spiritual eyes to be opened to see the whole gravity of the reality of this wicked satanic world. Apparently, you are still ignorant of sATAN‘s devices! You need to STOP being so naïve and gullible at last and start becoming *sober and vigilant and pray for wisdom and spiritual discernment* every day as much as possible, just like the word of God commands us to! Otherwise the roaring lion will keep devouring you every step of your blind spiritual walk! ⚠️📛🚨 I have already watched enough videos and heard enough testimonies today to base this opinion on, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This is not guessing of any sort. I’m not talking about every single employee at this program because I don’t know them. It is apparent that the lower level employees are just as deceived as you were, and they’re just being taken advantage of, being used as instructors who in reality don’t know anything about what they teach, don’t have any deep knowledge of the Bible, have not attended seminaries, and from what I hear from different videos, are not born again and not indwelled by the Holy Spirit! I see how these things operate, this is not the first one and this is not the last one of these satanic pernicious cults I am seeing. And I know all too well how the devil operates and how his delusion and deception work. You can be afraid and not want to call things out for what they are, but I am not. I am well too experienced in this, and again, I see things for what they are, and I THANK and PRAISE my Lord Jesus for discernment and wisdom from above! And for open spiritual eyes, as painful as it is for me to see this abomination time and time again. This is the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I’m not trying to be politically correct with the devil and his minions here or anywhere else. This is definitely a CULT created by sATAN, for the goals I have outlined above, and its leadership is comprised of devil worshiping Luciferians, who engage in all in all sorts of atrocious human sacrifices and orgies and black masses, like all luciferians do! If you are not familiar with any of this, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist! You do not need to teach me, because apparently you majorly lack experience being very young spiritually and not seeing what I have seen and what I have been shown by God. And generally, no one even among Christians gets to see it unless you ask and pray to be shown these things. I am only taught and guided by the Holy Spirit of God. And I know what I’m saying. You may take it or leave it. Free will! God bless. Peace be unto you.
@@noahproclaims4005 Do not let your Stockholm syndrome and cognitive dissonance cloud your judgment! You need to trust the Holy Spirit and no one else. Your American political correctness is the source of a lot of Lukewarmness and mess in the today’s WORLDLY AND BLIND, NAIVE AND GULLIBLE American church! Which is why the overwhelming majority of it will not endure until the end. There’s no place for it in the body of Christ. We are called to *EXPOSE the unfruitful works of darkness* ! Not flirt with them and not disguise them because it’s politically incorrect to “offend” people! Have you read the Bible at all by now? Lord help you!
Thank u for sharing your experience. I think this will be beneficial for people. This also shows that even as a young Christian, u have discernment in what is truth and not just following the leader… we all need to have that for ourselves and not just follow someone cuz they’re a leader.
Brother I did the ywam thing back in 1978 to 1981. I was a young Christian wanted experience the real world of being a follower of Jesus, I did the DTS in Montana, yea I learned alot, went to Mexico on the mission trip, at first my experience was good, then I went to Saipan as a staff member. The small group leaders were very controlling, wasn't allowed to have a relationship. When the Director good hurt, he put these 2 people in charge, I knew how they were, very abusive, I went to the Director and tried to explain what was going on, he said those folks are in charge. I did confront them, again they told me I was rebel, I was supposed to submit unto them as I would unto God. So I can really relate what you went through. Appreciate you brother, stay strong in the Word, the verse for you is this John:16:33. Read it and be encouraged and rejoice, God Bless, Love you in Jesus, Ernie.
It is so refreshing, and quite honestly gives me hope, to see someone so young, be so biblically grounded. I truly believe God is using you. He opened your eyes to the truth and blessed you with discernment, and you in turn can bless others by telling the truth. May the one true God, of the holy Bible, of all creation, and Father of the one true savior, Jesus the Christ, continue to bless you, and the rest of the Young generation of Christians. I'm grateful to God for what he has done in your life, cuz you in turn bless other people's lives. I know you have blessed this life. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing... I did my DTS in 1987... In Hawaii. My experience was life-changing and I am so thankful for the biblical teaching and leadership I encountered.
I finished my DTS in 2017 on the Kona base. I will say they did promote going to church. They even had a shuttle. I did mission building as well before my DTS and one of the mission builder leaders is a preacher. He preached at a church there on the island, and there was a shuttle for that. He's honestly one of my favorite preachers.
Thanks for sharing bro, a lot of people in my area go to something called circuit riders and I was invited a few times by a buddy and it never felt right. It always felt off. Hope you’re doing well on your walk.
Excellent video. I haven't done YWAM...but have experienced similar doctrine elsewhere and I can relate to much of what you are talking about. Thank you for making this!
Sorry if you had a bad experience. And each base might be different. But God used YWAM to give me my life back. Not everything was perfect. It never is where there are people. But I have fond memories of YWAM, having done a Sumner of Service, and 2 different schools. I would highly recommend YWAM. It brought great healing and wisdom into my life.
Well that could also be a sugar coating of rampant ignorance of godly responsibility of teaching the bible correctly and their lead ship subdue ourselves to biblical accountability ! Stop brushing off the multiple many who got astrayed by the hyper charismatic emotional chasing of revelation and start adopting a solid biblical stance through expository teaching. be like the Bereans!
@@user-hk3dy5ee7o damn right....BE LIKE THE BEREANS will be my new status from today onwards...the Church needs to grow up, enough of expensive conferences, always running and chasing after the next speaker, or word from God through prophet this apostle that...are we so lost that we have forgotten that God LOVES to speak to us PERSONALLY ?? His Word not enough for us anymore ? Another comes in his own name, we receive, but Jesus who comes in the Father's name, we ignore ???
Everything before your “But” sentence is invalidating his experience. That’s a punch in the gut for anyone who’s been spiritually abused. Just because your experience was good doesn’t mean that every base is like that.
@@frizzyrascal1493 Linda literally said in her second sentence that each base is different, she’s not denying what he went through just sharing her own
Hey man! My name is Jacob and I came out of YWAM as well I did my DTS in 2018 and then I joined staff, when I joined staff I started noticing a lot of issues, and when I did a secondary school, I watched the American gospel and it solidified all of the convictions that I was having, I now I am a reformed calvanist Who cares a lot about good theology! These convictions left me no other choice but to break my commitment with YWAM and leave. I realize that me being on staff there was helping them continue to push people into deception. I had to repent to the Lord about the Putting myself under the authority of this false teaching, and I had to repent of perpetrating it as a staff member. I am so glad now that I am out of there!
DUDE no way, I'm Micah. Remember me? Now I know why you really left and I understand it. I had my own sense that there was something off with it but if you see this, I can elaborate more on that. Btw how is your back?
I listen to this video with open ears. But I have to say I'm getting ready to do my DTS in September I truly believe in YWAM. I haven't been to church in a long time I hate big churches I hate people that say give me give me give me and I think that's why I stayed away from church for so long but YWAM hasn't asked me for a dime. They've done nothing but help me I was homeless just two-and-a-half months ago now I have a place to live in everything I understand what you're saying and I'll consider it like I'm not going to bash you cuz I don't know they could be showing me one face and then I go do the DTs and it's another face I definitely am listening I'm going to finish the video and maybe comment on this video again on what my experience was I don't know I'll see what happens. But I can sniff out a Colts and if I think it's Colt like I'll walk away. I don't mess with Colts
That’s true, I’ve been in 3 different bases in South America, Central America and finally in USA, and I saw the same, in different levels but the same. Is sad, but the people need to know.
I didn’t see the “He will give you everything if you give Him your life” gospel until on outreach, I wrote about it in a journal entry how that can hurt a person, especially whenever they’ve never heard of Jesus. God doesn’t make it where bad things don’t happen and you become rich. Whenever you give your life to Him you become a bond servant, but also because of Gods character and who He is, ( and Holy Spirit) you receive peace during the hard times, Joy in the sad times, ect. Life is hard.. maybe harder when you’re a Christian , but God provides comfort that you can’t get from the world and His love is like no other love.
Thanks for sharing your story! I lasted about six weeks at my DTS this past summer and then my family and I left because it was clear that a lot of false doctrines were being promoted. I am not in the typical life stage of most YWAMer’s. I am in my early thirties and have a wife and a kid. I also have a pastoral studies degree, so I had a good amount of theological training before my DTS experience. I knew something was wrong my first week when one of the speakers encouraged us to ask God what movie character He thought we were most like and taught us to expect us to receive the answer through mental images/words that God would place in our mind. As the weeks past, the more troubling the teaching got. Our DTS did the whole public confession thingy as well. I abstained from participating since me and my wife agreed it was not wise or appropriate to reveal such private and intimate details about my life in a mixed group setting. The final straw for us was that our DTS was giving a platform to a cult like movement that started in Denmark known as the Last Reformation. At some point, I would like to go more public with my story. I think people need to know what they are potentially getting involved with when attending a DTS and unfortunately, there seems to be not a whole lot of videos about the subject. So, I think videos like yours and Abby Townsend’s, Faith Rowe’s and Shay M’s are pretty valuable.
Hi! I commented early on in the comments above but I worked in YWAM for 4 years and I was still in the establishment but now I have left. I was entrapped in all of this but then in 2020 God opened my eyes and I wrestled for two years with the theology they taught. I staffed 2 DTS and nothing changed. I even went overseas and this false theology is being taught over there as well. I’m so sorry your family had to go through that. I’m glad to hear your out of it.
Thank God that you learned the truth. It makes me sad to see the way that YWAM has gone into wrong teaching. You are brave to stand up and speak the truth. Hopefully other young people will realize that they are into wrong doctrine. God bless you!!!!
Wow this first video I’ve come across on this subject since I did DTS in 2014! I experienced many of the same issues back then and it took me several years of sound theological teaching to heal from it. Thanks for sharing!
God has given you a mind, and you are using it. You seem to be on the right track with your questions, and the conclusions you've come up with. May I encourage you to seek out a solid Bible-teaching Church, pick up some books on Christian doctrine, read your Bible yourself and ask God to both help you understand His word and, to bring alongside of you other mature believers.
Thank you for this video, this has honestly healed me and brought so much clarity and peace to me, over this last year I came back to the lord and have had so much difficulty wuestioning god and I realize now that I was given so much of the wrong character of God. I’ve had such confusion around God and it made me so angry with him because I was coming to him and wanting peace and I was getting nothing but torment from the “godly council” I was getting.
Ywam is a melting pot of Christians from different levels of maturity, education, and backgrounds and therefore you can get conflict on certain bases. I doubt that all leaders in Ywam are the same, so I wouldn't say all Ywam hold those views. It's good hearing your discernment. You are right it's not always Gods will to heal, look at Paul that had the throne in the flesh. From my experience with Ywam, it was awesome! I learned a lot, saw people saved, saw people grow in the word, saw people get on fire. But that was Ywam Mazatlan and my leaders came from a solid biblical background. But I'm sure that if I went to your base in Kansas I'd feel the same way you do bro! I would still tell people to go to a DTS but just vet that base before choosing it.
Thank you so much Noah! I have been looking into DTS with my daughter Jan 2025 when she'll be 18 and have saved enough. I too could not find much about their theology, except I was pleased to see leaders went to Israel a few years back and got insight into the trials of simply being Jewish and living in Israel. The kind of teaching and pressure you're talking of is truly damaging. I wondered if it might be a "per base" issue, but as you went on in your video (and from other comments below your video), it sadly does seem to be more an actual ministry held position on beliefs: e.g. about experience led faith whereas it should be Bible informed faith, and experience lead understanding of God's Word, whereas it should be through sound hermeneutics faithfully employed (taking God's Word as the inspired human authors intended their words - literal historical grammatical hermeneutic). I wonder if you or anyone reading this have come across a ministry that does kind of "package" skill-building/talent extension along with discipleship and outreach but with a solid Biblical base?
One of my coworkers asked me what I thought of Ihop and I just told her I didn't know much about it except that I had friends who went through ywam which is associated with it. But if it comes up again I might show her this video 👍
My husband and I were on staff at IHOP Atlanta and we are unaware of any connections with YWAM. We questioned many things we saw while we were there and all of our questions were met with an open mind and a willingness to dialogue about differing views/interpretation of scripture. (Again, this was our experience in IHOP Atlanta.) Our daughter did a YWAM DTS and experienced many of the same things this guy did. Unlike this young man, she had a very strong Biblical foundation and had been taught to question everything. When she did she was immediately labeled divisive by staff. We are so proud of her for exposing the false teachings and standing up to spiritual abuse!
@@robyntownsend2759 Amen! Spiritual discernment and wisdom and spiritual sobriety and vigilance are tools number one for any Christian, especially in our treacherous and perilous times! Wolves in sheep’s clothing all around us these days. You taught your daughter well. God bless you!
I agree with you Noah. I have been in churches with these practices and was hurt by it. I have been on a journey the last couple of years as my 27 year old daughter has 4th stage metastatic breast cancer. Thank you for speaking out.
Thank you and now I am reconsidering of not doing YWAM. I was thinking about it now I am most certain this might not be for me. Stay strong in the Word bro and in Jesus.
Hey man! I went through YWAM as well, the outside World is SUPER tough to connect to AFTER YWAM, I made some videos on my channel too, they’re old, but still there 😉
Dude, I’ve had almost all of these thoughts about my DTS. I also did the Kansas City DTS, there are some seriously damaging theologies. All of it caused me to have a crisis of faith which I’m still healing from and I will probably have to for awhile. If anyone reads this pray for me.
Thank you for sharing. It is important to call out damaging teachings, and I'm so sorry you had to deal with that. May God make your faith strong and bless you. I will be praying for you. God bless :)
I hear you buddy that’s exactly what ywam Kona is I was there for 3 1/2 years and there’s no doubt about the misleading theology, and young leaders leading others multi millions it’s definitely cultish
I am so.glad I came across your video. My dts is for September. Everything is in place to go. I am new in my faith, I was recently baptized and to be honest biblically illiterate. For the past month or so I have been going to bible studies with someone from church. I felt such conviction that maybe this wasn't the right choice. I have kind of gone back and fourth about the matter. I k n ow the lord is working through people like you and the person at my church to guide people in the right direction.
Thanks for watching! I definitely encourage you to speak to the staff at the ywam base you plan to go to about what you heard in this video and just see how that particular base stands on these things and perhaps to talk to your pastor about it. So glad to hear you’ve come to Christ! Praise God!
I was about to do my DTS, I did it in Paraguay and they kicked me out after finishing the lecture phase, and it’s funny cause I truly believe that God put me in Ywam to see how people does things, and now I’m a independent missionary with a different vision about what the taught me
@@ChildrenofELyon kinda, I was going more about beliefs they taught me, I was more biblical and some of their teachings were not, they realized that my behavior was not the one the expected
I’m only 5 minutes into the video, but looking at the comments, I see this is a sign and warning from God telling me that this isn’t the right thing to do. I keep seeing the ad for YWAM Orlando on my Instagram, and not going to lie, I’ve been super interested and have been thinking about joining. I know that God is still working a lot in my life and my healing, and maybe this isn’t the right thing to do right now. Before I go out trying to evangelize to others, I need to build a stronger relationship with my holy Father and I know that I need to obey Him more. Thank you for making this video👏🏼
I appreciate you thinking critically about this. I would recommend talking with the leaders of that base and telling them you saw this video and try to analyze if they are as bad as what I’ve explained in this video. There are a lot of bases like the one I went to but there very well could be some worth attending. Definitely be careful in your decision making though. God bless!
Matthew 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. - If you keep seeing bad fruit, there's usually a problem with the tree.
Hey guys, I just wanted to leave a reminder that YWAM is a big community, so not every base is bad!!! Yes there is sadly some who are not teaching the true doctrine. But I can totally recommend YWAM Maui, they will not teach you the what so called „prosperity gospel“ but the truth! They taught that we will not have a better life with Jesus most likely we will have more suffering life…
So unfortunate to hear your heartbreak! I think however that is important to recognize the fact the there is imperfect people in places of authority on many of these bases and %100 believe that we should keep our brothers and sisters in the lord accountable! Many of the heretical teachings that you experienced were the complete opposite of what I experienced and were sound theological teachings! Not to say that there weren’t moments where staff at the bases who were thrusted into a leadership position didn’t speak some wrong teachings and to be quite honest in-mature theology! I however don’t believe that this is a reason to count out YWAM as a whole, looking throughout revival history or church history in general there has never been a completely perfect movement, I believe that it is important to recognize though that God works through imperfect people and I would challenge anyone to find a church or organization that is full of only perfect ppl! Imperfect people is not always reason to leave God seeking community, we are commanded to call each other up to a higher standard! I don’t say all this to sound aggressive or confrontational, hear my heart I want the world to be impacted through the spreading of the gospel and I believe that we should all as Christians be United in that cause, and it breaks my heart to hear somebody completely discount an organization that lit a fire within me to reach the lost! In closing I would challenge everyone who may be considering YWAM to do as much research as possible, and don’t completely discount a wonderful movement of God!
Thank you for sharing. We will all be held accountable for what we say and do on judgement day as according to Revelations 20. Lets continue to do Mathew 6. Seek first the kingdom of GOD.
Hey Noah, thank you for sharing. I attended YWAM North East Asia DTS in Kona Hawaii (I call HQ) in 2018. I resonate well with your experience as well. I’m also sharing the truth about the dangers of YWAM to people I know. I was taken out of YWAM by the grace of God. I would go further than you. In my assessment, YWAM is a cult. It’s charismatic theology, prosperity, word of faith (WOF), faith power, New apostolic reformation (NAR). I’m NOT saying everybody in YWAM is unsaved or a heretic, but what they teach is dangerous and heretical especially their doctrine of the Holy Spirit. However, There are more people unsaved and heretics in that movement especially the leaders. I would say they are either self deceived or intentionally deceiving. Doctrine Matters. I met/saw with Loren Cunningham, Daniel Kolenda (successor of Reinhardt Bonnie), Michael Kulianos (in law of Benny Hinn), Francis Chan, etc. I summarize my experience as: Great experience with loving people, but the worst theology I’ve ever experienced. I love the people in my school. It’s important to call out wolves in sheep clothing.
Noah, I did my Crossroads Discipleship in 1991. At that time, being 32, YWAM wasn't word-faith or prophesy inspired. Maybe that was just my time there, in the small rural town I was in Wisconsin. Not always happy, to be sure. I stayed 6 months to work as secretary and met some great Family Ministry School people. I can understand how you were conflicted. My heart goes out to you. Oh, I remember that they wanted me to cry my eyes out when they "ministered" to me regarding the Father heart of God. I had already had secular counseling for my own father's (and mother's) relationships. I was good!
I finished my DTS two weeks ago. I have to say I can agree that there are some young leaders who are pretty immature and did hurt me. But because of that I don’t want to look at these amazing 5 months I had and only think about that. Sometimes I was mad and disappointed when they didn’t take faith as serious or go out and evangelizing. But you know what everyone has there story and is at a different point in there life. But my dear brother I want to encourage you to be open to the Holy Spirit. Many things you had addressed for example that it was weird to wait for gods voice to speak to us.. actually I think that is a sign of closing your heart or being afraid or religious. God wants to have a personal relationship with us as well. I wish you peace. Shalom
I hear you! I am currently staff in YWAM Marseille, and I agree with God's will is not always to heal! My suggestion is to go to more bases the base changes so much and it is not unnormal to find a base with faults. I have been to more than 10 bases the heart of every base is the same and that is simply to love God and Others which is Jesus's greatest commanded
8:40 No one was ever liking the ways in which I was "hearing from God". I don't know, I think mostly it was whatever someone thought sounded good or was filled with emotions and said it. I was always doing these off the cuff things like once I said I heard from God that we were all supposed to look at the tags on our clothing and pray for the people in the countries where they were made. I looked at my tag and it said Cambodia, so I started praying for the country of Cambodia and whoever it was that most likely worked in a sweatshop making the shirt I was wearing. Everyone just thought I was weird and no one else participated. This left me feeling really sad and dejected. I mean, either you believe that we are all hearing from God or you don't. Either way, even if it was my own brain and emotions that came up with this, it sounds like a great way to connect with the world that day. I still hold to that to this day. It was more grounded and connected than anything else anyone in my group was bringing to the table that week. I honestly think I was too real for everyone else. It was interesting how much these folks wanted to see the world in this really checked out utopian sort of way. I start making it real by saying we are all wearing the world on our literal shoulders and it's like crickets. Ugh. Thanks for listening. :)
This sounds strangely similar with a popular church in Redding, CA. The ideology, doctrines, teachings, elevation of man, etc. sound so similar to this 90% (+) false church. A little leaven leaven's the whole lump.
It was okay at the time rather a holiday Over the top spiritually but I was brought out of it Sounder doctrine enabled me to grow As the scripture teaches As newborn babies desire the sincere milk of the word That ye may grow thereby!
I think this video shows a lot of wisdom for those that might be in the school and have questions about certain things they could be facing and how awkward things could get when they simply begin to ask questions and have zealous leaders that believe themself to know more based only on their position in ywam. Which is sad, I think you made a great point on being weary for those that do a Dts, your teachers/staff probably only done the school 6months before you and your spoused to carelessly (faithfully) trust them with your growing faith walk with the Lord.... Unless mature believers are the majority ywam struggles with pressure from “God told me.” Which is the case of the day to day life. I still love all my people I’ve met through the years of being at ywam.
A little leaven leaveneth *the whole lump* ❗️☝️ You people need to learn to be more vigilant and sober, and pray for wisdom and discernment! None of this is a coincidence, Christians cannot afford to be naïve and gullible and give wolves and goats ANY benefits of the doubt, especially in our very PERILOUS END-TIMES!!! Please start praying for wisdom and discernment and guidance of the Holy Spirit every day, or you will not endure until the end. Again, none of this is a coincidence or accident! This is a deliberately designed, *satan-led HERETICAL movement* to lead people away from the true God, the true Savior Jesus Christ and His gospel! Those who are TRULY of God, His ELECT ONES, will not be deceived! We can see a wolf and a goat when we see them! All glory to Jesus Christ! But everybody else will NOT be able to endure until the end, for they *DO NOT STAND* in SOUND Christian doctrine, *do not know* Jesus Christ personally, and *do not possess* SOLID WISDOM from above ❗️⚠️📛😢😞 And they only have themselves to blame for that. Lord have mercy!
I was involved in an evangelistic crusade in Tahiti during my DTS outreach from Honolulu where a well known evangelist in charismatic circles, Mel Tari came to do some healing services. The services were advertised as such, with flyers saying the evangelist had even "raised the dead". (Of course this happened years ago on a remote island in Indonesia, and can not be verified.) Many were promised their healing at the crusade “if they had the faith”. People came in wheelchairs, crutches, or with missing limbs. ALL left the way they came & were told that if they were not healed, “it was because of their lack of faith”. In so doing, not only did these precious ones have to suffer physically, but were given a guilt trip of not being good or spiritual enough. Even in the midst of that, many YWAMers would say, "Wasn't that a great crusade?” I was appalled & ashamed to be part of such a horrible scam. Many of those attending could have been turned off by God, rather than the man claiming to be his messenger.
Thanks for sharing Noah. This really resonates with me, especially the highlighting of YWAM’s messed up ideology. I did a DTS IN 2016 (there’s a video on my channel if you’re interested in connecting more) and it messed me up for a looong time. Like Abby said, it’s a relief to hear other opening up about their experiences
Thank you for sharing. I almost send my daughter there and did not bc I know couple of friends who left our church bc we don’t chase and emphasize healing and miracle.
I am in YWAM and My experience was soooooo different. Gods will is not hidden. The great commission, Matthew 28:18-20 is what YWAM is being obedient to. We are called to make disciples and YWAM has helped me to build stronger convictions. It helped me to feel more comfortable in community after living in the world for a very long time. If you are a Christian, then the Gospel is the best message and you know that it is imperative that everyone has the opportunity to hear.
I had a very similar experience when I went to todd White's school in 2018. It was a very destructive theology that destroyed many of my friendships and left me confused for years. Thanks for sharing!
The teaching that God always heals is not confined to YWAM. Sadly it is prevalent today, even amongst some excellent Bible teachers. Do get hold of anything you can about Dorothy Kerin. She was amazingly healed in 1916, ( before some of the kind of teaching we get from the US today), after being sent back from Heaven. She went on to have an amazing healing ministry. Her teaching is very balanced on the subject of whether all are healed. She was an Anglo- Catholic, and believes that she was visited by Mary. If you are non-catholic, do not let that put you off her teaching on healing. As a Protestant, I believe there are other explanations. The good news is that this kind of testimony is not common.
What you said at around 10:00, about them wanting to get deep confessions about things that happened to people, sounds a lot like what is called Sozo. It's from Bethel Church in Redding, CA. I read some about it a while ago, and they tell people to visualize where Jesus was in the memory of an event that happened to that person, and what this Jesus they are visualizing was saying and doing.
I just watched another girl’s video before yours and she said the same exact things about a time limit to HAVE to hear God and confessions and people speaking things over you that they say happened in your family but didn’t.
Thanks for sharing. Great to hear, that so many people here were protected by God during the time. I did my DTS 8 years ago and know exactly what you‘re talking about. After looking into scripture I couldn‘t believe what external teachers taught us without looking into context. Discernment is so important especially in these days. God bless you.
Thank you for putting together this video. For speaking truth about your experience and for posting this. I appreciate your courage and strength. There are many who share your same experience. I am one of them. YWAM was not a good experience for me. Personally, I wouldn't and cannot recommend YWAM to anyone.
You make some very good points. Honestly, some of these things I hadn't consciously considered until you laid them out plainly. I was there to witness that exceptional teacher (the most gifted who had gone through their ranks) being forced out of the campus. I still attend his Bible studies weekly. I think it was a case of young people who were told they were "leaders" -- incessantly -- and then in turn who became overzealous with their modicum of power. YWAM is a strange little bubble, and functions moreso like a monastery than a fluid missions campus. But there were amazing experiences I had there, and my DTS tenure helped me cultivate a deep search for the things of God. I would recommend any young person to attend DTS, and then DBS/SBS, but to avoid staffing. However, I do agree with the caveat that a Todd White-esque theology can become dangerous, and impressionable minds can become disillusioned by these sub-Biblical teachings. After all, there were those who were with us at YWAM who have since completely turned from the faith, but maybe that was always going to be an inevitability?
My former church sent an intern to YWAM Atlanta. At one point I even considered going on a DTS because I couldn’t afford Bible college. But when I researched it there were things that really concerned me about their theogony so I decided to not do it.
You’re not biased if you are speaking the truth. You read the Bible and if they are acting against it and twisting scripture to suit their teachings then they are the ones who are biased. I did DTS and SBS and SBS exposed me to a lot of things that were done wrong in DTS. “If” you are hearing the voice of God it should align with scripture. After all of these experiences with YWAM I learned a lot and honestly the Bible made me ask more questions and be a logical person.I thought all of it was a great experience and the hype was what made it great as well but still at the end of the day I have come to ask a lot more questions about beliefs in general. I find it so hard just to focus on Jesus as God only when there are so many other belief systems and ways of thought and life that make total sense and help you to understand yourself more than just believing that you are a sinner and needing repentance. I’m still learning and back and forth and I’ve also come to believe how the physical and spiritual work together immensely. It’s not a separate thing and I feel like YWAM was all about the spiritual. I felt like at the end of the day I had a hard time trusting myself and if I really heard from God, and started to go through a burn out faze.
When I was in YWAM, the 80s, we were taught that God’s response in healings is varied and complex. Joy Dawson wrote a book on SOME of His ways in healing and “lack of faith” is not the one catch all easy answer. I’ve seen and experienced healings but as Jesus healed people differently so it still is so. When Jesus raised the dead, the subject didn’t demonstrate any faith.
This video is 100% accurate! People don’t do a sugar coating of rampant ignorance of godly responsibility of teaching the bible correctly and their lead ship subdue ourselves to biblical accountability ! Stop brushing off the multiple many who got astrayed by the hyper charismatic emotional chasing of revelation and start adopting a solid biblical stance through expository teaching. be like the Bereans!
I am not a Calvinist, although some of my favorite people are, and some of the most informed people I know are, but I wonder if the person who believes it is always God's will to heal has ever read the Bible! We know that it was not His will to heal the Apostle Paul when he sought Him for healing and was told, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
Thank you! I was considering YWAM for my kids. This answers my questions. So much of this crazy unbiblical teaching is hurting the church and hindering the lost.
Every base is different and are isolated from each other. They are very much individual churches apart from each other.when I went as a kid it transformed my life and I became a foreign missionary and started a suicide prevention ministry in South Korea. Do put this into consideration and just research different bases. The one I went to was ywam townsville in Australia Queensland.
@@jadedrac0Which only hinders your argument. Where is the leadership? The unity in teaching? Who is in charge? It’s all so confusing and God is not a confusing God. Those unanswered questions alone would rule them out. If there are all standalone, why are they under one wing? That doesn’t make much sense. The lack of accountability is highly concerning as it is a foundation for spiritual abuse.
That doesn't make it any better, though. Churches should have more accountability, YWAM bases should have more accountability. As far as I know, every church has at least some checks and balances. Maybe not enough, but they are there. In YWAM, there is nothing. Base leaders can do whatever the heck they like, and especially if they're senior leaders, they'll always protect each other. Finding a "good base" is like playing Russian roulette. Because yeah, you might find a good one, but you may just as well end up in a terrible place, and the chances are at least 50:50. so why risk that kind of damage to your faith, your soul, your body, your relationships, your finances...? It's better to find an org that will actually tell you upfront what you can expect if you work/train with them.
I did some of a dts in Kansas city and was “encouraged to leave” and I never wanted to die so much in my life after coming back I never felt more unloved at a Christian organization in my life, I hated myself felt unbelievably rejected from the other students and the staff were so be littling I left believing I did not have any value. I left not just hating myself but hating the church I have not really been back to church since .
Dang man. I’m really sorry for your experience. If it helps yeah like you said 7:32 some people get it some people don’t. Sounds like you were lead by people who don’t. In my experience each base has its flaws and Kona isn’t exempt from that. I hope you’re still pursuing God and his truth. Side note intercession teaching can be and usually is super weird the waiting and silence can be very ostracizing and it can be done better. Again sorry for your experience.
I appreciate your sincerity and your genuine concern for people. I know it's your heart to correct error and hold people accountable, unto the health of the Body. I do believe, however, though some correction may be needed--after all, no human organization is perfect--it's important to not go too far in calling YWAM unbiblical and dangerous. I had some thoughts I'd like to share. 1) Yes, we all need to be grounded in the Scriptures, which is a part of discipleship. Though that's not the focus of a 6-month DTS, it is, however, the focus of the School of Biblical Studies program, where people are encouraged to learn how to study the Bible for themselves. It's not fully realistic to expect that from the DTS program. YWAM centers around the foundation Loren Cunningham and others built at the onset. They were people who DID HEAR from God to do amazing things to mobilize young people for world evangelization. Since they experienced this closeness with God, it’s only natural they’d want that experience for other people and would thread that into the DTS program. Hearing God’s voice is very Biblical! All one needs to do is read the New Testament, especially the book of Acts! All kinds of disciples were hearing God’s voice, operating in the gifts of the spirit, and moving in signs and wonders. Actually, that should be our “normal experience,” if the original church in the book of Acts is our model, which it is. They are the first-fruits of a great harvest of believers unto the end of this present age. I agree that “hearing God’s voice” shouldn’t be a prerequisite or a sign that someone is in “good standing” with Him. But, I don’t think it’s wrong to encourage people to practice hearing from God. Just like anything else, when you’re a complete beginner, you don’t have much experience, so you may not hear that much or anything at all. It takes a while to learn how to hear from Him. If that learning curve was communicated, and there was grace for people not hearing from God, then maybe that experience would’ve been better. After all, we can’t project our experience of God onto everyone. But, conversely, the Bible does encourage hearing from God and moving in the gift of prophesy. (1 Corinthians 14:1) 2) The issue of where was Jesus in your past and the prayer time: From my perspective, I don’t think Jesus being in your past memories communicates that God is helpless and impotent. Unbelievably, God gave every human being free will. Though God may try to stop one person from sinning against another, he will not violate their free will. Jesus being present in those times suggests that he was there, weeping, caring, helping, and supporting in ways we may or may not be aware of. I believe that’s the point of the prayer of seeing Jesus in those moments. Was Jesus not there? I think it’d be harder to make a case for that viewpoint. For believers, God has already written a book of every day of our lives, even before there was one. (Psalm 139) He’s both omniscient and omnipresent. All that to say, I think He really was there. It helps transform people and their perception of those hurtful experiences, when people do see Jesus there. As far as it “being okay to get hearing God’s voice wrong,” that’s Biblical, too. These are gifts we’re practicing. If you look into 1 Corinthians 14, the prophets are called to speak one by one, and the others are called to evaluate, meaning that even those recognized as prophets could get it wrong, and, therefore, may need redirection or correction. How much more people who are practicing the gift of prophecy? But, agreed, the issue you mentioned was very sensitive, and needed a lot of care and consideration, which proves we also need maturity as we learn to operate in these gifts. 3) The issue of “God always wants to heal people:” God has made a way for everybody’s healing, just like he made a way for everybody’s salvation. This was done on the cross. By His stripes we are healed… (Isaiah 53:5) God doesn’t cause sickness. But, like you, I don’t see everybody healed. I don’t pretend to know all the reasons why, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t contend for that healing. God may be doing a lot of different things in that person’s heart and life and in those around them. Naaman had to dip in the Jordan River seven times before he got healed. (2 Kings 5) If he did it twice, and it didn’t happen, he could’ve just chalked it up to God doesn’t heal. Thank God he continued to dip into the water! In the Gospels, there were many times Jesus attributed healing to faith! All you have to do is look up all the instances where it says “your faith has made you whole.” And, yes, there was an instance, where Jesus didn’t do as many miracles or have as many healings, because of a “lack of faith.” Matthew 13:57-58: And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. I agree that not everyone gets healed, for one reason or another, and that we shouldn’t put that on people, but to say that faith and healing don’t have a relationship with one another is going too far. There’s enough Biblical evidence to say that it does, so YWAM shouldn’t be charged with being unbiblical in that area. In fact, there's Biblical reasoning for many of the areas you took issue with in regards to YWAM. Again, there could be correction, a maturing and accountability for the process, but YWAM isn't being unbiblical for believing in these things. It's actually being biblical. There's a greater case in the Bible for operating in all of these dimensions than there is not. Unfortunately, our experience doesn’t always match what the Bible says, but that doesn’t mean we conclude that the Bible doesn’t say what it does. We continue to believe and contend for the greater things. 4) Furthermore, we live in a fallen world, where people do get sick, babies are born with birth defects, accidents happen, etc., that doesn’t mean that God wants those things to happen and that he made them to happen. 5) Lastly, the base seems to choose their leaders through relationship. One doesn’t need to go to Bible college or have a seminary degree in order to be teacher. As a lay person, it’s very possible to learn how to study the Bible for yourself and go further and deeper than many who have been so called educated. It's also possible to have a love for people and a growing experience with missions and ministry to help others experience those same things, without knowing everything about the Bible. For instance, both Jesus and his disciples were perceived as people who, let’s just say, weren’t the educated type, but they knew the word of God and moved in power. I do believe the leaders, themselves, do need a grounding in the Bible, along with proven character, a teachable spirit, missionary experience, etc. And, whichever leaders you may have had, it may have been a case of their personal beliefs being projected onto the group. They need our grace as well. Two last things: I’ve had my own experiences with YWAM, and I didn't see them as hyper-focused on signs and wonders, the new thing from God, etc. Do they want to see God move in a powerful way to impact people? Sure, they do. We all do. That's a given. Also, yes, people do need to be addressed if they have shared the gospel or any teaching from God in a “wrong way,” but again, many of the people who go through YWAM are young, zealous, and inexperienced. They're learning as they're growing, as we all do. As they say, "you can't steer a parked car." The great thing about YWAM is that it gives young people experience to go out there and do the work of ministry and missions, without having to go through years of Bible college, etc. As you may recall from the Gospels, that's what Jesus did with His disciples. They may get it wrong, so did the disciples. The ideal thing would be for them to be mentored through that process, rather than it not being addressed at all. Summary: I can’t speak to your personal experience, but I do think you may have went too far in saying that YWAM wasn’t being Biblical. What they teach is Biblical, though they may take it too far by expecting every person to have those experiences and/or be ready to have them. It’s not a one-size-fits-all package, especially when any given YWAM base can have new people coming and going every year, from different backgrounds. Many of those things are issues of alignment and maturity, not being unbiblical. I watched your video and felt inspired to give a thorough, thoughtful answer. I hope you and others consider what I've shared with an open heart.
Thanks for this reply 😊 I'm still going to Ywam remember Jesus is not Lucifer. Remember Lucifer's desire is to be God and to be like God. And the verse in Isaiah 14 about Lucifer says "son of the morning", not bright and morning star. Jesus is "The Bright and Morning Star". Jesus gives light which is Life within us John 1. That star represents Jesus as the Light/Life giver to those who receives him.
1 Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. God wants all to be saved, not all to be temporarily, physically healed. There is ultimate healing in salvation and the redemption of our bodies. God wants to keep the focus on Him not on what we want him to do for us.
I thought I had commented on this video before, but I am not seeing my previous comment. After listening to this video and reading numerous comments about people's experiences in YWAM, it might help to understand the organizational structure of YWAM. It certainly doesn't sound like it has changed since I was in YWAM for the two schools I went to in the 1980's, but after doing research on other organizations I can tell you part of the problem is with the pyramid scheme (this is to say YWAM is still embracing what is called the Shepherding Movement "pyramid" structure). It other words, it's in a sense something like AMWAY, Shaklee, or any other get rich quick pyramid scheme in structure. The structure in YWAM when I was in it was a pyramid scheme where Staff were "Pastors" and they were assigned other Staff Members as "Pastors" on up to the Base Leader. Each Staff member tithed to their assigned "pastor" on up to the top. Unfortunately some of those staff members couldn't wait to exert power over others, not all, but some. Without a doubt there was a great deal of enthusiasm to execute "Mathew 18's" and confront people for really minor sins or perceived sins. The other unfortunate aspect was the name it and claim it people, people claiming "God told me" such and such... was rarely dealt with. I found there to be wonderful people and people with some really delusional beliefs placed in positions of power. One School Leader I had claimed God had given him his new name on a white stone, so I asked him what his new name was (knowing full well he wasn't supposed to tell me according to scriptures). He did though!! I can understand why people have had bad experiences at YWAM, but there were people I knew who weren't so off the wall and I wish I could find them and talk to them and see how they are doing. All you have to do is examine the scriptures to see how the Lord set up Churches through the Apostles, that is the way YWAM needs to be reformed. This pyramid scheme stuff needs to go. They also taught what is called "God in Time" when I was there, I don't think they still teach that unless it is in secret. If you don't know what "God in Time" is, it's essentially Open Theism where God COULD know the future but He simply chooses not to so you can have free will. I have been told that they have embraced more of a Calvinist view now. I have a joke I like to tell my Open Theist friends concerning their children and discipline, I ask them if when their kids sin, do they spank some untainted free will into them? I can just see the kids yelling back to their parents as they are being spanked, "I was using my Free Will!". I hope this helps someone.
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing this video. I agree with everything you said theology wise. I have been thinking and praying about YWAM for a few years now because I just have this huge ache in my heart to learn more and to share the gospel and travel. I finally made up my mind to start saving for it to go in 2025. But, now, with these things you mentioned, I am definitely cautious. I don't want to open myself up to those things that do not align with the Bible or the God the Bible says is true. Thank you so much for sharing. Now I'm a little stumped however, because I do still feel like God is wanting me to go somewhere and do something missions related in 2025... I just don't know what. Are there any schools or missions alternatives you would recommend?
I feel the exact same way. Let me know if you have found any other alternatives because I just started answer God’s calling and I know He wants me to go out into the world and expand my wisdom. I will pray for the right direction for those who don’t know what path to take.
I have had a reasonably good experience with YWAM as a mission builder, but am currently looking into these mission organizations, though I do not yet have any personal experience with them. 1) abwe 2) GEM
My husband and I did YWAM nearly 12 years ago, that’s where we met. We were students and then we staffed for almost 2 years at our same base. At the time I was in my late 20s and I knew there were problematic things with their organization. But we were so caught up in the emotionalism, it was hard to pull away. Eventually, we did leave, and once we were out, our eyes were truly opened. Now that I have children of my own, I see them for what they truly are. They exploit and manipulate young people for free labor. Their doctrine is false and un biblical. I would never recommend for anyone to attend any of their programs.
It isn't always God's will to heal, it can be the hardest thing to accept especially if you have been taught the opposite. Once you believe it, it is a relief.
His will IS always to heal, He just doesnt sometimes for reasons we wont know until we reach the other side of eternity. God is more concerned with our relationship with Him than He is with our physical/emotional comfort. Sometimes the waves come to push us to Him. Not that He wills us to suffer, not at all, but He never promised we wouldnt suffer.
I went on a couple outreach trips as a teenager, never did the DTS thing. I didn't hear from God at any point, I didn't feel like I actually did any good. I made up a bit about an ant because it was frowned upon to not hear from God and I can never get Turn Around out of my head. It's been nearly 20 years now. I liked some of the people but it didn't strengthen my relationship with God, the opposite actually. It marks the first time I questioned my faith.
Sitting and waiting on the Lord is a very old Christian meditative practice; contemplation, and it has amazing fruit if done in purity, meaning you aren’t manipulating God, and you don’t have any perception He’s manipulating you. It’s about being Loved and spending intimate time with the One we both wholly know, but is also the greatest mystery and well of unsearchable wisdom. It’s realizing we’ve always been One with Him, the Trinity. This practice will move you from the false transactional gospel into the love giving real Gospel of our unbreakable Union with Jesus Christ. And yes, you will experience God speaking, often in very creative and practical ways, often playful too. Also in ways that your body does manifest as a result of His known presence. And usually it’s just to tell you of the Hope you have, but sometimes real instructions come too. But in no way is their manipulation. It’s a shame they bastardize contemplation and waiting on God in a way that makes you feel less than for not hearing the voice.
“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you-unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,” I Corinthians 15:1-4 NKJV “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”” John 6:40 NKJV
I have had type 1 diabetes since I was eight years old. I did a DTS in Denver 10 years ago 2011. We met up with a few other bases in Orange County CA to do "revival tent" nights for a week. One night the pastor declared God wanted to heal someone with diabetes. Of course everyone that knew me turned around and freaked out so it drew a huge crowed of strangers that started putting their hands on me and saying how much God loved me and wanted to heal me and that I just had to have faith. This really overwhelmed me, I had never asked to be healed. But seeing how much God "spoke" to other people during my time at DTS and never really feeling like I had that same experience, I was questioning my faith and really didn't want to let anyone else down by not being healed. So that night I disconnected my insulin pump from my body. My blood sugar began to climb. I went to sleep. It sky rocketed so much that I almost had to go to the ER. The next morning I felt so sick. Then I had to walk into a church with all our leaders coming up to me asking me if I was healed. Seeing the dissapoinment and judgement in their eyes when I said no. I felt like a failure, but I was so confused because the relationship between me and God had never been about my health. I felt like and outsider the rest of my time there. There were so many moments my gut was telling me something was off. I had one good friend I met there and he described them as "expierence junkies". I've never heard it put more accurately. 4 months later after DTS was over and I was back home I felt so icky and jaded. I've since left religion behind and it brought me so much peace. It was only over the last year I started to hear other people share what they saw during their time. It breaks my heart that this is still happening 10 years later.
This is a cult. False doctrine. Fake healings. Where does the money go? Always follow the money.
I'm so sorry to hear that you had this experience. I have never gone through YWAM myself thankfully, but as a former MK and current faith worker myself, I find myself coming across YWAMers often and I'm not impressed. I just wanted you to know that sometimes God heals, and sometimes God doesn't heal. I find that YWAMers often are chasing signs, or commanding God like a circus monkey to perform for them. It's very un-Biblical, and the very reason we often see Jesus refuse to perform signs in front of many people. I am saddened to hear that you no longer are part of what you said is "religion." I'm not sure if that means the human ritualistic organization that is religion, or faith as a whole, but if it is the former, good on you. If it's the latter I would say, there is a way to continue pursuing that optimistic heart which led you to want to go to DTS. I hope all is well.
“Experience junkies!” You nailed it!
So sorry you experienced in biblical spirituality and perhaps bordering on the situation abusive. So hard to heal from. Glad you've left religion behind. If it's any consolation, Jesus was anti religion too and God is still there.
You are a wise young man; God’s Word has instructed you well. 😊
I can relate to some of what your sharing (more accountability, stronger biblical discpleship), thanks for taking the time to express your experience. I did 5 YWAMs, an SBS (great school) and 5 years of bible college.
I would like to give you food for thought regarding inner healing. The bible is very clear on the power of forgiveness. Without it we carry a load, a yoke that we aren't meant to. It can be heavy and bring about sickness in our life. Very biblical. For sure, many of the methods in "how" people / leaders approach inner healing can be be off, biblically speaking ... to say inner healing is false is also not correct. Inner healing in regards to forgiveness ... forgiving our debters brings about healing. This has not just a been a "theology" for me, forgiving others whom have wronged me has brought about emotional and physical healing in my life experience.
A big thing I have learned is to chew the meat spit out the bones. I am saying this as a person who even experienced some spiritual abuse from one of the immature leaders in YWAM. Its important not to paint YWAM as a whole with big general statements like "they don't support the church." Every YWAM I did was completely different. All my YWAMs were very big on going to and being apart of a local church. I have heard other bases with less focus on church involvment. The truth is... YWAM is very spread out. Its grown very fast and with little oversight & as a result, it does have the ingrediants for soaking in and teaching bad theology. This though, is not different then any big church or home church... everyone needs accountability.
I personally feel its just as important to celebrate what YWAM is doing well as pointing out the flaws. YWAM are doing many things well too. Missions. Social justice ministry and planting a fire in young people's hearts for God and getting their foot in the door. It does not claim to be the only true church like many false religions but seeks to get that fire burning in anyone. That alone is worth celebrating.
Truthfully, at the end of the day... if we were to listen to your current understanding of correct "theology" we would most likely find some flaws too. Its fairly easy to pop bubbles in what is not correct but it takes effort to find the good thing, where God is moving in the midst of a certain denomination, ministry or church that we don't see eye to eye with. We all are a mosiac of what God is doing and we all need eachother (hands, feet, head, body) AND I would suggest that this Includes YWAM (flaws and all) ....
I'd say do some research, like you are doing, but understand YWAM is like any part of the church. Some bases are incredible. Some not so much. My experience for the most part was quite positive. I had great leadership from the DTS leaders and great people to share that experience with. But not everyone has the same experience.
Keep in mind that some DTS' are very specific. Like homeless ministries or ministering to prostitutes or reaching tribes in the middle of the jungle. So pray, ask God for direction, and ultimately do what you think is the best choice to make.
totally agree with most of what you said. I've done numerous inner healing 'stuff' too. Didnt do DTS, but did Elijah House, whose teachings are very similar to YWAM too. I've met some really nice YWAMers but also some really arrogant, high and mighty ones...u get them in any denomination, yes even in reformed circles. I've also suffered countless abuses from all sides of the divide. i realize that nobody's perfect or got the 'perfect' theology.
But what i must share is this - i see a lot of abuses esp. within the charismatic/pentecostal movements all throughout the years. Sometimes i think it's getting worse, but then remember there's nothing really new under the sun. The horror shows we see today, were also there 30-40-50 years ago. But Scriptures say in the last days, deceivers will get worse, and i can't help but feel there's a surge of all sorts of false teaching esp. in the last 2-3 years since the pandemic began. One very subtle one is the gospel of accomodation. It almost seems ppl get very confused with law vs grace - its either we swing from one extreme of keeping the law to the dot (legalists) or to the other extreme of being overly liberal (almost to the point of becoming licentious) - and hiding behind 'We have to love not judge'. And then there are those who try to find the balance (equally confused) and settle between both extremes or worse, antinomianism or gnosticism. In other words, many still struggle to understand the full Gospel. Others just give up altogether and say let's just follow Jesus instead, but ignore all sound doctrine. Contextualisation is important but certainly not at the expense of absolute truth.
i can't stand for e.g. those after they've attended inner healing/deliverance programs, think they have the authority to go round laying hands on random strangers to minister healing and cast the bejeesus out of ppl, without a clue or deep understanding of inner healing. Not every person has a demonic/spiritual problem. Sometimes it's trauma-related, or psychological/biological or maybe it's something deeper like an addiction problem, which you don't just pray for deliverance and ur job's done. May as well jsut shut down all those Teen Challenge or rehab centres if it's that easy. Quick fixes. Always about instant results, so little about discipleship. Funny, isn't DTS a discipleship course ? So why go out to administer quick fixes onto others, when DTS students themselves had to go through the 9 month program, and even then, many still struggle with all sorts of issues even after graduation. For e.g. porn and masturbation. Many still struggle with the addiction even after DTS. I'm sure it's an open secret too.
I think its an easy trap to fall into by thinking DTS is a ywamer's identity, instead of being a child of God first and foremost. Ironic, considering thats pretty much the main focus throughout DTS. You don't return as a prodigal and after 9 months later, start going out acting all weird, behaving like the self-righteous older brother instead. It's often what i feel when i encounter YWAMers. That i'm somehow spiritually inferior, but then when i hear bout their struggles, pfftt they're no different. They can't talk normal, even at a cafe...they have to prophesy, give out words of knowledge and tell you their visions out loud. And i'm like "I just want to enjoy my meal please !". Obviously, i'm not tarring all ywamers with the same brush, becos i've met some nice ones, but im just sharing my bad memories of past encounters.
I'm actually kinda glad i didnt do DTS, after stumbling upon this video. For a long time, i've put YWAMers on a spritual pedestal. Now i know it's idolatry on my part and after the public fallout of various ministers in recent years, there's only one Person that we anchor our faith in...the rest are all sinking sand and fallible creatures.
I did my DTS in 2004 in England and was on staff at Kona 2008-12. Your experience duplicates mine in many ways. The power they have to draw young people takes advantage of the good intentions of christians. Many young christians seek adventure and want to experience what being a missionary is like. I had the mountain top experience in DTS...and like you said happens to lot of DTS grads, was recruited immediately to "join the staff". My pride contributed to my involvement for an additional 4 years during which time we dumped about $30k into it. On the positive side, the bible school (SBS) had pretty good leaders, at least in England, Montana and Australia . I can verify your comment that most of the DTS leaders are not qualified to do their job. Confusion & distortion is the rule and a lot of people get hurt by it.... and it carries forward and repeats as you pointed out. I know of a few well managed bases, but they are rare. Those that are considering YWAM better do their research carefully... or just avoid them totally. Consider those programs/schools that have stood the test of time....similar to Hillsdale College. Be careful and think critically. Our merciful Lord will guide those that press into Him... He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Heb 11:6
Do you know of any other programs that are similar to YWAM DTS?
Yo, you did your school right before I did mine. Thank you thank you from the bottom of my heart thank you. I’ve waited two years for other people to start opening up publicly about this stuff. Right from the start you touched on a huge point about something I’ve explained to my friends and family so many times about my experience on outreach- the part about teaching that Jesus makes your life better. It’s just not true, and I couldn’t lie to people that we were ministering to, so I was miserable. Not sure if this was your experience also. All the other points you made resonated completely as well. You highlighted the manipulation sooo well. When you mentioned the awkward group meetings where it was just pray until you hear something and it wasn’t really appropriate to just say you didn’t hear, wow that took me back. We had to leave those meetings with SOMETHING. We could never just say “okay let’s just make some wise decisions and use our heads because no one’s feeling inspired right now, and that’s okay. It’s not a sign of spiritual warfare or lack of sincerity.” I think what you’ve ultimately highlighted here is crucial and so glad you saw through it.
Thank you very much! I’m glad my video could be an encouragement to you! I plan on making more videos of other peoples similar experiences. Feel free to share the videos around if you think it could help others that you know. God bless.
@@noahproclaims4005
Wow, thank you for sharing your impressions and feedback!!!
Just today I started studying this program and I just knew intuitively that it was too good to be true!
With programs and bases all over the world, that’s just not what sATAN would allow so easily, if this were a true biblical evangelical sound doctrine Christianity!
Just whoa! 🤦♀️
I was getting too excited and looking for a program for myself and contemplating which country to go to.
But then it did sound too good to be true, and usually that raises an alarm, thank God for wisdom and discernment from above!
And then I saw a couple of other videos and it raised some red flags immediately. It looks too worldly, to lukewarm, and to New Age-y!
Just like a regular youth camp, nothing of Christianity or of the Holy Spirit did I notice there. So far. By the looks and sound of things...
And now I see your video…
I will continue praying and asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but I do not think that this is worth my God-provided money and five months of my life to have complete isolation from the world, from my church, from my Christian fellowship, work and everything else, as they had explained to me today.
Sounds more like a *HERETICAL SECT or a CULT* , if you ask me, based on what I know by now and what I was able to understand with the discernment and wisdom from above.
Thank God for His Holy Spirit!
All glory be to Jesus Christ our Lord forever!!!
I will continue searching, watching feedback and praying about this. But I think I already have my answer. I guess this is a no-no for me.
I’m going to have to look for other (GODLY) ways to become a true missionary to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ across the world! 🤷♀️🤷♀️
By the way, do you know anything compromising of the sort about SAM (South American mission)?
Is that a legit program, by any chance?
Or the Samaritans purse?
Or Billy Graham‘s some sort of international foundation?
So many wolves in sheep‘s clothing these days, we got to be sober as vigilant as never before! More so with every day.
HalleluYah!!!
All glory to Jesus!
Shalom.
@Abby T.:
Thank you for your honest feedback as well!
This is very important that you guys share.
There are so many young and inexperienced Christians, I mean spiritually young, for whom this deception is obviously designed. People with no discernment and wisdom from above because they are new to Christianity or simply because they don’t pray for them!
This is sATAN’s entrapment and delusion 101.
That’s how people get into different heretical movements, false prosperity gospels, “your best life now” charismatic movement, “7 mountains mandate”, and other satanic deceptions of the sort. 🚨🤦♀️😖
We must be bold to expose the goats and wolves in sheep‘s clothing, and spread the information far and wide, so others don’t get caught on the same hooks!
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for the spiritual awakening, sobriety and vigilance, and wisdom and discernment from above!
Without You we wouldn’t be able to see and discern anything.
HalleluYah!!!
Peace be unto you, guys. ❤️
@@InspektoraDeFrutas Did you find anything good?
Noah, is there a way I could reach you/ message you privately? Or you could message me? I have a proposition for you.
I did YWAM and experienced abuse, manipulation, control. Thank you for sharing your story.
YWAM was the best thing that happened to me. People are people and even in the best organization, there are going to be flaws or you might across something not so good. To tarnish the name of the whole based on just your experience is.....
@@elizabethsdesk Is.. what?! In YWAM didn't they train and teach you to finish sentences and thoughts at your Base?!?!? Oh yeah, you probably can't complete a thought or sentence without YWAM telling you what you are to say and think ;) YWAM is total garbage. I was trained for YWAM leadership and personally started a Base so I probably know a lot more about YWAM than you do. It's a scam and is abusive of people. And a total waste of money (unaccredited). I don't really care if you had "a good time" and "best thing that happened" to you. That doesn't mean YWAM isn't what I make testimony of just because you disagree. YWAM commonly is brainwashing people into loving it before even fully knowing what it is.
@@elizabethsdeskYou’re just invalidating the experience of one person based on your personal bias. You also apply a double standard, that is…
I did my DTS back in the early 80s, and it was a awesome experience for me. I learnt and grew a lot in God, however I went back to YWAM for a short period in 2011. That and it was nothing of what I remembered. It left me very disillusioned about what YWAM is really about now.
You are so right about the lack of accountability. Looking in from the outside now, I see that a lot of the success/or failings is dependent on those who are running and staffing at each base. Honestly, YWAM has become no different to many churches, they are still running on the success/reputation of their past. It is a form of pride.
I have learnt that if we want to follow God, if we need his guidance we need to go to the Word and God and not look to man or a institution. All past experiences, good or bad become a foundation to see God's truth in a new way. You have already shared some of this on this video. God wastes nothing even the rotten stuff can get changed for good.
You kinda echo my thoughts before I came here. I am thinking that there is no doubt that when YWAM was started, it was a calling from God. It doesn't mean we should just accept everything that comes out of a place like that. One thing is a calling from God to one person. But we are to judge prophecies, we are to check if the teaching that we submit to is sound teaching. How else than stopping with the eisegesis and poor hermeneutics can that be done? Just because something once was, does not mean it still is.
Noah I like your honesty. And understand your experience. I grew up as a YWAM missionary kid, my dad is the baseleader of a small YWAM base. The DTS was runned in our house and it was really cool to see people all around the world seeking God. I believe God is using YWAM, but let us pray and act to change these misleading theologies that you mentioned. I just want to mention that YWAM is full of people
and you know people they are sinful and in also NOT very wise. And young people are even more unwise usually (not always). Leaders have a big responsibility, but even David the man after God's Heart made BIG BIG BIG mistakes. So please have grace upon leaders because they dont have all the answers. But also rebuke or correct them if they are wrong.
Hi there...thank you for your video. It was very helpful. I am from the UK and did a DTS here about 30 years ago. It was an amazing time of spiritual growth for me and I learnt a lot about myself and God. My son is 18 and considering doing a DTS at the moment. Your criticisms of YWAM reminded me of situations I was in, like being told God wants to heal everybody, of leaders whose only Christian experience was being in YWAM and had an over inflated opinion of the organisation. We were encouraged to attend local churches in our base and managed to get out of the spiritual bubble and meet with mature believers who encouraged us not to become too introspective but to test everything, eat the meat and throw out the bones. I know many YWAMers in the UK who are wonderful, well balanced believers. YWAM really does need to take note of your criticisms and improve the organisation. Thank you again and God bless you in all that you do.
Oh buddy. I did a DTS with YWAM and then went on to be staff for 2 years with them. I experience many things like you did. I was told it was always God's will to heal. People on the base would talk about getting crazy commands from God to do stuff to heal people. One day we were praying for my eyes to heal (nothing that bad I just have glasses) and they came up with a list of things for me to do to act out my healing in faith. I had to put water on my eyes, take my glasses off, and start reading the Bible without my glasses. Another person said they got a word and told me to close my eyes. I close my eyes and that person flicked my eyeballs. Thank God it didn't do damage to them, but how insane is it to think this is ok?
My base had a huge focus on "worship" we would spend hours and hours singing worship songs. When we went out to do "evangelism" all we did was sing worship songs. They taught us the harder we worshipped, the more the atmosphere would change. ugh I could go on and on and on. (I will say, they did at least encourage us to go to other churches and work with different ministries).
Thankfully my faith is still intact after that experience, but I have had to go through therapy and I still struggle with my time with YWAM. Thanks for sharing this video brother.
Thanks a lot for sharing your experience. It really is a difficult thing to come out of when there's so much social pressure. Praise God you kept your faith intact!
@Dave:
Wow!
The more comments I read, the more I’m convinced that this is a very dangerous SATANIC/ DEMONIC/ HERETICAL/ WITCH CULT, designed to lead people astray from God, as far as possible from Jesus Christ and His NARROW PATH, and to be completely disappointed in Him.
If anything, it is raising generations of witches and warlocks, à la New Age.
THIS IS STRAIGHT-UP WITCHCRAFT & SORCERY 101.
This atrocious abomination obviously has nothing to do with Jesus Christ, true Christianity and TRUE, SOUND Christian doctrine!
It is straight up demonic and they’re teaching people to listen to satanic voices, nobody else’s.
Because God does not speak to people this way.
God speaks to us when HE needs to speak to us, NOT when we want Him to.
🤯🤦♀️😳
And by far God does not heal everybody, otherwise there would be NO sick people in this world.
Thank God, you had firm faith and solid wisdom and discernment from above!
We must only trust God and rely and be guided by His Holy Spirit! Nothing and no one else.
Praise Jesus for His truth!!!
I’m glad you got away safe and relatively unharmed in the long run by this traumatic experience.
We must look at the very heads of this “movement”, because that’s where it all starts!
Have you looked into the *founders/initiators* of this wicked, deceptive, heretical satanic organization?
I am sure they are luciferian/occultist wolves in sheep’s clothing, who willfully serve the devil and had organized this gig to lead people astray and to spread false gospel and to preach false Christ and to push false prophets!
Lord, please keep all your children away from this SATANIC LIE, deception and delusion!
Give us all eyes to see, ears to hear, exceptional and maximal spiritual discernment and wisdom from above! For all times.
In Jesus’ almighty name. Amen.
@@InspektoraDeFrutas I think we should be more careful with our claims . I think a lot of that may be overstating the intent and heart of Ywam. I would say that the vast majority of intentional ywamers are brothers though they are more than likely in error. We should still try to be as unified as possible with many of them. The higher ups however seem to be more dangerous. I think it’s wise not to make too much speculation. God forbid we speak slanderously of our brothers. 1 John speaks very seriously about loving our brothers as well as identifying them. I really do appreciate that you got a lot out of the video just make sure it doesn’t swing you too far to the other end of the spectrum. God bless
@@noahproclaims4005
Free will!
You’re free to think whatever you want. But I’m saying with the Holy Spirit shows me. I trust only God and no man.
With all due respect little brother and with much love, I do not need a lesson in Bible study or in Christian doctrine. From someone who is apparently much less experienced and less established on that path as of yet.
No offense meant, but this is no time to be politically correct.
I am calling things what they are. I don’t care if any men like it or not. But this is the truth and it needs to be spoken.
If you refuse to believe it, then you you ain’t seen nothing yet! You need to pray for spiritual discernment and wisdom from above, and for your spiritual eyes to be opened to see the whole gravity of the reality of this wicked satanic world.
Apparently, you are still ignorant of sATAN‘s devices!
You need to STOP being so naïve and gullible at last and start becoming *sober and vigilant and pray for wisdom and spiritual discernment* every day as much as possible, just like the word of God commands us to!
Otherwise the roaring lion will keep devouring you every step of your blind spiritual walk! ⚠️📛🚨
I have already watched enough videos and heard enough testimonies today to base this opinion on, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
This is not guessing of any sort.
I’m not talking about every single employee at this program because I don’t know them. It is apparent that the lower level employees are just as deceived as you were, and they’re just being taken advantage of, being used as instructors who in reality don’t know anything about what they teach, don’t have any deep knowledge of the Bible, have not attended seminaries, and from what I hear from different videos, are not born again and not indwelled by the Holy Spirit!
I see how these things operate, this is not the first one and this is not the last one of these satanic pernicious cults I am seeing.
And I know all too well how the devil operates and how his delusion and deception work.
You can be afraid and not want to call things out for what they are, but I am not.
I am well too experienced in this, and again, I see things for what they are, and I THANK and PRAISE my Lord Jesus for discernment and wisdom from above! And for open spiritual eyes, as painful as it is for me to see this abomination time and time again.
This is the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I’m not trying to be politically correct with the devil and his minions here or anywhere else.
This is definitely a CULT created by sATAN, for the goals I have outlined above, and its leadership is comprised of devil worshiping Luciferians, who engage in all in all sorts of atrocious human sacrifices and orgies and black masses, like all luciferians do!
If you are not familiar with any of this, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist!
You do not need to teach me, because apparently you majorly lack experience being very young spiritually and not seeing what I have seen and what I have been shown by God.
And generally, no one even among Christians gets to see it unless you ask and pray to be shown these things.
I am only taught and guided by the Holy Spirit of God. And I know what I’m saying.
You may take it or leave it. Free will!
God bless. Peace be unto you.
@@noahproclaims4005
Do not let your Stockholm syndrome and cognitive dissonance cloud your judgment!
You need to trust the Holy Spirit and no one else.
Your American political correctness is the source of a lot of Lukewarmness and mess in the today’s WORLDLY AND BLIND, NAIVE AND GULLIBLE American church!
Which is why the overwhelming majority of it will not endure until the end.
There’s no place for it in the body of Christ. We are called to *EXPOSE the unfruitful works of darkness* ! Not flirt with them and not disguise them because it’s politically incorrect to “offend” people!
Have you read the Bible at all by now?
Lord help you!
Thank you so much for speaking the TRUTH about God’s word. I was thinking of YWAM, but now I know not to go.
Thank u for sharing your experience. I think this will be beneficial for people. This also shows that even as a young Christian, u have discernment in what is truth and not just following the leader… we all need to have that for ourselves and not just follow someone cuz they’re a leader.
Brother I did the ywam thing back in 1978 to 1981. I was a young Christian wanted experience the real world of being a follower of Jesus, I did the DTS in Montana, yea I learned alot, went to Mexico on the mission trip, at first my experience was good, then I went to Saipan as a staff member. The small group leaders were very controlling, wasn't allowed to have a relationship. When the Director good hurt, he put these 2 people in charge, I knew how they were, very abusive, I went to the Director and tried to explain what was going on, he said those folks are in charge. I did confront them, again they told me I was rebel, I was supposed to submit unto them as I would unto God. So I can really relate what you went through. Appreciate you brother, stay strong in the Word, the verse for you is this John:16:33. Read it and be encouraged and rejoice, God Bless, Love you in Jesus, Ernie.
Don't you think that you did rebel against the authority which God gave you for a while? I wonder even after 40 years your eyes r closed
It is so refreshing, and quite honestly gives me hope, to see someone so young, be so biblically grounded. I truly believe God is using you. He opened your eyes to the truth and blessed you with discernment, and you in turn can bless others by telling the truth. May the one true God, of the holy Bible, of all creation, and Father of the one true savior, Jesus the Christ, continue to bless you, and the rest of the Young generation of Christians. I'm grateful to God for what he has done in your life, cuz you in turn bless other people's lives. I know you have blessed this life. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing... I did my DTS in 1987... In Hawaii. My experience was life-changing and I am so thankful for the biblical teaching and leadership I encountered.
I finished my DTS in 2017 on the Kona base. I will say they did promote going to church. They even had a shuttle. I did mission building as well before my DTS and one of the mission builder leaders is a preacher. He preached at a church there on the island, and there was a shuttle for that. He's honestly one of my favorite preachers.
Thanks for sharing brother, I’m happy that was your experience!
Thanks for sharing bro, a lot of people in my area go to something called circuit riders and I was invited a few times by a buddy and it never felt right. It always felt off. Hope you’re doing well on your walk.
This definitely sounds like ywam in a nut shell.
Excellent video. I haven't done YWAM...but have experienced similar doctrine elsewhere and I can relate to much of what you are talking about. Thank you for making this!
I just came across your video. Coming from a person who had been with YWAM the last almost 5 years, thank you for this. You’ve opened my eyes so much.
Sorry if you had a bad experience. And each base might be different. But God used YWAM to give me my life back. Not everything was perfect. It never is where there are people. But I have fond memories of YWAM, having done a Sumner of Service, and 2 different schools. I would highly recommend YWAM. It brought great healing and wisdom into my life.
I’m glad that God did that for you. He is merciful and kind and uses many imperfect things to bless His people!
Well that could also be a sugar coating of rampant ignorance of godly responsibility of teaching the bible correctly and their lead ship subdue ourselves to biblical accountability ! Stop brushing off the multiple many who got astrayed by the hyper charismatic emotional chasing of revelation and start adopting a solid biblical stance through expository teaching. be like the Bereans!
@@user-hk3dy5ee7o damn right....BE LIKE THE BEREANS will be my new status from today onwards...the Church needs to grow up, enough of expensive conferences, always running and chasing after the next speaker, or word from God through prophet this apostle that...are we so lost that we have forgotten that God LOVES to speak to us PERSONALLY ?? His Word not enough for us anymore ? Another comes in his own name, we receive, but Jesus who comes in the Father's name, we ignore ???
Everything before your “But” sentence is invalidating his experience. That’s a punch in the gut for anyone who’s been spiritually abused. Just because your experience was good doesn’t mean that every base is like that.
@@frizzyrascal1493 Linda literally said in her second sentence that each base is different, she’s not denying what he went through just sharing her own
Hey man! My name is Jacob and I came out of YWAM as well
I did my DTS in 2018 and then I joined staff, when I joined staff I started noticing a lot of issues, and when I did a secondary school, I watched the American gospel and it solidified all of the convictions that I was having, I now I am a reformed calvanist Who cares a lot about good theology!
These convictions left me no other choice but to break my commitment with YWAM and leave. I realize that me being on staff there was helping them continue to push people into deception. I had to repent to the Lord about the Putting myself under the authority of this false teaching, and I had to repent of perpetrating it as a staff member. I am so glad now that I am out of there!
I would love to talk to you more about this if that’s cool with you!
DUDE no way, I'm Micah. Remember me?
Now I know why you really left and I understand it. I had my own sense that there was something off with it but if you see this, I can elaborate more on that. Btw how is your back?
@@thetraditionalist Yes please! Feel free to contact me!
@@jacobthornblad4684 I still have your number lol. I never expected to see you here especially on such a small channel
@@thetraditionalist Bro you should text me!
I listen to this video with open ears. But I have to say I'm getting ready to do my DTS in September I truly believe in YWAM. I haven't been to church in a long time I hate big churches I hate people that say give me give me give me and I think that's why I stayed away from church for so long but YWAM hasn't asked me for a dime. They've done nothing but help me I was homeless just two-and-a-half months ago now I have a place to live in everything I understand what you're saying and I'll consider it like I'm not going to bash you cuz I don't know they could be showing me one face and then I go do the DTs and it's another face I definitely am listening I'm going to finish the video and maybe comment on this video again on what my experience was I don't know I'll see what happens. But I can sniff out a Colts and if I think it's Colt like I'll walk away. I don't mess with Colts
That’s true, I’ve been in 3 different bases in South America, Central America and finally in USA, and I saw the same, in different levels but the same. Is sad, but the people need to know.
I didn’t see the “He will give you everything if you give Him your life” gospel until on outreach, I wrote about it in a journal entry how that can hurt a person, especially whenever they’ve never heard of Jesus. God doesn’t make it where bad things don’t happen and you become rich. Whenever you give your life to Him you become a bond servant, but also because of Gods character and who He is, ( and Holy Spirit) you receive peace during the hard times, Joy in the sad times, ect. Life is hard.. maybe harder when you’re a Christian , but God provides comfort that you can’t get from the world and His love is like no other love.
Thanks for sharing your story! I lasted about six weeks at my DTS this past summer and then my family and I left because it was clear that a lot of false doctrines were being promoted. I am not in the typical life stage of most YWAMer’s. I am in my early thirties and have a wife and a kid. I also have a pastoral studies degree, so I had a good amount of theological training before my DTS experience. I knew something was wrong my first week when one of the speakers encouraged us to ask God what movie character He thought we were most like and taught us to expect us to receive the answer through mental images/words that God would place in our mind. As the weeks past, the more troubling the teaching got. Our DTS did the whole public confession thingy as well. I abstained from participating since me and my wife agreed it was not wise or appropriate to reveal such private and intimate details about my life in a mixed group setting. The final straw for us was that our DTS was giving a platform to a cult like movement that started in Denmark known as the Last Reformation. At some point, I would like to go more public with my story. I think people need to know what they are potentially getting involved with when attending a DTS and unfortunately, there seems to be not a whole lot of videos about the subject. So, I think videos like yours and Abby Townsend’s, Faith Rowe’s and Shay M’s are pretty valuable.
Hi! I commented early on in the comments above but I worked in YWAM for 4 years and I was still in the establishment but now I have left. I was entrapped in all of this but then in 2020 God opened my eyes and I wrestled for two years with the theology they taught. I staffed 2 DTS and nothing changed. I even went overseas and this false theology is being taught over there as well. I’m so sorry your family had to go through that. I’m glad to hear your out of it.
Thank God that you learned the truth. It makes me sad to see the way that YWAM has gone into wrong teaching. You are brave to stand up and speak the truth. Hopefully other young people will realize that they are into wrong doctrine. God bless you!!!!
Wow this first video I’ve come across on this subject since I did DTS in 2014! I experienced many of the same issues back then and it took me several years of sound theological teaching to heal from it. Thanks for sharing!
God has given you a mind, and you are using it.
You seem to be on the right track with your questions, and the conclusions you've come up with.
May I encourage you to seek out a solid Bible-teaching Church, pick up some books on Christian doctrine, read your Bible yourself and ask God to both help you understand His word and, to bring alongside of you other mature believers.
Thank you for this video, this has honestly healed me and brought so much clarity and peace to me, over this last year I came back to the lord and have had so much difficulty wuestioning god and I realize now that I was given so much of the wrong character of God. I’ve had such confusion around God and it made me so angry with him because I was coming to him and wanting peace and I was getting nothing but torment from the “godly council” I was getting.
Ywam is a melting pot of Christians from different levels of maturity, education, and backgrounds and therefore you can get conflict on certain bases. I doubt that all leaders in Ywam are the same, so I wouldn't say all Ywam hold those views. It's good hearing your discernment. You are right it's not always Gods will to heal, look at Paul that had the throne in the flesh. From my experience with Ywam, it was awesome! I learned a lot, saw people saved, saw people grow in the word, saw people get on fire. But that was Ywam Mazatlan and my leaders came from a solid biblical background. But I'm sure that if I went to your base in Kansas I'd feel the same way you do bro! I would still tell people to go to a DTS but just vet that base before choosing it.
Thank you so much Noah! I have been looking into DTS with my daughter Jan 2025 when she'll be 18 and have saved enough. I too could not find much about their theology, except I was pleased to see leaders went to Israel a few years back and got insight into the trials of simply being Jewish and living in Israel.
The kind of teaching and pressure you're talking of is truly damaging. I wondered if it might be a "per base" issue, but as you went on in your video (and from other comments below your video), it sadly does seem to be more an actual ministry held position on beliefs: e.g. about experience led faith whereas it should be Bible informed faith, and experience lead understanding of God's Word, whereas it should be through sound hermeneutics faithfully employed (taking God's Word as the inspired human authors intended their words - literal historical grammatical hermeneutic).
I wonder if you or anyone reading this have come across a ministry that does kind of "package" skill-building/talent extension along with discipleship and outreach but with a solid Biblical base?
Very brave! Well done, Noah!
they got kicked out during SBS, well it wasn't me then :) good stuff bro . keep being hungry for real things of Him
I went back in 2007. Seems like nothing has changed. Thanks for this update, Noah.
Muchas gracias por compartir , cada palabra que dices es de mucha honra y muy sincera. Un saludo desde Colombia.
Thank you for this video! 💙 Greetings from Finland! I did my dts in Hawaii in 2018 & I can absolutely share your opinions about it.
I was thinking of doing DTS in Hawaï, but you won’t recommend it?
One of my coworkers asked me what I thought of Ihop and I just told her I didn't know much about it except that I had friends who went through ywam which is associated with it. But if it comes up again I might show her this video 👍
My husband and I were on staff at IHOP Atlanta and we are unaware of any connections with YWAM. We questioned many things we saw while we were there and all of our questions were met with an open mind and a willingness to dialogue about differing views/interpretation of scripture. (Again, this was our experience in IHOP Atlanta.) Our daughter did a YWAM DTS and experienced many of the same things this guy did. Unlike this young man, she had a very strong Biblical foundation and had been taught to question everything. When she did she was immediately labeled divisive by staff. We are so proud of her for exposing the false teachings and standing up to spiritual abuse!
@@robyntownsend2759
Amen!
Spiritual discernment and wisdom and spiritual sobriety and vigilance are tools number one for any Christian, especially in our treacherous and perilous times!
Wolves in sheep’s clothing all around us these days.
You taught your daughter well. God bless you!
Ihop. Bad juju.
I agree with you Noah. I have been in churches with these practices and was hurt by it. I have been on a journey the last couple of years as my 27 year old daughter has 4th stage metastatic breast cancer. Thank you for speaking out.
I am so sorry that your daughter is dealing with this. I will keep her in prayer.
@@73LMarie thank you. My Morgan went on to be with her Savior Jesus on 12-24-21
Thank you and now I am reconsidering of not doing YWAM. I was thinking about it now I am most certain this might not be for me. Stay strong in the Word bro and in Jesus.
Hey man! I went through YWAM as well, the outside World is SUPER tough to connect to AFTER YWAM, I made some videos on my channel too, they’re old, but still there 😉
Dude, I’ve had almost all of these thoughts about my DTS. I also did the Kansas City DTS, there are some seriously damaging theologies. All of it caused me to have a crisis of faith which I’m still healing from and I will probably have to for awhile. If anyone reads this pray for me.
Thank you for sharing. It is important to call out damaging teachings, and I'm so sorry you had to deal with that. May God make your faith strong and bless you. I will be praying for you. God bless :)
Ywam Kansas City is connected to Ihop which is full of theological errors. The ywam base I went to was great.
I hear you buddy that’s exactly what ywam Kona is I was there for 3 1/2 years and there’s no doubt about the misleading theology, and young leaders leading others multi millions it’s definitely cultish
I am so.glad I came across your video. My dts is for September. Everything is in place to go. I am new in my faith, I was recently baptized and to be honest biblically illiterate. For the past month or so I have been going to bible studies with someone from church. I felt such conviction that maybe this wasn't the right choice. I have kind of gone back and fourth about the matter. I k n ow the lord is working through people like you and the person at my church to guide people in the right direction.
Thanks for watching! I definitely encourage you to speak to the staff at the ywam base you plan to go to about what you heard in this video and just see how that particular base stands on these things and perhaps to talk to your pastor about it.
So glad to hear you’ve come to Christ! Praise God!
I was about to do my DTS, I did it in Paraguay and they kicked me out after finishing the lecture phase, and it’s funny cause I truly believe that God put me in Ywam to see how people does things, and now I’m a independent missionary with a different vision about what the taught me
@@farolo25 May I ask why they kicked you out? Standing up for the truth?
@@ChildrenofELyon kinda, I was going more about beliefs they taught me, I was more biblical and some of their teachings were not, they realized that my behavior was not the one the expected
I’m only 5 minutes into the video, but looking at the comments, I see this is a sign and warning from God telling me that this isn’t the right thing to do. I keep seeing the ad for YWAM Orlando on my Instagram, and not going to lie, I’ve been super interested and have been thinking about joining. I know that God is still working a lot in my life and my healing, and maybe this isn’t the right thing to do right now. Before I go out trying to evangelize to others, I need to build a stronger relationship with my holy Father and I know that I need to obey Him more. Thank you for making this video👏🏼
I appreciate you thinking critically about this. I would recommend talking with the leaders of that base and telling them you saw this video and try to analyze if they are as bad as what I’ve explained in this video. There are a lot of bases like the one I went to but there very well could be some worth attending. Definitely be careful in your decision making though. God bless!
I’ve been to the Orlando base and did a DTS SUPER abusive and cult like
th-cam.com/video/DdCPR62jIHQ/w-d-xo.html
Trust me don't I did mine in Malaysia and trust me these people are not trained well enough to be in a place of leadership
Matthew 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
- If you keep seeing bad fruit, there's usually a problem with the tree.
Hey guys,
I just wanted to leave a reminder that YWAM is a big community, so not every base is bad!!! Yes there is sadly some who are not teaching the true doctrine. But I can totally recommend YWAM Maui, they will not teach you the what so called „prosperity gospel“ but the truth! They taught that we will not have a better life with Jesus most likely we will have more suffering life…
So unfortunate to hear your heartbreak! I think however that is important to recognize the fact the there is imperfect people in places of authority on many of these bases and %100 believe that we should keep our brothers and sisters in the lord accountable! Many of the heretical teachings that you experienced were the complete opposite of what I experienced and were sound theological teachings! Not to say that there weren’t moments where staff at the bases who were thrusted into a leadership position didn’t speak some wrong teachings and to be quite honest in-mature theology! I however don’t believe that this is a reason to count out YWAM as a whole, looking throughout revival history or church history in general there has never been a completely perfect movement, I believe that it is important to recognize though that God works through imperfect people and I would challenge anyone to find a church or organization that is full of only perfect ppl! Imperfect people is not always reason to leave God seeking community, we are commanded to call each other up to a higher standard! I don’t say all this to sound aggressive or confrontational, hear my heart I want the world to be impacted through the spreading of the gospel and I believe that we should all as Christians be United in that cause, and it breaks my heart to hear somebody completely discount an organization that lit a fire within me to reach the lost! In closing I would challenge everyone who may be considering YWAM to do as much research as possible, and don’t completely discount a wonderful movement of God!
Thank you for sharing. We will all be held accountable for what we say and do on judgement day as according to Revelations 20. Lets continue to do Mathew 6. Seek first the kingdom of GOD.
Hey Noah, thank you for sharing. I attended YWAM North East Asia DTS in Kona Hawaii (I call HQ) in 2018. I resonate well with your experience as well. I’m also sharing the truth about the dangers of YWAM to people I know. I was taken out of YWAM by the grace of God. I would go further than you. In my assessment, YWAM is a cult. It’s charismatic theology, prosperity, word of faith (WOF), faith power, New apostolic reformation (NAR). I’m NOT saying everybody in YWAM is unsaved or a heretic, but what they teach is dangerous and heretical especially their doctrine of the Holy Spirit. However, There are more people unsaved and heretics in that movement especially the leaders. I would say they are either self deceived or intentionally deceiving. Doctrine Matters. I met/saw with Loren Cunningham, Daniel Kolenda (successor of Reinhardt Bonnie), Michael Kulianos (in law of Benny Hinn), Francis Chan, etc. I summarize my experience as: Great experience with loving people, but the worst theology I’ve ever experienced. I love the people in my school. It’s important to call out wolves in sheep clothing.
Noah, I did my Crossroads Discipleship in 1991. At that time, being 32, YWAM wasn't word-faith or prophesy inspired. Maybe that was just my time there, in the small rural town I was in Wisconsin. Not always happy, to be sure. I stayed 6 months to work as secretary and met some great Family Ministry School people.
I can understand how you were conflicted. My heart goes out to you.
Oh, I remember that they wanted me to cry my eyes out when they "ministered" to me regarding the Father heart of God. I had already had secular counseling for my own father's (and mother's) relationships. I was good!
I finished my DTS two weeks ago. I have to say I can agree that there are some young leaders who are pretty immature and did hurt me. But because of that I don’t want to look at these amazing 5 months I had and only think about that.
Sometimes I was mad and disappointed when they didn’t take faith as serious or go out and evangelizing.
But you know what everyone has there story and is at a different point in there life.
But my dear brother I want to encourage you to be open to the Holy Spirit. Many things you had addressed for example that it was weird to wait for gods voice to speak to us.. actually I think that is a sign of closing your heart or being afraid or religious.
God wants to have a personal relationship with us as well.
I wish you peace.
Shalom
I hear you! I am currently staff in YWAM Marseille, and I agree with God's will is not always to heal! My suggestion is to go to more bases the base changes so much and it is not unnormal to find a base with faults. I have been to more than 10 bases the heart of every base is the same and that is simply to love God and Others which is Jesus's greatest commanded
This is very helpful. Thank you for laying yourself vulnerable and speaking out.
8:40 No one was ever liking the ways in which I was "hearing from God". I don't know, I think mostly it was whatever someone thought sounded good or was filled with emotions and said it. I was always doing these off the cuff things like once I said I heard from God that we were all supposed to look at the tags on our clothing and pray for the people in the countries where they were made. I looked at my tag and it said Cambodia, so I started praying for the country of Cambodia and whoever it was that most likely worked in a sweatshop making the shirt I was wearing. Everyone just thought I was weird and no one else participated. This left me feeling really sad and dejected. I mean, either you believe that we are all hearing from God or you don't. Either way, even if it was my own brain and emotions that came up with this, it sounds like a great way to connect with the world that day. I still hold to that to this day. It was more grounded and connected than anything else anyone in my group was bringing to the table that week. I honestly think I was too real for everyone else. It was interesting how much these folks wanted to see the world in this really checked out utopian sort of way. I start making it real by saying we are all wearing the world on our literal shoulders and it's like crickets. Ugh. Thanks for listening. :)
Thank you for this, I was just about to throw away 15000 dollars for this and I want to learn real theology and do missions. This def is not the place
I am very glad that you saw this video, and that it’s prompting you to dig below the surface and to reconsider
So sad that you are changing your mind just because others experience. If you go to YWAM you will know many good things.
This sounds strangely similar with a popular church in Redding, CA. The ideology, doctrines, teachings, elevation of man, etc. sound so similar to this 90% (+) false church. A little leaven leaven's the whole lump.
It was okay at the time rather a holiday
Over the top spiritually but I was brought out of it
Sounder doctrine enabled me to grow
As the scripture teaches
As newborn babies desire the sincere milk of the word
That ye may grow thereby!
I think this video shows a lot of wisdom for those that might be in the school and have questions about certain things they could be facing and how awkward things could get when they simply begin to ask questions and have zealous leaders that believe themself to know more based only on their position in ywam. Which is sad, I think you made a great point on being weary for those that do a Dts, your teachers/staff probably only done the school 6months before you and your spoused to carelessly (faithfully) trust them with your growing faith walk with the Lord....
Unless mature believers are the majority ywam struggles with pressure from “God told me.” Which is the case of the day to day life. I still love all my people I’ve met through the years of being at ywam.
wisdom right there
A little leaven leaveneth *the whole lump* ❗️☝️
You people need to learn to be more vigilant and sober, and pray for wisdom and discernment!
None of this is a coincidence, Christians cannot afford to be naïve and gullible and give wolves and goats ANY benefits of the doubt, especially in our very PERILOUS END-TIMES!!!
Please start praying for wisdom and discernment and guidance of the Holy Spirit every day, or you will not endure until the end.
Again, none of this is a coincidence or accident!
This is a deliberately designed, *satan-led HERETICAL movement* to lead people away from the true God, the true Savior Jesus Christ and His gospel!
Those who are TRULY of God, His ELECT ONES, will not be deceived! We can see a wolf and a goat when we see them! All glory to Jesus Christ!
But everybody else will NOT be able to endure until the end, for they *DO NOT STAND* in SOUND Christian doctrine, *do not know* Jesus Christ personally, and *do not possess* SOLID WISDOM from above ❗️⚠️📛😢😞
And they only have themselves to blame for that.
Lord have mercy!
Thanks for sharing your heart and experience
I was involved in an evangelistic crusade in Tahiti during my DTS outreach from Honolulu where a well known evangelist in charismatic circles, Mel Tari came to do some healing services. The services were advertised as such, with flyers saying the evangelist had even "raised the dead". (Of course this happened years ago on a remote island in Indonesia, and can not be verified.) Many were promised their healing at the crusade “if they had the faith”. People came in wheelchairs, crutches, or with missing limbs. ALL left the way they came & were told that if they were not healed, “it was because of their lack of faith”. In so doing, not only did these precious ones have to suffer physically, but were given a guilt trip of not being good or spiritual enough. Even in the midst of that, many YWAMers would say, "Wasn't that a great crusade?” I was appalled & ashamed to be part of such a horrible scam. Many of those attending could have been turned off by God, rather than the man claiming to be his messenger.
That’s very sad
Oh no. That’s so sad. Mel Tari is my spiritual father. He’s an incredible human being. I’m sorry this was advertised in such a way.
This is sooo sad! Why nobody got healed? And why were they blamed for it? This makes no sense
@@FiorellaRdV You are right. It makes no sense!
@@stephielives What does that mean, "Spiritual Father"?
Thanks for sharing Noah. This really resonates with me, especially the highlighting of YWAM’s messed up ideology. I did a DTS IN 2016 (there’s a video on my channel if you’re interested in connecting more) and it messed me up for a looong time. Like Abby said, it’s a relief to hear other opening up about their experiences
Thanks for sharing. Listen to old bible teachers like Derek Prince as they break down the bible in a way that helps one grow in faith.
Thank you for sharing. I almost send my daughter there and did not bc I know couple of friends who left our church bc we don’t chase and emphasize healing and miracle.
I am in YWAM and My experience was soooooo different. Gods will is not hidden. The great commission, Matthew 28:18-20 is what YWAM is being obedient to. We are called to make disciples and YWAM has helped me to build stronger convictions. It helped me to feel more comfortable in community after living in the world for a very long time. If you are a Christian, then the Gospel is the best message and you know that it is imperative that everyone has the opportunity to hear.
I grew up in Wyoming. My entire life. We always went to church. It was always highly promoted
I had a very similar experience when I went to todd White's school in 2018. It was a very destructive theology that destroyed many of my friendships and left me confused for years. Thanks for sharing!
The teaching that God always heals is not confined to YWAM. Sadly it is prevalent today, even amongst some excellent Bible teachers. Do get hold of anything you can about Dorothy Kerin. She was amazingly healed in 1916, ( before some of the kind of teaching we get from the US today), after being sent back from Heaven. She went on to have an amazing healing ministry. Her teaching is very balanced on the subject of whether all are healed. She was an Anglo- Catholic, and believes that she was visited by Mary. If you are non-catholic, do not let that put you off her teaching on healing. As a Protestant, I believe there are other explanations. The good news is that this kind of testimony is not common.
Never experienced what you went through. Sorry for what you went through.
I’m glad you never experienced this!
What you said at around 10:00, about them wanting to get deep confessions about things that happened to people, sounds a lot like what is called Sozo. It's from Bethel Church in Redding, CA. I read some about it a while ago, and they tell people to visualize where Jesus was in the memory of an event that happened to that person, and what this Jesus they are visualizing was saying and doing.
Yes I’ve heard it called that or inner healing
I just watched another girl’s video before yours and she said the same exact things about a time limit to HAVE to hear God and confessions and people speaking things over you that they say happened in your family but didn’t.
Thanks for sharing. Great to hear, that so many people here were protected by God during the time. I did my DTS 8 years ago and know exactly what you‘re talking about. After looking into scripture I couldn‘t believe what external teachers taught us without looking into context. Discernment is so important especially in these days.
God bless you.
I have just been accepted and I started having some funny feeling before bumping into your video, thank you for making this video!
Thank you for putting together this video. For speaking truth about your experience and for posting this. I appreciate your courage and strength. There are many who share your same experience. I am one of them. YWAM was not a good experience for me. Personally, I wouldn't and cannot recommend YWAM to anyone.
Thank you! I’m glad You enjoyed the video! Share to anyone you think it may help.
@@noahproclaims4005 Absolutely. Keep fighting the good fight. YWAM needs to change. And people need to know.
You make some very good points. Honestly, some of these things I hadn't consciously considered until you laid them out plainly.
I was there to witness that exceptional teacher (the most gifted who had gone through their ranks) being forced out of the campus. I still attend his Bible studies weekly. I think it was a case of young people who were told they were "leaders" -- incessantly -- and then in turn who became overzealous with their modicum of power. YWAM is a strange little bubble, and functions moreso like a monastery than a fluid missions campus.
But there were amazing experiences I had there, and my DTS tenure helped me cultivate a deep search for the things of God. I would recommend any young person to attend DTS, and then DBS/SBS, but to avoid staffing. However, I do agree with the caveat that a Todd White-esque theology can become dangerous, and impressionable minds can become disillusioned by these sub-Biblical teachings. After all, there were those who were with us at YWAM who have since completely turned from the faith, but maybe that was always going to be an inevitability?
My former church sent an intern to YWAM Atlanta. At one point I even considered going on a DTS because I couldn’t afford Bible college. But when I researched it there were things that really concerned me about their theogony so I decided to not do it.
You’re not biased if you are speaking the truth. You read the Bible and if they are acting against it and twisting scripture to suit their teachings then they are the ones who are biased. I did DTS and SBS and SBS exposed me to a lot of things that were done wrong in DTS. “If” you are hearing the voice of God it should align with scripture. After all of these experiences with YWAM I learned a lot and honestly the Bible made me ask more questions and be a logical person.I thought all of it was a great experience and the hype was what made it great as well but still at the end of the day I have come to ask a lot more questions about beliefs in general. I find it so hard just to focus on Jesus as God only when there are so many other belief systems and ways of thought and life that make total sense and help you to understand yourself more than just believing that you are a sinner and needing repentance. I’m still learning and back and forth and I’ve also come to believe how the physical and spiritual work together immensely. It’s not a separate thing and I feel like YWAM was all about the spiritual. I felt like at the end of the day I had a hard time trusting myself and if I really heard from God, and started to go through a burn out faze.
This is from heart. Thank you.
When I was in YWAM, the 80s, we were taught that God’s response in healings is varied and complex. Joy Dawson wrote a book on SOME of His ways in healing and “lack of faith” is not the one catch all easy answer. I’ve seen and experienced healings but as Jesus healed people differently so it still is so. When Jesus raised the dead, the subject didn’t demonstrate any faith.
This video is 100% accurate! People don’t do a sugar coating of rampant ignorance of godly responsibility of teaching the bible correctly and their lead ship subdue ourselves to biblical accountability ! Stop brushing off the multiple many who got astrayed by the hyper charismatic emotional chasing of revelation and start adopting a solid biblical stance through expository teaching. be like the Bereans!
I am not a Calvinist, although some of my favorite people are, and some of the most informed people I know are, but I wonder if the person who believes it is always God's will to heal has ever read the Bible! We know that it was not His will to heal the Apostle Paul when he sought Him for healing and was told, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
Thank you! I was considering YWAM for my kids. This answers my questions. So much of this crazy unbiblical teaching is hurting the church and hindering the lost.
Every base is different and are isolated from each other. They are very much individual churches apart from each other.when I went as a kid it transformed my life and I became a foreign missionary and started a suicide prevention ministry in South Korea. Do put this into consideration and just research different bases. The one I went to was ywam townsville in Australia Queensland.
@@jadedrac0Which only hinders your argument. Where is the leadership? The unity in teaching? Who is in charge? It’s all so confusing and God is not a confusing God.
Those unanswered questions alone would rule them out. If there are all standalone, why are they under one wing? That doesn’t make much sense. The lack of accountability is highly concerning as it is a foundation for spiritual abuse.
@@frizzyrascal1493 same could be said about the church in general
That doesn't make it any better, though.
Churches should have more accountability, YWAM bases should have more accountability.
As far as I know, every church has at least some checks and balances. Maybe not enough, but they are there. In YWAM, there is nothing. Base leaders can do whatever the heck they like, and especially if they're senior leaders, they'll always protect each other.
Finding a "good base" is like playing Russian roulette. Because yeah, you might find a good one, but you may just as well end up in a terrible place, and the chances are at least 50:50. so why risk that kind of damage to your faith, your soul, your body, your relationships, your finances...?
It's better to find an org that will actually tell you upfront what you can expect if you work/train with them.
I am from Costa Rica.
Let'S try to reform YWAM or start a more biblical ministry
Amazing video. Thankyou so much for your words.
Where did you do your DTS?
I did some of a dts in Kansas city and was “encouraged to leave” and I never wanted to die so much in my life after coming back I never felt more unloved at a Christian organization in my life, I hated myself felt unbelievably rejected from the other students and the staff were so be littling I left believing I did not have any value. I left not just hating myself but hating the church I have not really been back to church since .
Dang man. I’m really sorry for your experience. If it helps yeah like you said 7:32 some people get it some people don’t. Sounds like you were lead by people who don’t. In my experience each base has its flaws and Kona isn’t exempt from that. I hope you’re still pursuing God and his truth. Side note intercession teaching can be and usually is super weird the waiting and silence can be very ostracizing and it can be done better. Again sorry for your experience.
I appreciate your sincerity and your genuine concern for people. I know it's your heart to correct error and hold people accountable, unto the health of the Body. I do believe, however, though some correction may be needed--after all, no human organization is perfect--it's important to not go too far in calling YWAM unbiblical and dangerous. I had some thoughts I'd like to share.
1) Yes, we all need to be grounded in the Scriptures, which is a part of discipleship. Though that's not the focus of a 6-month DTS, it is, however, the focus of the School of Biblical Studies program, where people are encouraged to learn how to study the Bible for themselves. It's not fully realistic to expect that from the DTS program.
YWAM centers around the foundation Loren Cunningham and others built at the onset. They were people who DID HEAR from God to do amazing things to mobilize young people for world evangelization. Since they experienced this closeness with God, it’s only natural they’d want that experience for other people and would thread that into the DTS program.
Hearing God’s voice is very Biblical! All one needs to do is read the New Testament, especially the book of Acts! All kinds of disciples were hearing God’s voice, operating in the gifts of the spirit, and moving in signs and wonders. Actually, that should be our “normal experience,” if the original church in the book of Acts is our model, which it is. They are the first-fruits of a great harvest of believers unto the end of this present age.
I agree that “hearing God’s voice” shouldn’t be a prerequisite or a sign that someone is in “good standing” with Him. But, I don’t think it’s wrong to encourage people to practice hearing from God. Just like anything else, when you’re a complete beginner, you don’t have much experience, so you may not hear that much or anything at all. It takes a while to learn how to hear from Him.
If that learning curve was communicated, and there was grace for people not hearing from God, then maybe that experience would’ve been better. After all, we can’t project our experience of God onto everyone. But, conversely, the Bible does encourage hearing from God and moving in the gift of prophesy. (1 Corinthians 14:1)
2) The issue of where was Jesus in your past and the prayer time:
From my perspective, I don’t think Jesus being in your past memories communicates that God is helpless and impotent. Unbelievably, God gave every human being free will. Though God may try to stop one person from sinning against another, he will not violate their free will.
Jesus being present in those times suggests that he was there, weeping, caring, helping, and supporting in ways we may or may not be aware of. I believe that’s the point of the prayer of seeing Jesus in those moments.
Was Jesus not there? I think it’d be harder to make a case for that viewpoint. For believers, God has already written a book of every day of our lives, even before there was one. (Psalm 139) He’s both omniscient and omnipresent. All that to say, I think He really was there. It helps transform people and their perception of those hurtful experiences, when people do see Jesus there.
As far as it “being okay to get hearing God’s voice wrong,” that’s Biblical, too. These are gifts we’re practicing. If you look into 1 Corinthians 14, the prophets are called to speak one by one, and the others are called to evaluate, meaning that even those recognized as prophets could get it wrong, and, therefore, may need redirection or correction. How much more people who are practicing the gift of prophecy?
But, agreed, the issue you mentioned was very sensitive, and needed a lot of care and consideration, which proves we also need maturity as we learn to operate in these gifts.
3) The issue of “God always wants to heal people:”
God has made a way for everybody’s healing, just like he made a way for everybody’s salvation.
This was done on the cross. By His stripes we are healed… (Isaiah 53:5)
God doesn’t cause sickness. But, like you, I don’t see everybody healed. I don’t pretend to know all the reasons why, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t contend for that healing. God may be doing a lot of different things in that person’s heart and life and in those around them.
Naaman had to dip in the Jordan River seven times before he got healed. (2 Kings 5) If he did it twice, and it didn’t happen, he could’ve just chalked it up to God doesn’t heal. Thank God he continued to dip into the water!
In the Gospels, there were many times Jesus attributed healing to faith! All you have to do is look up all the instances where it says “your faith has made you whole.”
And, yes, there was an instance, where Jesus didn’t do as many miracles or have as many healings, because of a “lack of faith.”
Matthew 13:57-58: And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
I agree that not everyone gets healed, for one reason or another, and that we shouldn’t put that on people, but to say that faith and healing don’t have a relationship with one another is going too far. There’s enough Biblical evidence to say that it does, so YWAM shouldn’t be charged with being unbiblical in that area.
In fact, there's Biblical reasoning for many of the areas you took issue with in regards to YWAM. Again, there could be correction, a maturing and accountability for the process, but YWAM isn't being unbiblical for believing in these things. It's actually being biblical. There's a greater case in the Bible for operating in all of these dimensions than there is not.
Unfortunately, our experience doesn’t always match what the Bible says, but that doesn’t mean we conclude that the Bible doesn’t say what it does. We continue to believe and contend for the greater things.
4) Furthermore, we live in a fallen world, where people do get sick, babies are born with birth defects, accidents happen, etc., that doesn’t mean that God wants those things to happen and that he made them to happen.
5) Lastly, the base seems to choose their leaders through relationship. One doesn’t need to go to Bible college or have a seminary degree in order to be teacher. As a lay person, it’s very possible to learn how to study the Bible for yourself and go further and deeper than many who have been so called educated. It's also possible to have a love for people and a growing experience with missions and ministry to help others experience those same things, without knowing everything about the Bible.
For instance, both Jesus and his disciples were perceived as people who, let’s just say, weren’t the educated type, but they knew the word of God and moved in power.
I do believe the leaders, themselves, do need a grounding in the Bible, along with proven character, a teachable spirit, missionary experience, etc.
And, whichever leaders you may have had, it may have been a case of their personal beliefs being projected onto the group. They need our grace as well.
Two last things: I’ve had my own experiences with YWAM, and I didn't see them as hyper-focused on signs and wonders, the new thing from God, etc. Do they want to see God move in a powerful way to impact people? Sure, they do. We all do. That's a given.
Also, yes, people do need to be addressed if they have shared the gospel or any teaching from God in a “wrong way,” but again, many of the people who go through YWAM are young, zealous, and inexperienced. They're learning as they're growing, as we all do. As they say, "you can't steer a parked car."
The great thing about YWAM is that it gives young people experience to go out there and do the work of ministry and missions, without having to go through years of Bible college, etc. As you may recall from the Gospels, that's what Jesus did with His disciples.
They may get it wrong, so did the disciples. The ideal thing would be for them to be mentored through that process, rather than it not being addressed at all.
Summary: I can’t speak to your personal experience, but I do think you may have went too far in saying that YWAM wasn’t being Biblical. What they teach is Biblical, though they may take it too far by expecting every person to have those experiences and/or be ready to have them. It’s not a one-size-fits-all package, especially when any given YWAM base can have new people coming and going every year, from different backgrounds. Many of those things are issues of alignment and maturity, not being unbiblical.
I watched your video and felt inspired to give a thorough, thoughtful answer. I hope you and others consider what I've shared with an open heart.
Thanks for this reply 😊 I'm still going to Ywam remember Jesus is not Lucifer.
Remember Lucifer's desire is to be God and to be like God.
And the verse in Isaiah 14 about Lucifer says "son of the morning", not bright and morning star.
Jesus is "The Bright and Morning Star". Jesus gives light which is Life within us John 1. That star represents Jesus as the Light/Life giver to those who receives him.
1 Timothy 2:4
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
God wants all to be saved, not all to be temporarily, physically healed.
There is ultimate healing in salvation and the redemption of our bodies. God wants to keep the focus on Him not on what we want him to do for us.
I thought I had commented on this video before, but I am not seeing my previous comment. After listening to this video and reading numerous comments about people's experiences in YWAM, it might help to understand the organizational structure of YWAM. It certainly doesn't sound like it has changed since I was in YWAM for the two schools I went to in the 1980's, but after doing research on other organizations I can tell you part of the problem is with the pyramid scheme (this is to say YWAM is still embracing what is called the Shepherding Movement "pyramid" structure). It other words, it's in a sense something like AMWAY, Shaklee, or any other get rich quick pyramid scheme in structure. The structure in YWAM when I was in it was a pyramid scheme where Staff were "Pastors" and they were assigned other Staff Members as "Pastors" on up to the Base Leader. Each Staff member tithed to their assigned "pastor" on up to the top. Unfortunately some of those staff members couldn't wait to exert power over others, not all, but some. Without a doubt there was a great deal of enthusiasm to execute "Mathew 18's" and confront people for really minor sins or perceived sins. The other unfortunate aspect was the name it and claim it people, people claiming "God told me" such and such... was rarely dealt with. I found there to be wonderful people and people with some really delusional beliefs placed in positions of power. One School Leader I had claimed God had given him his new name on a white stone, so I asked him what his new name was (knowing full well he wasn't supposed to tell me according to scriptures). He did though!! I can understand why people have had bad experiences at YWAM, but there were people I knew who weren't so off the wall and I wish I could find them and talk to them and see how they are doing. All you have to do is examine the scriptures to see how the Lord set up Churches through the Apostles, that is the way YWAM needs to be reformed. This pyramid scheme stuff needs to go. They also taught what is called "God in Time" when I was there, I don't think they still teach that unless it is in secret. If you don't know what "God in Time" is, it's essentially Open Theism where God COULD know the future but He simply chooses not to so you can have free will. I have been told that they have embraced more of a Calvinist view now. I have a joke I like to tell my Open Theist friends concerning their children and discipline, I ask them if when their kids sin, do they spank some untainted free will into them? I can just see the kids yelling back to their parents as they are being spanked, "I was using my Free Will!". I hope this helps someone.
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing this video. I agree with everything you said theology wise. I have been thinking and praying about YWAM for a few years now because I just have this huge ache in my heart to learn more and to share the gospel and travel. I finally made up my mind to start saving for it to go in 2025. But, now, with these things you mentioned, I am definitely cautious. I don't want to open myself up to those things that do not align with the Bible or the God the Bible says is true. Thank you so much for sharing. Now I'm a little stumped however, because I do still feel like God is wanting me to go somewhere and do something missions related in 2025... I just don't know what. Are there any schools or missions alternatives you would recommend?
I feel the exact same way. Let me know if you have found any other alternatives because I just started answer God’s calling and I know He wants me to go out into the world and expand my wisdom. I will pray for the right direction for those who don’t know what path to take.
I have had a reasonably good experience with YWAM as a mission builder, but am currently looking into these mission organizations, though I do not yet have any personal experience with them. 1) abwe 2) GEM
Thank you for sharing. Is the Crossing Life Church in NH part of YWAM? I'm concerned because my nieces just 'graduated' from DTS..
I'm not entirely sure. YWAM has many bases all around the world so it's hard to know who is affiliated with which base.
My husband and I did YWAM nearly 12 years ago, that’s where we met. We were students and then we staffed for almost 2 years at our same base. At the time I was in my late 20s and I knew there were problematic things with their organization. But we were so caught up in the emotionalism, it was hard to pull away. Eventually, we did leave, and once we were out, our eyes were truly opened. Now that I have children of my own, I see them for what they truly are. They exploit and manipulate young people for free labor. Their doctrine is false and un biblical. I would never recommend for anyone to attend any of their programs.
Thank you for sharing.
It isn't always God's will to heal, it can be the hardest thing to accept especially if you have been taught the opposite. Once you believe it, it is a relief.
His will IS always to heal, He just doesnt sometimes for reasons we wont know until we reach the other side of eternity. God is more concerned with our relationship with Him than He is with our physical/emotional comfort. Sometimes the waves come to push us to Him. Not that He wills us to suffer, not at all, but He never promised we wouldnt suffer.
Please pray for my Grandaughter. She has been there for two weeks
Now I'm concerned about my cousin
Thanks for sharing your journey ❤️
I went on a couple outreach trips as a teenager, never did the DTS thing. I didn't hear from God at any point, I didn't feel like I actually did any good. I made up a bit about an ant because it was frowned upon to not hear from God and I can never get Turn Around out of my head. It's been nearly 20 years now. I liked some of the people but it didn't strengthen my relationship with God, the opposite actually. It marks the first time I questioned my faith.
Sitting and waiting on the Lord is a very old Christian meditative practice; contemplation, and it has amazing fruit if done in purity, meaning you aren’t manipulating God, and you don’t have any perception He’s manipulating you. It’s about being Loved and spending intimate time with the One we both wholly know, but is also the greatest mystery and well of unsearchable wisdom. It’s realizing we’ve always been One with Him, the Trinity.
This practice will move you from the false transactional gospel into the love giving real Gospel of our unbreakable Union with Jesus Christ.
And yes, you will experience God speaking, often in very creative and practical ways, often playful too. Also in ways that your body does manifest as a result of His known presence. And usually it’s just to tell you of the Hope you have, but sometimes real instructions come too. But in no way is their manipulation.
It’s a shame they bastardize contemplation and waiting on God in a way that makes you feel less than for not hearing the voice.
“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you-unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,”
I Corinthians 15:1-4 NKJV
“And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.””
John 6:40 NKJV