‘It felt like a demon was inside me’: young Christian missionaries allege spiritual abuse

They travel the world to convert every ‘tribe, tongue and nation’ to Jesus. But behind the scenes, young missionaries describe discipline, pressure and strict controls

• Christian missionary group accused of public shaming and rituals to ‘cure’ sexual sin

One Sunday last summer, 5,000 young people packed into the Wembley Arena for a “mass gathering of gen Z Jesus followers”. They danced to Christian rock, hugged, wept and sang. Between performances, charismatic leaders proclaimed something “huge” was afoot.

“Tonight kicks something off,” said Andy Byrd, a leader of Youth With a Mission (YWAM). He told the crowd they were witnessing the start of a “spiritual awakening”. Soon, the UK would send out “thousands of missionaries” to preach the name of Jesus – and “see every tribe, tongue and nation worshipping before the throne”.