The Discipleship training school is the gateway into YWAM but also the door into a missional lifestyle. Thousands of young people do a DTS each year. At YWAM Lausanne we see nearly one hundred students walk through this transformative program. At the end of any adventure one of the most asked questions is “what are you going to do next?” On a consistent basis our students choose to stay at YWAM Lausanne or go to another base and do a Bible School. Why?
1. DTS Creates a Hunger for More
DTS introduces you to God's heart. Bible Schools help you continue pursuing Him through His Word. In the DTS you begin to form your relationship with God. You discover the joy of recognizing his voice, learning to pray, share your faith. At the end you are longing to discover more of who the God is you have just met. The obvious place for that, especially if you have not read the whole Bible before, is in the Word. As one student put it, in the DTS “You have only scratched the surface."
2. Learn to Know God Through Scripture
Discover God's character, faithfulness, love, and purposes through the Bible. In a DTS you experience God; through Bible schools you discover afresh the character of God through the narrative of scripture. As one student said, “More than gaining knowledge, I came to know God more deeply." In a Bible school you receive revelation that is from the source and is sustainable.
3. Build a Foundation That Lasts
Anchor your faith in truth that remains steady regardless of circumstances. After DTS it can be a challenge to keep your faith growing, your circumstances are now drastically different than in the DTS. Yet God is the same. Growing in his word helps you maintain your walk with God over the years and prepares you to run your race with endurance. As one student said "The Bible becomes a firm foundation when circumstances change." If DTS ignites the fire, a Bible school keeps it burning long into the future.
4. Learn How to Study the Bible for Yourself
Gain practical tools for understanding and applying Scripture for the rest of your life. So many believers are fed spiritually by others, teachers, pastors, podcasts, YouTubers, books. Not bad, but as followers of Jesus we need to learn to feed ourselves. We live off the Word of God, but we need to develop tools to learn how to engage (or eat) the word. After completing a Bible school one student said "I gained tools that I will use for the rest of my life."
5. Understand the Big Story of the Bible
See how every book fits into God's redemptive plan. Without time set aside to take a deep dive into the Bible, it’s hard to get the big picture and see it as one unified story. Instead of slowly shaping this by years of slow reading, taking time to focus only on this allows you to much better experience the grand narrative of scripture. Imagine the difference in experiences of reading say The Lord of the Rings over 2 years or 2 months.
6. Grow in Your Identity in Christ
Allow Scripture to shape how you see God, yourself, and your purpose. We are all being shaped by forces external to us. Either we are being shaped by God through his Word and Spirit or by our culture. Without taking time to study and engage his word, the identity teaching DTS students get could easily be swept away by the impactful cultural tides. One student testified that the result of their school was that “Knowing Him helped me know myself and my identity in Him."
7. Experience Deep Personal Transformation
Move beyond information into genuine heart change and spiritual maturity. Why did Jesus tell so many stories? He was the master teacher, and nothing causes us to listen more than stories. Also, when you discover the truth imbedded in one of his stories it becomes truth you found as opposed to truth you were told. It’s obvious which one sticks with you longer and has more of an impact. After reading and studying through the whole Bible one student commented “God’s Word brought so much truth into my life that transformation and freedom became the natural result”
8. Discern God's Calling More Clearly
Create space to seek God and gain biblical perspective for future ministry and life decisions. It is a challenge to know God’s will without knowing God’s Word. Even after a DTS, students might still be a little foggy on God’s call on their life. A Bible school helps you see God’s overarching redemptive plan. Knowing that is the best way to then discover and frame your own individual calling.
9. Be Equipped to Disciple Others
Develop confidence in handling Scripture and helping others grow in their faith. It is a universal principle that you cannot give away what you don’t have. In helping others grow to have intimacy with God, like you have experienced, you need the Word of God. Without being able to guide others to and through the Word, you will only be able to take them so far.
10. Cultivate a Lifelong Love for God's Word
Leave with a greater passion to keep learning, growing, and knowing God throughout your life. More Bible study begets more Bible Study. The more you find God in the Word, the more you want to look for him. In that reality you cannot ever get to the end of studying the Bible. The only way to grow a love for God’s word is through engagement with it.
Bible Schools at YWAM Lausanne and how they differ.
At YWAM Lausanne we offer three different Bible schools. We run the Discipleship Bible School (DBS) that is a three-month fly through the Bible where you see the big picture, read with friends each day and discover major themes of God’s word. If you're new to the Bible, this is a great place to begin.
The Bible Core Course on Location (BCCOL) is a three-month Bible school where you learn the inductive method while studying around 12 different books from genres across the Bible. Sounds great! But where this school stands out is that you spend 6 weeks in the classroom, the other 6, you are on the road in the Bible lands engaging with scripture and history as an eye-witness.
Lastly, we run the School of Biblical Studies (SBS). This is a 9-month program where you also learn the inductive method while you study through every single book of the Bible. What takes most believers years to do, and sadly some never, students in the SBS study all of God’s word and become deeply shaped by it. This school also takes field trips to Rome and Egypt.
