The Goal of a DTS is

To Know God And Make Him Known
— Loren Cunningham (YWAM Founder)-

To Know God

The first part of a Discipleship Training School (DTS) is the “lecture phase” and this takes place at our YWAM location in Grand Forks, BC. It is a 12-week live-in school to help you deepen your relationship with God, your knowledge of God’s Word and to discover your calling.
As a student here, you will attend classes on various topics revolving around the character and nature of God. Your international speakers will be comprised of experienced professors, missionaries, and Christian leaders whose stories and insights bring not only head knowledge, but life transformation. Lecture topics include: Intimacy with God, The Father Heart of God, Spiritual Warfare, Inductive Bible Study, Forgiveness, Identity in Christ, Discipleship, Spheres of Society, Missions, Ministry of the Holy Spirit, Evangelism, Biblical Worldview, the Kingdom of God, and lots of equipping for your outreach and your further ministry.
The focus of this DTS is the spheres of society – “How we can influence the world around us.” There will be teaching and application for each of the spheres: government, economics & business, science & technology, church, family, education, communication & media, and arts & entertainment. We believe this focus will help each one to better understand the Biblical worldview, so we can be the light and salt that Jesus wants us to be in our homes and communities, and so we will be better equiped to extend His Kingdom on earth and to be a part of transforming nations.
While in the lecture phase, the students will have the opportunity to experience a time of team-building and strengthening of relationships through a shared experience. This offers opportunities for groups to learn about and develop: cooperation, trust, perseverance, communication, leadership, and creativity. This will be either through Special Games, Niko, or the Ropes Course.
Also, in the lecture phase we will have several excursions on weekends, so that students and staff will have the opportunity to see various parts of our beautiful country of Canada. There will also be weekly outreach into our community as we do friendship evangelism, work with children, youth, and the elderly. There will be many opportunities to work with the local churches, the homeless and serving in practical ways.

To Make Him Known

The second part of the DTS is most commonly known as the “outreach phase”. This is a time for you to share the good news of Jesus Christ with people who have never experienced His love. You will be immersed in a cross-cultural setting with opportunities to put into practice all that you learned in the lecture phase. In the first DTS in GF we sent a team to Cancun, Mexico where they ministered in practical ways such as restoring homes, pouring cement, feeding the hungry and sharing the good news of the Kingdom to an area where the poorest of poor live. We also ministered in many villages surrounding the city. Another highlight was working in the city of Cancun itself; where we were able to do open air evangelism and we saw many come to Christ. This team also worked in various cities and towns of Cuba. Another great experience that is hard to forget! In the second DTS God led us to Colombia where we work in various ministries and locations. One of the weeks, the team even had the opportunity to work with an indigenous people group in the mountains of Colombia!
The third DTS worked for one month in two Mayan villages and among the poor near Cancun plus another month in Costa Rica.

The outreach for the fourth DTS was in Ghana, Africa.