Discipleship Training School

Deepen your faith and discover life through following Jesus and sharing the love of God as you are sent to the nations.

What is DTS?

"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."
Mark 16:15

Discipleship Training School (DTS) is YWAM's foundational course, established and refined over several decades, and designed to deepen your relationship with Jesus through immersive discipleship, teaching, and outreach. It is an incomparable way to spend 5 months experiencing what Life with God, on mission, looks like! Completing a DTS is a prerequisite for other YWAM courses or serving in a long-term role with YWAM.

We run six of these 5-month courses throughout the year, with some of these in French, Korean or Spanish. Read on to discover the life-changing impact of pursuing more of God in your life through a DTS at YWAM Lausanne.

The purpose of the DTS is to:
Cultivate growth in your Christ-like character through timeless biblical principles.
Sharpen your ability to work with, learn from, and relate to people of different cultures, personalities, and perspectives.
Equip you with skills and experience to further God's purpose in the world wherever you go.
Impart the vision and foundational values of YWAM International and the host outreach location.

DTS Learning and Living Framework

Transformative learning in the lecture phase and practical engagement in the outreach phase.

Phase One: Rooted

In the first 3 months you can expect inspiring teaching from local and international speakers, aimed at deepening your walk with God as you encounter him in a new way. You will be encouraged to root your life in his presence and his word as you grow in your relationship with him.

This training school offers an environment that facilitates the growth and development of your gifts. You will receive daily lectures from world-class speakers sharing teaching, principles, and opportunities for God to speak to you. This formation phase is geared to help prepare you for the travel portion of the program. You will learn how to hear God's voice, how the Spirit empowers you to be a witness, your identity and calling, and so much more!

Our dedicated school staff are fully available to walk alongside you to encourage, instruct and lead by example throughout this 5-month discipleship process.

International Speakers

Community Living

An image of a woman smiling in front of a group of students in a gym studio, showing DTS community at YWAM Lausanne.

Worship

Inspiring Campus

Overview of DTS campus buildings at YWAM Lausanne amongst green grass and trees.

Lecture Breakdown

1: God’s Nature and Character
2: Hearing God’s Voice
3: The Bible - God’s Story and our Story
4: Worship, Intercession, Spiritual Warfare

Week 1 - 4

Three students sitting on a couch studying from books during DTS at YWAM Lausanne.

5: Lordship of Jesus, Sin, Cross, and Repentance
6: Holy Spirit and Discipleship: Becoming like Jesus
7: Calling, Destiny, and Identity and Biblical Christian Worldview
8: Godly Relationships

Week 5 - 8

A bible laid out on a desk in a classroom with a teacher giving a lesson in the background during DTS at YWAM Lausanne.

9: The Missions Mandate - Called to the All
10: Evangelism - The Power of the Gospel
11: Working Together, Outreach Preparation and Discipling Nations

Week 9 - 11

Close up image of a student with laptop on lap holding an open bible during DTS at YWAM Lausanne.

Phase Two: Sent

For two months, you will be sent into adventurous, purposeful, missional travel, carrying the gospel across cultures and borders. Outreach is where formation turns into action. The truths you've learned become lived reality as you share your faith, serve communities, and partner with local ministries around the world.

Each outreach is unique. With a strong focus on evangelism, teams may serve through children's programs, church ministry, teaching, construction projects, or community outreach — always responding to real needs in real places. Recent teams have travelled to North Africa, Jordan, Tanzania, Togo, South Africa, Armenia, Romania, Brazil, and Mexico.

Outreach requires courage and flexibility. Schedules can change. New opportunities arise. You may be asked to preach, share your testimony, pray for someone, or serve in unexpected ways. That's part of the adventure. Outreach is faith in motion; it's when formation becomes mission.

God loves the nations and has called his disciples to go! God loves to show himself as you step out and follow him. You will meet him in the nations as you reach the lost!

Missional Travel

A woman sitting on the edge of a rocky cliff overlooking green trees during DTS outreach at YWAM Lausanne.

Teamwork is essential for outreach. Teams prepare through prayer, strategies, and testimonies during the lecture phase.

Part of a Team

Two men front of a waterfall with their arms spread out during the DTS Outreach phase at YWAM Lausanne.

After months of learning God's heart for the nations, you're ready. Go forth with joy, skill, and compassion to be a witness for God in the nations.

Be a Witness

A woman speaking into a microphone on a stage in front of a crowd of people during DTS at YWAM Lausanne.

DTS outreach is an exciting opportunity to respond to God's call to "go" into the world, to serve and share His love with others and in doing so encourage others into the adventure of following Him.

Make Disciples

A couple of men baptising a third man in the water during the DTS Outreach phase at YWAM Lausanne.

Summer or Winter, Switzerland is Special

Switzerland changes with every season. You can experience sunlit summer adventures and cosy winter scenes in the stunning Alps. All year round, Switzerland is a destination of beauty and inspiration.

Switzerland in Summer

On long summer days in Switzerland, it’s easy to see why it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth! After lectures, play volleyball on campus, bike through the forest, or dive into Lake Geneva’s clear waters. Weekends offer stunning hikes in the mountains.

A landscape of green grass overlooking Swiss mountains against blue sky during the summer DTS at YWAM Lausanne.

Switzerland in Winter

With winter comes snow, "chocolat chaud" and Christmas lights across the City. Within one hour, you can reach the snowy mountains to carve down the slopes on skis, board or sled, trek through the snowy trails or soak up the beautiful views from inside a cosy chalet.

A man in a red jacket hiking up a hill of white snow during the winter DTS at YWAM Lausanne.

The Swiss Experience

A unique learning destination offers a truly enriching experience beyond the classroom.

DTS in Switzerland

Experience Switzerland's rich heritage of unity in diversity—four languages, stunning mountains, historic cities, and the Swiss Alps.

Overhead image of buildings and trees covered in snow during the winter DTS at YWAM Lausanne.

Travel Europe

Switzerland is located in the heart of Europe, on the weekends it's easy to jump on a train and in hours explore incredible cities like Rome, Paris or Barcelona. As you do, you will begin to sense God’s heart for this continent.

Live in Lausanne

Explore Lausanne's cafes, the countryside, and scenic trails near our campus, located just 20 minutes from the City centre and 30 minutes from Lake Geneva.

A cityscape of Switzerland with a lake and mountains in the backdrop during DTS at YWAM Lausanne.

Mountain Trips

Explore and enjoy the magnificent mountains year-round with skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, climbing, and mountain biking.

Students gathered at the top of a mountain overlooking a view of a lake during DTS at YWAM Lausanne.

Discover the Mediterranean DTS (MDTS)

Experience missions in action This is a unique learning adventure pioneered by YWAM Lausanne on the stunning shores of the Mediterranean in North Africa. This MDTS embeds discipleship learning in a real-world frontier missional context, blending the classroom with hands-on fieldwork. Offered at certain times of the year, the MDTS will challenge and inspire you as you explore faith, mission, and community in an unforgettable setting.

Learn More

A cave within a rocky mountain containing a building and stairs from the Mediterranean DTS at YWAM Lausanne.

Discover The Way DTS

WDTS: Go deeper in your faith
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This 8-month expanded DTS invites you into a life-transforming pursuit to know God intimately and make Him known boldly. Through travel, immersive biblical study, and hands-on outreach and evangelism, this integrated program unites the Discipleship Training School (DTS) and the Discipleship Bible School into one powerful, life-shaping experience.

Learn More