Course Info:

Discipleship Training School (DTS)

In order for a building to stand through a storm it must have a strong foundation. If we are to stand firm through the 'storms of life' we must dig down deep and build ourselves a strong foundation in God (Luke 6:48). The world tells us in order to be a success we must build our lives with popularity and wealth - to build our own 'kingdom'. But that isn't how it should be. We should seek first the Kingdom of God.

"...Where will we turn when our world falls apart And all of the treasures we've stored in our barns Can't buy the kingdom of God. Who will we praise when we've praised all our lives? Men who build kingdoms and men who build fame. Heaven does not know their names..." - Jason Upton, 'Power in Poverty'

Youth With A Mission's motto is 'To know God and to make Him known'. A Discipleship Training School (or DTS) is 7 months out of your 'normal life' to grow closer to our God and to share Him with the world; its a time of going deep with God, learning what is on His heart, and telling others of the love & forgiveness that can be found in Him.

Music Art and Dance DTS

As artists we must learn to get our sense of worth from our Creator, not from our giftings. Only then we can be free to use our giftings to express ourselves without the insecurities and pride that hold so many of us back. What's so special about the MAD DTS?... It’s an opportunity for musicians, artists, dancers and anyone with an interest in these areas to get creative and radical in knowing God more and also in communicating the life and message of Christ through the arts. We seek to create an environment that understands artistic people’s needs, wants, desires and learning styles. It is a unique and exciting school where people from all over the world come together to seek, learn about, and worship the Lord for 7 months. During the 4 month lecture phase, the musicians, artists and dancers will form ministry teams, and develop strategies to use these skills to minister during their 3 month outreach phase. We are confident that this will be a powerful time in your life but also a powerful time for you to begin to minister through your skills and talents. If you are gifted or are developing your gifts in one or more of these areas and you have a desire to learn to use these gifts for the Lord then this is the DTS for you.

DTS Lecture Topics

• The Christian's Relationship To God: understanding the character and ways of God; how to hear the voice of God; developing a personal devotional life.
• The Christian's Relationship To Oneself And Others: personal character Development; discovery and release of one's gifts and ministries; stewardship; principles of healthy relationships; forgiveness.
• The Christian's Relationship To The Word: how to develop a consistent lifestyle of personal study; and meditation and the application of Biblical truth.
• The Christian's Relationship To The World: the lost man; how to share one's faith; evangelism and cross-cultural missions; reaching the unreached; general awareness of world needs; Biblical worldview; the implications of the Gospel in society.
• The Christian's Relationship To The Church: commitment, unity; understanding the complementary role of the local church and missions structures.
• The Christian's Stand Against The Enemy: resisting temptation; prayer and intercession; spiritual warfare.
• The Christian Orientation To Youth With A Mission International: its threefold calling to Evangelism, Training and Mercy Ministries; the foundational values and ministry opportunities.

Besides lectures there will be intercession and prayer for the nations, worship, morning devotions, and small group gatherings.  There will also be skills development on the facility in the afternoons, and some sports.  The evenings will be varied eg. additional lecture, personal studies, and some outreach in the community.  Weekends are normally free, unless a special ministry or field trip has been planned.

• Study Items: You will be required to take notes during lectures.  In addition, there will be book reports and other assignments.  A Bible is a must.  Other items can be purchased cheaply here in Australia.
• Who are the Teachers? Teaching will be provided by resident staff, local ministers and visiting lecturers from different parts of the world.  Videotapes are used as well.
• What happens on outreach? The outreach will last for approximately 10 weeks and will involve teams working in Australia and abroad.  It provides a practical follow-up to the teachings given during the lecture phase, and it is an opportunity for students to experience first hand God working through them and giving them a glimpse of missions.

Not everyone is called to be an evangelist, but we are all called to do the work of an evangelist, which essentially means sharing our faith with someone else.  Some examples of outreach opportunities are as follow: Coffee bar, door to door visitation, drama, music, church work, work with children or the elderly, literature distribution, open airs, etc. The outreach locations will be announced to you in the first couple of weeks of the school. Please note at this point, that although there is an emphasis on these arts, we will minister in a number of other ways also.  We will purpose to minister with these skills, but we must remember we are going out to minister and while setting up performances wherever we go--we will also serve in a general way.

DTS ASSIGNMENTS

1. Journaling - The specifics of this will be given to you later.  It is our desire that you have time to creatively process all that God is doing in your life and to have a record to refer back to as well.
2. Morning talks - Each student will be asked to give morning talks during the school.  Usually these are based on the revelation you have been receiving from God in your personal times and will be presented to the whole group.
3. Book reports -  The specifics will be given on a book by book basis, one of which may be an oral report.
4. Other assignments - will be given throughout the school.  An example would be an in-depth study of a small section of scripture.