Discipleship Training School

In a YWAM DTS you will learn more of who God is and travel the world on a journey to make His love known.

Grow

Get Discipled

YWAM's 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 at our YWAM Louisville Campus. Then you’ll take your growing love for Jesus and share it with others on an eight-week overseas mission trip.

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Experience

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

Be 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 create lifelong friendships. Gain confidence and real cross-cultural experience as you step out of your comfort zone and introduce others to the life-changing hope of who Jesus is.

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What to Expect in a YWAM DTS

A YWAM DTS is full 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.

BELONGING

We’re known for how we love one another. You’ll feel like you’re part of the family – because you are!

DISCIPLESHIP

During DTS you will have weekly one-on-one discipleship that takes you deep, rooting you in the truth of God’s Word and helping you grow in His love.

WORSHIP & PRAYER

Three times a week we come together as a community and praise Him from the overflow of our heart.

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What is A YWAM DTS?

DTS Has Two Parts:

DTS Lecture Phase

It’s a chance to broaden your perspective and deepen your understanding of God.

Schedule For Lecture Phase

Wondering what your DTS schedule will look like?

Learn, grow, and build friendships that will last a lifetime through class, homework, group outings, and downtime. 

To see a more detailed schedule, click the button below!

Aspects of Lecture Phase

YWAM Worship and Music

Worship & Prayer

Regular times of gathering to worship Jesus are central to the rhythm of DTS.

YWAM devotional and studying bible

Quiet Times

We connect with God everyday by spending time reading the bible, praying, doing devotionals, and listening to worship music.

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Local Ministry

Each week we go throughout the city, build friendships and share Jesus through things like homeless ministry such as Exit 0 and Salvation Army, service project with Love City, and more.

DTS Outreach Phase

Apply what you will learn in lecture phase by taking the Gospel to the nations!

Stories

What People Say About YWAM?

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Lizzy King

“My time at YWAM helped to grow my relationship with Christ immensely. While there, I learned that I am not only loved by the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, but that He longs for a relationship with me, that He can and does speak to me. I now have a closer, more loving, and more personal relationship with the Lord than I ever had before.”

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Jarrett Shamp

My relationship with the Lord navigated in ways I didn’t expect. I learned to trust and surrender, and find joy in times of challenge, none of that confidence being found in me but rather in the Lord. I really learned when you see the Lord come through you can’t not trust him.“

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Lydia Malitte

"My time at YWAM Louisville deepened my relationship with the Lord in finding joy in surrender and letting go of destructive habits. I have learned to build healthy relationships with the people around me knowing that God is trustworthy. In that way I also allowed God to break down walls that hindered me from receiving love.”

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Adrian Lee

Before coming to YWAM I didn’t know what it meant to have a relationship with God: how to listen to Him, how to spend time with Him, how to love Him and how to accept His love. Going to YWAM helped me learn all these things and what it truly means to be a follower of Christ.

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Lia Ylitao

I grew up going to church all my life but it wasn't until DTS that I truly got to know who God was. In DTS, I read all of the old testament for the first time and learned that I don't need to be perfect to earn the Lord's love. He loves me in good times and the hard times.

What Others Have Learned

In DTS

Discipleship Training School is full of opportunities to grow. You’ll discover things that you need to learn  and things you didn’t know that you didn’t know before coming to DTS. Here are somethings that previous students learned within the first few weeks:

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Sehrena

God's Grace

I didn’t understand the extent of God’s grace before I came. One of the speakers we had opened my eyes to how you don’t have to earn your place at God’s table. 

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Erin

Power of God's Love

I didn’t understand the power of God’s love for me and that I get to choose to accept it and then return it to him. 

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Zach

I Thought I Wasn’t Prideful

That pride can be valuing yourself above or below what you truly are. I thought I wasn’t prideful but thought of myself below who God created me to be, and didn’t realize that was a problem before DTS.

Upcoming YWAM DTS Dates & Costs

September

Sep 17, 2023 - Feb 24, 2024

TUITION
$3490

includes classes, training, and materials 

OUTREACH

cost based on outreach location

+$295 fee for a week-long conference

January

Jan 7, 2024 – Jun 1, 2024

TUITION
$3490

includes classes, training, and materials

OUTREACH

cost based on outreach location

Personalize Your YWAM DTS

At this YWAM location, 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. Our upcoming DTS electives include :

CULTURAL ENCOUNTER

BASKETBALL

CREATE

MUSIC & WORSHIP

VOLLEYBALL

Disc Golf

Considered a Gap Year?

Do a full-year of missions by combining your Discipleship Training School with the School of Ministry Development (SOMD) to make a YWAM Gap Year.

How Do I Pay For My YWAM DTS?

Do not know how to raise the funds for tuition? Here are some of the ways you can raise the money to come to DTS.

  • Pray and Trust God

  • Ask Friends And Family

  • Ask Your Church

  • Get A Job

What Can You Do After YWAM?

Discipleship Training School opens a door to a world of possibilities with YWAM and other organizations. Once you have completed a DTS, you have several options in front of you.

MINISTRY


Become part of another ministry or join a local church.

MISSIONS


Join any YWAM Location across the world to attend a secondary school after DTS or serve as a full-time missionary.

COLLEGE


Start University or College knowing who God is and knowing more of what you want to do in life.

WORKPLACE


DTS teaches you skills needed to thrive in any workplace. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How old do I have to be to do a DTS?

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!

What topics will be covered during the classroom phase?

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
What does a normal day look like?

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!

Other Weekly Aspects of DTS

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 Preparation

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

How much does DTS cost?
  • September DTS: $3490 tuition + $295 conference fee
  • January DTS: $3390 tuition
  • There’s an additional fee, ranging from $110-190, for the additional resources and training included in DTS electives (like the Music & Worship 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! 
  • How to pay for your DTS Tuition
How do I pay for the DTS outreach phase?

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.

Checkout our page on fundraising for DTS and our suggestions

What is a Discipleship Training School (DTS)?

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.

Have More Questions?
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