What It’s Really Like to Live in Intentional Community for a Year

Living in intentional community sounds beautiful in theory – shared meals, deep conversations, meaningful prayer. And on the World Race, you’ll experience all of that. But what makes this kind of community life so transformative isn’t just the highs, it’s how God uses the everyday moments, the challenges, and even the conflicts to refine you.

Because real community isn’t just about living together. It’s about growing together.

Why Community Is at the Core of the World Race

The World Race is built on intentional community for a reason. We believe discipleship happens best when it’s done in relationship. Over your time on the field, your squad becomes more than teammates, they become family. They’re the people you celebrate with, cry with, pray with, and sometimes have to forgive and ask forgiveness from.

You don’t just do ministry together.
You do life together.

And through that shared life, God teaches you how to love more deeply, listen more fully, and serve more selflessly.

What Does Intentional Community Actually Look Like?

Here’s what you can expect:

• Team Living: You’ll live with a small team within your squad, sharing homes, meals, and ministry. Yes, that includes tight quarters, shared chores, and those moments when someone’s snoring keeps you up. It’s all part of the experience.
• Shared Rhythms: From morning devotionals to debrief circles, worship nights to conflict resolution meetings, your time together is structured to build trust and foster vulnerability.
• Accountability and Support: You’ll have leaders, mentors, and peers walking alongside you, asking hard questions, speaking truth in love, and pointing you back to Jesus when you need it most.
• Celebrating Wins and Bearing Burdens: Whether it’s sharing a birthday cake in a small village or praying someone through homesickness, your community becomes a safe place to be fully known.

The Challenges (And Why They Matter)

Living in intentional community will stretch you.

It’s easy to love people at a distance. It’s harder when you’re sharing bathrooms, budgets, and burdens. Differences in personality, background, and expectations will surface. Conflict will happen. But through it, God will teach you grace, patience, and humility.

The Race gives you tools – like feedback loops, conflict management, and group processing – to navigate those challenges in healthy, Kingdom-minded ways.

How God Uses Community to Transform You

It’s in the mundane moments, the long travel days, the shared silence during tough seasons, the spontaneous dance parties in kitchens, where God often does His deepest work.

You’ll learn:

• How to serve when you’re tired
• How to forgive when it’s hard
• How to speak life over others
• How to let yourself be known, flaws and all
• How to celebrate others’ strengths and let them cover your weaknesses

By the end, you’ll realize it wasn’t just about the ministry you did together. It was about becoming more like Christ together.

Ready to Experience It for Yourself?

The World Race isn’t just about seeing the world. It’s about seeing what happens when you say yes to deep community, real accountability, and spiritual growth alongside others who are just as hungry for Jesus as you are.

Upcoming World Race Gap Year Routes | August 2026

Guatemala, Thailand, South Africa, Eswatini
Ages 18–20 | 9 Months | Now Open

Thailand, Malaysia, Albania, Guatemala
Ages 17–20 | 9 Months | Now Open

Eswatini, Vietnam, Philippines, Colombia
Ages 18–20 | 9 Months | Now Open

Ready to leave comfort behind and step into Kingdom community?
Start your journey today → worldrace.org