Is the World Race run by a cult???
Before i came on the race I heard and read blogs on this, vlogs, youtube videos etc.
Few of the people who knew me asked or worried about this even if they had concerns because they knew what kind of believer i am, and know i am careful about what i believe and who i will work with.
But now ive done the World Race, worked with AIM hands-on over the past 10 months and am wrapping up, so i want to write a blog to clear things up for people who want to know.
And…if i just now made you aware that there are people out there who think “world race is a cult thing”, now you know.
Is AIM (Adventures in Missions) or the World Race, run by a cult?
Should i answer right away to get rid of your suspense? Or keep you reading through my blog for the answer?
No.
AIM, World Race, is not a cult.
Theyre a group of people who are humans with fallible characteristics, working together to further the kingdom of God all over the world, with periodic problems in how they sometimes execute specific things due to the nature of their ever growing and learning and changing staff, and ever changing racers they work with and their fallible natures. But they are not a cult.
I will explain very clearly without a doubt why they are not. And i will give some of my own very difficult experiences and some of my great experiences and also, some encouragement and some small advice space for packing and living on the world race at the end.
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Let me explain before i show you clearly, why they are not a cult, that there are people – normal everyday “good” people who have come on the race, been hurt, and left the race and they have made some very good arguments why the race is run by a cult.
But, gratefully for AIM, they are wrong.
If you have read any materials saying they are a cult, you will hopefully have been able to feel the specific spirits of anger, revenge, and bitterness that eaked out of the words the writer flung into their writing.
Dont be convinced by fear or caution that what you read by different people is at all remotely true.
I am neither decieved by AIM, nor am i defensive of AIM.
It saddened and still saddens me a lot to see people who werent able to resolve the conflicts they had with AIM – and it was one of the catalysts that lead me to resolve some of my own problems with leadership during my own race.
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Here is my unarguable reason why the Race is not run by a cult:
In order to be classified as a cult*, you must qualify in three areas.
The three areas are
1. Exclusive
2. Secretive
3. Authoritarian
The word cult actually has three definitions.** First of all, it can simply be a group that loves something. (When people refer to an “Elvis cult” or “The O.C. cult,” they mean really devoted fans.)
The second definition is that of a religion whose beliefs differ from the majority around them. (In the Roman Empire, Christians were sometimes considered a cult because they worshiped Jesus rather than the Roman gods. – In eastern europe people still call real christians a cult.)
The third, and most commonly used definition*, refers to a religious group that is:
1) Exclusive. They may say, “We’re the only ones with the truth; everyone else is wrong; and if you leave our group your salvation is in danger.”
2) Secretive. Certain teachings are not available to outsiders or they’re presented only to certain members, sometimes after taking vows of confidentiality.
3) Authoritarian. A human leader expects total loyalty and unquestioned obedience.
*This third one is the kind of cult definition that people mean when they call the World Race a cult. And which i am proving AIM is not.
** I took this definition from
https://www.christianitytoday.com/iyf/advice/faithqa/what-is-cult.html because it stated everything simply and clearly. Which i wanted.)
Ok, quick debunking.
1. Exclusive:
AIM does have a lot of ideas about how to love and serve God as a born again free child of God. They are eager to share a lot of advice, trainings, and encourage that a lot of things they suggest we try.
They have lots of questions to answer during the race to keep us in a constant position of checking our motivations, and to process our thoughts and experiences so they and we and our teammates know whats actually going on with us – or how much we are willing to share about whats going on with us.
But they do not think they hold exclusive truth by any means. And continuously encourage us to read the scripture for ourselves. To pray about everything, and to even take feedback to the Lord and discard whatever we feel the Lord doesnt impress on us.
It is very serious for them that we make the choice with the Lord; and in doing so deepen our relationship with Him.
– There are ways in which they show approval of people being/acting a certain way. Sometimes they seem to show more favor to the people who appear to be alligning most closely with the image they want to portray of themselves.
That is however totally my (or individuals exclusive) experience of the result of the individuals in the office who work with us themselves who are personally involved with our specific squad and is not an overall representation of the organization. And part of the uniqueness that i love about the organization – that we get to experience a variety of individuals serving with their individual expressions and talents and gifts poured out in serving the Lord and us.
To conclude AIM in no way forces us to love the Lord a certain way – although they force us to love ur team (and squad mates) in a certain way!
2. Secretive:
They actually force us/strongly encourage us to be very open about everything. With eachother, our friends, family, and everyone we are in contact with.
Part of their initiative for us to become people who live and share our lives and what we feel and think is proved by the blog youre currently reading.
They mandate we blog every week if at all possible, and we are only asked to be sensitive about the ministries we work with and how we share about them especially if they are a high risk kind of ministry for the individuals safety in those countries that may harm the people we write about.
3. Authoritarian:
This can be debunked immediately. They encourage us often to give them feedback and have a monthly survey on how to improve their work with us and the ministries they partner with. And i have never heard a talk where the speakers didnt claim their own fallibility and weaknesses.
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Have i given feedback to leadership?
Although it hasnt always been easy, i have.
Here’s one of those stories:
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Being on the race isnt easy sometimes.
Team leaders must be in on the decisions you make with space formerly your own. You cant sleep where you want, eat what you want, or even always go where you want on your own free time.
Off days arent totally your own.
You have limited options – if its ok with your team, team leader, and even the people back at the office who arent even involved of your day in and day out living than its possible.
Otherwise your desires are not always possible to fulfill. Its not as simple as it seems or as simple and carefree as AIM advertising would have you believe.
I believe many times expectation vs. experience is the reason for many of the disappointments and misundersrandings between racers and AIM, and sadly unwillingness to be wrong what kept people from resolving their differences.
There was a weekend when i had the time and money and teammate available to go to the islands off the coast of thailand for the weekend and id spent all month looking forward to it, only to be told by leadership back at the office that i wasnt allowed to go.
They had their own ideas about what would be “right for me and my teammate right now”. So i couldnt go.
“You can go to coffee shops or whatever in town if you want!” they told me, – as if that was comparble to being able to enjoy the only adventure on the race id allowed myself to entertain thoughts of.
It honestly wasnt my best experience with leadership and left me feeling gyped and cheated of the World Race experience i felt theyd promised me.
I had to work through a lot of my own feelings and honestly the conversation was more involved than that – but the gyst was i wanted to spend my off day a certain way and i couldnt.
Anger and bitterness towards AIM was formed in my heart and i had to wrestle that into submission, and check out if there was any valid reasons i was feeling hurt, and then when i realized there was, i had to take courage and call the office and have an honest talk with leadership and give them the feedback they needed in order that they could grow too.
Part of the biggest pieces of healing i recieved on the race was because of the courage i had in facing leadership and giving feedback that honestly terrified me to give.
Thanks be to God for the courage he gave me to do it. Leadership listened and owned up to their stuff and appologized for what happened.
Another situation that happened to me early on in the race seriously cut me to the core – and i wasnt treated how i should have been. But i gave it to the Lord and told him that i wasnt going to fight for myself.
It took a few months, but the individual who had wronged me came back and met with me face to face and appologized to me for the way theyd treated me.
It was the first time in my life that a leader had come back unchallenged and owned the wrong theyd done to me.
Healing in the form of hot lava tears came.
It didnt bring trust of the individual, but it brought a healing that i couldnt have anticipated nor did i realize i needed.
I cannot express the deep friendships that have been formed either. Not just with specific squad teammates – but with the leadership team – specifically the squad leaders HanaBeth and Charmagne who went out with us originally.
I have been seen, loved on, corrected, and rebuked and still accepted just as i am by leadershop and specifically these two – formerly complete strangers – who i dont deserve as friends.
Its a strange thing to know i have a home if i need it in the homes and hearts of these two ladies.
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Now some things future racers may take into consideration…
Number 1 piece of advice: give feedback to leadership.
If you are planning to go on the race – or even for normal life – be courageous and give feedback.
They say they want it – and despite the fact that they dont always make it easy to do so – no matter how they take it, give it.
Dont hold onto anger and dont allow bitterness to grow in your life about issues you encounter. Your world race experience is also vicariously theirs in certain ways. You work as a team, and the whole team is affected by the way the teammembers react and interact with eachother.
If things happen that shouldnt, (and they will) – and things can happen that give you valid reasons to not go on the race or to leave the race – if things happen that shouldnt, people who are involved in that need valid feedback about their actions and how the results have affected you and others.
Dont be one of those people who give feedback out of spite and your own unresolved upset feelings on a blog somewhere in space.
Dont become a coward or a backstabber.
Dont be one of those world racers who go the whole race talking behind leaderships back to other racers, friends, or family and leave the race never having given feedback during appropriate and applicable times.
Leave the race better than you found it. Be brave. Be honest. Lets be the church and lets talk things out with eachother with goodwill towards eachother and for the mutual betterment of eachothers lives.
And if at all, be at peace with one another. Part ways knowing that honest conversation has laid out everything in order that everyone had a chance to be responsible, appologize, and even change.
Number 2 piece of advice: hold back your reactions until youve had a chance to fairly judge yourself.
No one – not leadership, your teammates, or even yourself – deserves the consequences of your immediate response to things.
Theres going to be many times when you feel like what you feel or what you have to say has to be revealed immediately. But later youll realize that it would have been better to wait and you will wish that you had.
I promise.
Sometimes i felt feedback to a teammate was going to strangle me if i didnt give it – again – but i waited based on my experience of regretting my quick response. And later that person came to me, having realized their own mistake and owning it themselves, and appologized to me. I promise.
The wait is worth it.
Waiting will always give you space and time to think and actually clarify exactly what needs to be said and what doesnt.
The bibles right when it says “be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry”.
Take that verse with you in your heart. Its important to Jesus. Pack it first. That brings me to the last piece of advice.
Number 3 piece of advice: dont pack everything you think youll need.
I dont care where you are going in the world, i promise, if you need it, you can find it!
Now, dont read this and decide to leave your epi-pen or your malaria meds. Pack those! But soaps, shampoos, contact solution, hand sanitizer, baby wipes, tampons, girl! You gonna find them and regret lugging stuff around!!!
You can find journals, you can get tape or glue, or that pen that writes nicely! Even snacks. Ok. You can find it. Dont buy and pack all the stuff you need. Pack a pair of jeans if you wear them all the time. Pack a pair of shorts. Pack an extra shirt and a few pairs of socks – if youre bringing tennis shoes. Most everyone on my squad of 50 wore their chacos everyday, rain, sun, church or school. They didnt really ever wear close toed shoes. And if theyd wanted they coulda bought a pair for like 10 bucks anywhere we went.
Yes. Thrift stores exist around the world! And if you need a dress or skirt you can find them in the country you need it in!
I promise you, the less you bring, the happier you will be. When they say bring your normal clothes, they arent being cryptic. Bring your hoodie if thats your norm go to wear. (Youll regret it if you dont and) Dry fast clothes arent really that comfortable and dont actually really dry faster than anything else. And if you sleep with a big feather pillow – BRING IT.
Bring the basics. Bring your tent, sleeping bag, one extra pair of clothes, ten of the underware you love (normal underware are FINE! i promise!!!), and 2 or 3 extra bras, then come. Headlamp on, cup hanging from your bag, computer and harddrive with as many digital books and movies as youd normally indulge in. Come.
The race, and all God wants to experience with you is waiting for you.
But dont come if you think the world race is going to be more than real life.
— I guess that would be my last piece of advice…the world race is normal life. You wont know or realize this unless and until you come, but the world race is nothing more, and nothing less than really normal life around the world.
I know, i know. You dont understand how that could be possible. How i could even say “normal life” and “around the world” together in the same sentence.
But i dont want anything stollen from your experience.
If you felt called to abandon all you know for a year and seek Gods heart for the world, and your place in it – come.
Come knowing that you will be living normal life in ways and places you normally dont – but that it will feel so normal.
Then, coming and knowing that, you wont become dissapointed in what you thought you were doing, and you wont miss out on all the amazing little everyday pleasures God has to offer you in the norm.
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Ps. Dont under any circumstances buy the osprey airporter. You will regret it so much! …if you already did, i will pray for you!
Coming to you for your pleasure all the way from Kigali, Rwanda!
