Don't go to this church. Don't join the Guts Internship or GutsX Program. If I could give negative stars, I would. Before you consider it, check out the Reddit page--there are even worse stories than mine. If you've seen Shiny Happy People Season 2 on Amazon Prime, you've already seen a glimpse of what goes on inside Guts Church. That documentary isn't just similar--it could be their actual playbook. What's marketed as discipleship and leadership is really a tightly controlled environment filled with emotional, spiritual, and psychological abuse. Some of the stories I'm sharing are from my own experience; others come from fellow interns who suffered the same treatment. I stayed quiet for a long time, but now I'm speaking up--not for attention or bitterness, but because people need to know the truth.
One of the most disturbing parts of the internship is "G Week," also called The Gauntlet, which happens several times a year. In winter, we were dragged outside at 4 a.m. to work out in freezing snow, hauling heavy chains up and down sidewalks. In summer, we were forced to run repeatedly up and down Skiatook Hill until people vomited or collapsed. Which version you got depended on who was running it. Some classes were taken to Turkey Mountain for "trust" exercises where you had to fall off rocks into teammates' arms or jump off the church's back dock. Others were sent to zipline towers or tall wooden structures. One woman refused to jump and was told she'd have to do it later--or her whole team would be punished. There was no professional supervision, no regard for emotional or physical safety. You either complied or were shamed.
We were expected to push through injuries, illness, and fear. Tears were treated as weakness, and fear was said to mean a lack of faith. We had to memorize elders' names, core values, and teammates' names--all while staff screamed scripture verses at us. People who struggled were openly mocked. I witnessed many break down mentally and physically, but it was somehow considered a badge of honor to keep going, no matter the toll.
The toxic culture extended beyond the physical challenges. Interns were bullied by each other and staff, and leadership often turned a blind eye--or even enabled it. If you weren't liked by someone in leadership, you were treated like disposable property. If you spoke up, you were told to look inward and repent, as if you were the problem. Meanwhile, the bullies were promoted, protected, and praised as "strong leaders." Silence was rewarded far more than integrity ever was.
Extreme control was disguised as spiritual growth. The entire program trains you to submit without question. You're told what to wear, what to watch, who to talk to, and how to speak. You work exhausting hours for free--while also paying monthly tuition to be there. If someone left the program, we were discouraged or even forbidden from talking to them. Questioning or raising concerns meant being labeled rebellious, out of order, or spiritually immature. One Reddit user shared how someone broke into their room and poured water on them for not waking fast enough for morning workouts. That intern had asthma--this could have been dangerous. People laughed. The person who did it is now a leader. The victim was punished.
Power at the top is inherited, not earned. I personally witnessed the lead pastor's granddaughter walking around the church telling staff she could get them fired--and people took her seriously because she could. That's the culture here: power isn't earned, it's inherited, protected, and unchecked.
The final breaking point came during the church's big Christmas outreach. I volunteered, hoping to end the year by doing something good. Low-income families were invited to receive gifts. But the lead pastor stood in front of these families and said they should be more grateful--that the money used for the event could have been spent on presents for her grandchildren instead. That moment confirmed everything I had been wrestling with. This place isn't about generosity. It's not about God. It's about ego, control, and image.
Don't go here. The people are awful. The leadership is worse. And if this gets deleted by them, it only proves the truth. read more