If you have met someone from Youth With A Mission, they probably started with a Discipleship Training School. The DTS is the first step for anyone who wants to serve with YWAM, but most people who do one are not planning a career in missions. They come because they want to know God more deeply and find out what He has made them for.
Two phases, five months
A DTS lasts about five months. The first twelve weeks are the lecture phase: you live in community at a YWAM base, and each week a different speaker teaches on one subject, such as the character of God, hearing His voice, the Father heart of God, identity in Christ, relationships, or God's heart for the nations.
Mornings usually begin with personal time with God and worship. The rest of the day mixes teaching, small groups, practical work around the base and ministry in the city. It is not a classroom you leave at five o'clock: you learn as much from living with people from other nations as from the lectures.
The second phase is outreach. For eight weeks the school travels as a team to another place to serve local churches and ministries: evangelism, children's work, prayer, practical help. This is where what you heard becomes what you do.
Who is it for?
A DTS is for followers of Jesus who are eighteen or older and want to grow. You do not need to be a theologian, a missionary or particularly confident. Many students arrive between studies and work, after a hard season, or simply hungry for more of God.
You do need to be willing to be stretched. Living in community, receiving honest feedback and serving in unfamiliar places is not always comfortable. Almost every graduate says that is exactly where they met God.
A DTS in Granada
Our school in Granada is taught in English and Spanish. Granada is a city where Europe and North Africa meet, with a large university and a visible Muslim community, so cross-cultural ministry starts on your doorstep before outreach even begins.
The DTS is a course of the University of the Nations, YWAM's university, and it opens the door to further training and to serving on staff with YWAM anywhere in the world.
If you are wondering whether this is for you, the best next step is a conversation. Visit the DTS Granada site to see the dates and send us your questions.