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Atmosphere and feature ratings above are based on Best Retreats research (October 2026). They will be updated if Ágape Church submits its own information.

Ágape Church: An In-Depth Review for Retreats near Houston, Texas

Ágape Church for Soul, Mind & Body is a small, interfaith ayahuasca church based in Conroe, Texas, founded in 2019 by Raquel Saenz, its lead pastor, and Sergio Saenz, a military veteran. It holds members-only weekend “sacramental prayer” retreats for about 10 people at private properties near Houston, with suggested donations of $750 to $1,133, and runs a retreat for veterans and first responders. Guests rate it highly, 4.8 from 20 reviews on AyaAdvisors. The concerns are legal and medical. Ayahuasca’s active compound, DMT, is a federally controlled substance, and the church claims no DEA exemption or court protection. By its own account it does not require licensed medical staff on site and relies on calling 911. One unverified review alleges a cancelled retreat and money still owed. We found no deaths, arrests or lawsuits. Our earlier profile needs correcting on location, leadership and reviews.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Conroe, Texas, with retreats at private properties “near Houston,” according to the church’s ayahuasca page. Addresses are shared only after a registration is accepted. Our earlier profile described a “rural Florida setting”; we found no source for that.
• Approach: Interfaith prayer ceremonies with ayahuasca, which the church calls yagé, led by pastors who describe themselves as “facilitators, not shamans,” with live medicine music, fire circles and community integration. Guests must first apply for membership and accept a code of ethics, according to its membership page.
• Suitable For: People in Texas who want a small, community-style ceremony weekend close to home, including veterans, and who accept the legal risk and the absence of medical staff. Not suited to anyone who needs medical supervision or legal certainty.
• Costs: Two-night weekends with suggested donations of $750 to $900 in 2026 and $1,133 in 2027, with a non-refundable minimum donation of $375 to $500 once a registration is accepted, according to its retreat calendar. Shared lodging and meals are included. Scholarships may be available for the Heroes retreat.
• Overall Assessment: A warmly reviewed, small and transparent church community with a written code of conduct and a sober team member in every ceremony, offset by no DEA exemption, no medical staff by design, non-refundable donations and an unresolved refund complaint. Directory evaluation: B-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Here is how Ágape Church rates across review platforms in October 2026:

The positive picture. AyaAdvisors reviewers, from August 2025 to May 2026, praise knowledgeable facilitators, a welcoming community, comfortable lodging, a serene setting, healthy food, the music and the church’s focus on veterans. Testimonials on the church’s site describe transformation and rebirth, and one describes recovery after a brain injury. Our earlier profile cited similar reviews on safeceremonies.com calling the retreats “transformative” and one guest saying it “saved my life,” and Facebook group comments describing a calm environment.

The negative feedback. A one-star AyaAdvisors review says a January 2026 retreat was cancelled on the morning it was due to start, that a $350 deposit was refunded in March 2026, and that $781 is still owed, with promises of repayment having stopped. The figures in the review do not fully add up, and the church has not responded publicly. The account is unverified. Our earlier profile also noted Reddit discussion pointing out the lack of on-site medical staff, which the church’s own FAQ now confirms.

Who is writing the reviews. Most independent feedback sits on AyaAdvisors, where the listing is unclaimed and the church has not answered the negative review. The church’s own testimonials page displays a 5.0 AyaAdvisors badge, while the platform shows 4.8. Our earlier profile attributed the 4.8 rating to Retreat Guru; it is AyaAdvisors. We found no review incentives. If you have attended, we encourage you to share your experience through our submission form.

🚩 Incident Report

We searched review platforms, Texas and national news, court and regulatory sources for reports involving Ágape Church, Raquel Saenz and Sergio Saenz.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found. The church’s code of conduct prohibits sexual advances during ceremonies and retreats.
• Theft and crime: No reports found. The refund complaint described above remains unverified.
• Legal action: No arrests, police or DEA action, or lawsuits found. Do not confuse Ágape Church with Soul Quest Church of the Mother Earth, an unrelated Florida ayahuasca church that was ordered to pay $15 million over a 2018 retreat death, as WFTV reported.

If you have experienced or witnessed an incident at Ágape Church, please report it confidentially.

🔍 Critical Notes

The legal position. DMT, the psychoactive compound in ayahuasca, is a Schedule I controlled substance under US federal law and Texas law. In Gonzales v. O Centro (2006) the Supreme Court protected one church’s sincere religious use of ayahuasca under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, but that protection came after years of litigation. Under the DEA’s guidelines, other religious groups are expected to petition for an exemption and not to use controlled substances until one is granted, and legal commentators say the agency rarely grants them, according to Harris Sliwoski. Ágape Church claims no DEA exemption, petition or court ruling on any page we reviewed, and we found none. Participants and leaders carry real legal risk.

No medical staff, by design. The church’s FAQ says it “does not require licensed medical professionals to be onsite,” that “a sober member of the Ágape team is always present” in ceremonies, and that “in any medical emergency, our response is to call 911.” It says venues are generally chosen within reasonable reach of an emergency clinic or hospital, but because venues are undisclosed, guests cannot check that in advance.

Donations that work like fees. The church says it “does not charge for the sacraments,” but each retreat has a suggested donation and a minimum donation that becomes non-refundable once a registration is accepted. The published policy does not say what happens if the church cancels, which is the situation described in the one-star review. Get the cancellation terms in writing.

Corrections to our earlier profile. Raquel Saenz is the church’s founder and lead pastor, not only a co-facilitator; Sergio Saenz is pastor and co-founder. Misk’i Takiy, an officiant and medicine musician from England who lives in Peru, leads the Four Altars retreat; our earlier profile also gave his first name as Gareth and said he had guided for over a decade, which we could not confirm. The church’s integration is “not psychotherapy,” by its own description, so our earlier reference to therapy does not fit. The 8-day Peru pilgrimages our earlier profile listed for 2025 are no longer offered, and we found no source for the 1,250 figure on our earlier page.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Ágape reviews each registration for contraindications, medications, psychiatric history, recent crises and pregnancy, and warns that it “cannot responsibly evaluate information that is incomplete, inaccurate, or intentionally withheld.” It tells guests not to stop prescribed medication in order to attend and says some medications “may be incompatible with particular sacraments,” but it does not name SSRIs or MAOIs or publish a contraindication list. Integration is described as “spiritual and community-based,” not medical or crisis care. ICEERS notes that ayahuasca’s MAOI component makes combinations with SSRIs and other serotonergic medications contraindicated, and that ayahuasca is contraindicated for people prone to psychosis. Erowid warns of extreme, possibly fatal reactions with some prescription drugs. Ask which medications are excluded and where the nearest hospital is to the venue. Never stop a psychiatric medication to qualify for a retreat without your prescriber’s guidance.

🧪 Brew Substance

The church calls its sacrament ayahuasca or yagé and does not publish its recipe or source. Traditional ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains. Most weekends include two ceremonies, and the Four Altars retreat three. The Men’s Rite retreat includes a tobacco prayer. One testimonial mentions bufo, kambo and San Pedro, in a context that is unclear. Ask exactly what is in each cup and how doses are set.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Private rural properties in the Houston area, chosen for each retreat and disclosed after acceptance. Lodging is shared, and private rooms are “not always available.”
• Style: A church community rather than a retreat center. Expect prayer ceremonies to “the God of your choice,” live medicine music, fire circles, shared meals and community integration, with dedicated retreats for women, men, and veterans and first responders.

Practical guidance: Fly into Houston (IAH or HOU) and plan your own ground transport; no airport transfers are mentioned. Retreats run from Friday evening to Sunday.

Should You Book?

Ágape Church may suit you if you want a small, faith-based ceremony weekend in Texas with a warm community and a strong focus on veterans, and you understand and accept the legal risk of ayahuasca use without a DEA exemption. The trade-offs: no medical staff on site, an emergency plan that relies on 911 at undisclosed venues, non-refundable donations, and an unresolved refund complaint. If you go, get the venue’s distance to a hospital, the medication exclusions and the cancellation terms in writing, and read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

The church’s team page describes Raquel Saenz as founder and lead pastor, and Sergio Saenz as pastor and co-founder, a veteran, medicine musician and integration coach who also founded the Agape Heroes Foundation, a related but separate charity. Misk’i Takiy is described as an officiant, traditional healer and medicine musician. The church says it has operated since 2019 and draws on teachings “received from Taitas, Curanderos, elders,” without naming a lineage. No legal entity is published. We did not independently verify anyone’s credentials.

Prep & Integration Tips

Before you go: Complete the membership application and registration fully, list every medication and supplement, and talk with your own doctor well before the retreat. Follow the dieta preparation the church describes. After you return: The church offers spiritual and community integration. Arrange support from a qualified therapist at home as well. Our guide on how to research ayahuasca incidents can help you check any center.

Pros & Cons

Book Your Ceremony

Membership applications and registrations go through agape4smb.com. Open dates include a Men’s Rite weekend on November 20 to 22, 2026, and Amor Agape weekends in February, May and July 2027 at a suggested donation of $1,133. Before paying, confirm in writing the venue and its distance to a hospital, which medications are excluded, and what happens to your donation if the church cancels. Best Retreats does not take bookings; learn more about our mission.

Last reviewed October 2026.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified medical professional.