DTS BREAKDOWN

dts timeline at ywam muizenberg

All of our DTS's at YWAM Muizenberg are structured in the following format. DTS Staff are required to be on the ground in Muizenberg at least three months prior to the start date of the school they are staffing (preferably at the start if the previous quarter). For specific quarter dates view the Training Calendar. 

  • 3 Week Staff Training

  • 11 Week Lecture Phase

  • 10 Week Outreach

  • 2 Week Debrief

23 UofN Credits per DTS

It is the responsibility and privilege of all our DTS School Leaders to deepen their understanding of the framework and heartbeat of the DTS as YWAM's foundational formation space. As Darlene Cunningham has often quipped, "as the DTS goes, so goes the mission" ... so it is with great respect and trust that we as YWAM Muizenberg pick up the mantle of inviting people the world over into our global family through continuing to develop and run Discipleship Training Schools.

We ask that as DTS School Leaders you treat the foundational elements of the DTS (The Purposes & Outcomes, DTS Guidelines and Core Curriculum) which are handed to us by the International DTS Center as your ground floor. Please work diligently to familiarize yourself with the following as it is the School Leaders responsibility to maintain standards and guidelines. 

For more in-depth information and for access to heaps of resources please visit the DTS Centers Website. 

DTS Purpose & OUTCOMES

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(documents in downloadable .pdf format)

Purpose and Outcomes of DTS approved by YWAM's GLT August 25, 2001

  1. To GATHER and CHALLENGE people to worship, listen to and obey God, releasing them (in the context of the DTS) to serve through evangelism, intercession, acts of compassion and other expressions of God's heart for the world, possibly even pioneering new ministries.

  2. To INSPIRE and CULTIVATE growth in one's relationship with God resulting in Christ like character, which is based on a solid Biblical foundation, the work of the Holy Spirit and the personal application of Biblical truth, especially concerning God's Character, the Cross and empowering Grace.

  3. To SHARPEN one's ability to relate to, learn from and work with people, including those of different cultures, personalities and perspectives.

  4. To further EQUIP each one to serve God's purposes either in or outside of YWAM Family of Ministries, strengthening a commitment to reach the lost, especially the unreached, to care for the poor, and to influence all areas of society.

  5. To IMPART the vision and foundational values of Youth With A Mission International as well as that of the host operating location and to provide information regarding a variety of opportunities for service.

 

The DTS aims to graduate students ...

  • with a growing understanding of the breadth and depth of God’s character and ways

  • who are becoming more like Jesus in the way they relate to God and people

  • who increasingly cooperate with the empowering presence of the endwelling Holy Spirit

  • who listen to and obey God as the result of God’s enabling Grace

  • who search the Scripture in such a way that transforms beliefs, values and behaviors

  • with strengthened lifestyles of worship, intercession and spiritual warfare

  • with a greater ability to work with others, especially those different to themselves

  • who can share the Gospel with the lost and have a life long commitment to do so

  • with a commitment to continue to be involved in some way with God’s work among the nations, including unreached people, the poor and needy and in spheres of society

  • who understand the calling and values of YWAM and are aware of a variety of opportunities available to them throughout YWAM

  • with a clearer understanding of God’s purposes for their life and a sense of their life direction

  • who either:

  • go on to serve God in either a context familiar or foreign to them

  • pursue further training (in or outside of YWAM) to equip them for further service.

DTS Guidelines

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In order for your DTS students to receive U of N credit for the DTS, each learning week of the DTS must be properly registered on a U of N Form A and be accompanied by the appropriate course registration fee. 

The Form A was revised in 2005 to make the registration process easier for you and more helpful to us. You can obtain a Form A registration packet, including course registration fee information, by writing to your designated U of N Regional Records Office.

  1. The purpose and basic curriculum of the DTS have been defined by the international leadership of YWAM and U of N. To ensure that the DTS stays on course with the vision, it is essential that DTS leaders keep the purpose statements in focus, that specific goals and objectives of each school support the fulfillment of the overall purpose statements, and that the content be complete.

  2. The DTS must contain a minimum of 11 teaching content weeks, with a minimum of 12 teaching content hours per week for one language ( a minimum of 16 hours for a bi-lingual school) in addition to the other learning activities described in the document on "Full Learning Week". The DTS must contain a minimum of 8 Field Assignment weeks. However, all leaders are encouraged to run a 24-week DTS course which will enable students to receive the maximum 24 credits allowed for a U of N DTS. This is based on the credit evaluation of one credit per "full learning week".

  3. The DTS is a full-time Christian training school. It is designed such that individuals are required to pull away from their jobs and school etc. for a specific time period and give their undivided attention to being trained in the DTS.

  4. Each week of the complete DTS course must be a "Full Learning Week" as described in the document entitled "Full Learning Weeks". Three hours of intercession are required per week throughout all of the DTS course weeks.

  5. Regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings between staff and students are to be carried out for feedback, assessment & evaluation. Our goal is one such individual meeting a week. See the "One on Ones in the DTS" document.

  6. The DTS/CDTS is to contain a minimum of 8 Field Assignment/Outreach weeks throughout the total course and is to be carried forth in accordance with the guidelines defined in the U of N Reference Guide documents entitled “YWAM/U of N Field Assignment-Outreach Policy and Procedure”. "DTS Outreach Fruitful Practice", "Minimum Criteria for DTS Staff". The primary emphasis of the DTS/CDTS outreach is to be evangelism, not only intercession or physical work, and is to include a minimum of 30 hours per week of ministry activity serving people outside of the team. Ministry strategies are to come out of prayer. The majority of ministry activity is to involve connecting with people with the aim of facilitating them becoming followers of Jesus. (evangelism) The outreach is to include a minimum of 15 hours per week of other structured learning activities such as communication, team building, ministry debriefing, feedback, sharing of needs, prayer for individuals, ministry prep including at least 3 hours of intercession, and 3 times of worship as a team (God-focused time) that is spread throughout each week of the outreach. We should also endeavor to expose our students to the three aspects of the ministry calling of YWAM which includes Mercy Ministries. There should be a positive, cross-cultural evangelistic experience so that each one sees fruit. We want the students to see missions in action, and to like missions. As well, the outreach weeks should be a conscious “putting into practice” of the teaching content throughout the DTS/CDTS. Outreach leaders should be constantly helping the students see how to apply the teaching to their lives and ministry. (i.e. How does the Father Heart of God apply in this outreach situation? What about the application of spiritual warfare, giving up rights, relationships, the Word, etc.)

  7. YWAM’s Foundational Values are to be taught, modeled, and integrated into your DTS. See the document entitled "The Foundational Values of Youth With a Mission".

  8. The setting for your DTS is to be a live/learn environment as described in the U of N Catalogue (in the general information section). The live/learn philosophy is a community learning concept that accelerates and deepens the educational process.

  9. Qualified trained leaders and staff in character, calling, gifting, and ability are necessary to run a DTS effectively. Therefore, there is to be ongoing DTS staff/leadership training at the local base level. DTS staff/leaders cannot create, nor lead, a quality DTS that meets international requirements without ongoing equipping for the task. Therefore the training of the DTS school staff/leaders must be valued in such a way that DTS staff/leaders have the time in their schedule to be trained prior to and during the DTS. DTS staff/leaders should not be expected to fulfill time-consuming non-DTS roles on the base for several weeks before or during the DTS. (i.e. roles that compete with their equipping and ability to fulfill their responsibilities with the DTS.) note: 'qualified' assumes the local base leadership has set minimum standards for qualification. See the documents entitled "U of N School Leaders Preamble"; "U of N School Leaders Characteristics"; "U of N School Leaders Accountability"; "U of N School Leaders Responsibilities"; Who Can Lead A U of N School?," Minimum Criteria for DTS Staff ".

  10. Qualified teachers, those who represent and exemplify YWAM values in teaching and interaction with students, are also vital to the dynamic learning process of a DTS. At least some of the teachers should be international, from different denominational backgrounds, and should include women.

  11. Orientation to YWAM, its values, callings, and ministry opportunities should be a part of every DTS/CDTS. Leaders/staff have the privilege and the responsibility to actively engage in linking students to missions through a variety of means based on the student’s unique individual interests, gifts, abilities, and callings. We suggest you give each student The Go Manual to be used as a personal resource tool to aid him/her in their understanding and pursuit of YWAM ministry opportunities. We want to make it easy for people to get into YWAM.

  12. Orientation to U of N and its future courses should be carried out with students, enabling them to see the bigger picture of missions training available to them through the University. All students registered with the U of N are to receive a U of N Catalogue from their designated U of N International Registrar’s Office. DTS/CDTS leaders/staff should make sure that all other students should have equal access to U of N course information.

  13. Assessment and evaluation is required in each DTS/CDTS:
    a. Student assessment and evaluation: criteria for student assessment and evaluation are to be clearly communicated by the DTS/CDTS leadership to the students at, and/or prior to, the beginning of the DTS/CDTS. At the end of the school, each student is to be assessed and evaluated based on the previously stated criteria. The student is then given either an ‘S’ grade for satisfactorily completing the DTS/CDTS or a ‘U’ grade for unsatisfactorily completing the DTS/CDTS.
    b. School assessment and evaluation: assessment and evaluation of every DTS/CDTS, both the lecture and outreach phases, as well as the staff/leaders, is to be carried out at the end of each DTS/CDTS by both the students and DTS/CDTS staff/leaders. The local base leadership is ultimately responsible for the quality of their DTS/CDTS program and the DTS/CDTS staff/leaders at their location, including the fulfillment of all of the basic YWAM/U of N international requirements stated in this document entitled "Guidelines for YWAM/U of N Discipleship Training Schools". An evaluation of every DTS/CDTS school and staff/leader by both the students and staff/leaders of that school will give the necessary feedback to the base leadership regarding the effect of their own decision-making influencing any aspect of the DTS/CDTS so that adjustments can be made to ensure effective transformational training is taking place in the DTS/CDTS at every location.