Discover Your Gifts
Discipleship Training School (DTS) is a life-changing five-month program that builds a solid foundation of personal growth and relationship with Jesus. It starts with twelve weeks of biblical teaching, real-life application, and ongoing discipleship, all geared towards helping you know God better. Then you’ll take your growing love for Jesus and share it with others on an eight-week overseas mission trip.
Know God Better
You’ll not only explore new places with people who feel like family—you’ll also experience the adventure of knowing Him more deeply and seeing Him work through you to reach others.
Learn Alongside Like-Minded People
Encounter God’s love for you in deep, personal ways. Learn about your identity in Christ. Discover more of your purpose. Grow alongside others in our missionary community – and forge lifelong friendships. Gain confidence and real cross-cultural experience as you ditch your comfort zone and introduce others to the life-changing hope of who Jesus is.
What to Expect in DTS
A YWAM DTS begins with twelve weeks of powerful teaching and in-depth discipleship. Our training takes you deep, rooting you in the truth of God’s Word and helping you grow in His love as you walk more closely with Him. And that’s just the beginning! Here in our missionary community, we’re all learning and growing as we pursue Jesus together.
Here’s what it’ll look like:
DISCIPLESHIP
Our training takes you deep, rooting you in the truth of God’s Word and helping you grow in His love as you encounter Him in real, practical ways.
BELONGING
We’re known for how we love one another. You’ll feel like you’re part of the family – because you are!
FUNDRAISING
We’ll work with you to develop skill and confidence in raising funds for ministry, so don’t let the cost hold you back.
Customize Your YWAM DTS
You have the option of choosing the “flavor” for your DTS experience. Electives maintain the core training of a DTS while adding an emphasis near to your heart. Upcoming DTS electives include :
Stories
What people say
"DTS changed my view of God. I didn't understand how personal He was, but God showed me that He wanted to be involved in every part of my life."
Gabe
DTS Graduate
“In India I stepped out and shared my life story with a family and the father ended up giving his life to Christ.”
Marissa
DTS Graduate
“On my DTS outreach God showed me the importance of taking advantage of every ministry opportunity He gives me, no matter where I am…whether here in a park in Louisville or in the townships of South Africa. He will always use our obedience.”
Jacoby
DTS Graduate
"During my DTS outreach I felt prompted to tell 'Ashley' that God was her loving father. I obeyed and was surprised when she started crying and said this was exactly what she needed to hear in that moment. I am still amazed when God uses me."
Martha
DTS Graduate
FAQs
A YWAM DTS is a five-month, in-depth discipleship program that includes a 12-week teaching phase followed by an 8-week mission trip. It’s a “heart-change” course designed to give you a solid foundation of personal growth and relationship with Jesus – whether you’re interested in a career in missions or simply taking time to get to know God better.
While it’s hard to pin down a “normal” day during DTS, you’ll almost always begin your day by doing these two things:
Quiet Time – We start off each morning with time set aside to connect personally with the Lord through prayer and Bible study.
Class – Afterwards, you’ll join your teammates in the classroom where we’ll focus on a different topic each week. Here are some examples of what you’ll learn:
- How to Hear God's Voice
- Healing from Past Hurt
- How to Study and Understand the Bible
- Knowing Who You Are in Christ
- How to Relate to Others
- How to Share the Gospel
- And tons more!
You’ll be amazed at how these two daily disciplines will transform how you think and how you interact with God on a daily basis!
After that, each day starts to vary depending on the day of the week. But here are the types of activities you can expect:
- Small Groups – These groups of men or women provide an opportunity to build deep friendships while processing what God is doing in their lives, praying for one another, and offering accountability and encouragement. The YWAM staff member who leads your small group will also meet one-on-one with you each week.
- Ministry Prep – You’ll gain the rock-solid confidence to share your faith anywhere, with specific training for the cross-cultural ministry of your DTS mission trip. This often includes creative tools like dramas and music.
- Worship – These times are the heartbeat of DTS. We’ll gather regularly to direct our hearts and our songs to Jesus, and to pray as he leads us.
- Local Ministry – Throughout your DTS you’ll be a part of a smaller ministry team that shows God’s love to Louisville through things like after-school programs, homeless ministry, service, evangelism, and more.
- Work Detail – Like most families, our YWAM family works together to see that practical needs are met. As part of your DTS training you’ll be given responsibilities that range from general cleaning to meal prep or yard work.
See more information on the course overview page
Each week we’ll bring in speakers who have experience in ministry and in walking with the Lord. They’ll teach us on a foundational aspect of following Jesus. Our class times are interactive and challenging, focusing on real-life application. Our goal is for the truth to sink deep into our hearts, changing us from the inside out.
Topics include:
- Intimacy with Jesus
- How to Hear God’s Voice
- God-Honoring Relationships
- Becoming More Like Jesus
- Knowing and Trusting God’s Character
- How to Share the Gospel
- Effective Prayer
- How to Study and Understand the Bible
- Healing from Past Hurts
- Knowing Who You Are in Christ
- Spiritual Warfare
DTS is open for high school graduates and older. Yes, we’re called “Youth With A Mission,” but there’s no age cap; many of our staff are well beyond their college years, and we often have students of all types. So whether you’re a married couple, a family with children, retirees, or fresh out of high school, you are welcome!
- September DTS: $3390 tuition + $295 conference fee
- January DTS: $3390 tuition
- March DTS: $3390 tuition + $195 conference fee
- There’s an additional fee, ranging from $110-190, for the additional resources and training included in DTS electives (like the Music & Worship DTS or the Basketball Elective). Check out our electives page for more details!
- Please note that the tuition covers the first three months of DTS. The outreach portion is a separate expense. The conference fee covers the cost of a special, week-long conference that you’ll attend.
- Another note: We have had a 100% success rate in students raising their own money. So if you commit to the fundraising process, we’re confident God will provide!
DTS outreach costs vary depending on location. If you don’t have all of the funds for your outreach, don’t stress. Our staff don’t raise the money for you, but we will help you raise anything you still need once you get here. And at YWAM Louisville we’ve had a 100% success rate with people who are committed to doing whatever it takes to make it happen.
During DTS, we’ll walk you through a simple process to raise your outreach money. We start by looking at what the Bible says about funding missions and then we lead you through the steps to involve people you already know as sponsors for your outreach. We do this together as a whole team, and we call it the “All for One” approach to funding our outreach.
In the meantime, we’d encourage you to bring whatever funds you may already have toward the mission trip expense and to get in touch with us if you have further questions.
Remember, of the students who commit to the process, 100% of them raise their money every single year – even though to most of them it seems impossible! God always provides. He can and will give you what you need to do what he calls you to do.