YWAM DTS is not only a prerequisite for being a member of YWAM staff, but also to access other schools and training courses offered by the University of the Nations.

Discipleship Training School (DTS) and Lecture Phase and Outreach. DPS 111/112 Credits: 11 /12

The DTS (Discipleship Training School) is a 20-week full-time residential program (12 weeks lecture phase and 8 weeks outreach phase), designed to help you grow in your Christian life and equip you in evangelism. The schools in Madrid are bilingual (Spanish and English).

You will learn more about God and His world; not only in the interactive classes but also through community life, small groups and practical and creative workshops. There will be additional activities such as worship, intercession and evangelism.

You’ll be able to put into practice what you have learned through transcultural experiences in Spain and other countries.

1. To GATHER and INVITE 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, based on solid Biblical foundations, the work of the Holy Spirit and the personal application of Biblical truth, particularly concerning the character of God, the cross and the grace of God. 
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 the YWAM Family of Ministries and in other spheres, strengthening a commitment to reach those who are separate from God, especially the unreached; to care for the poor, and to influence all areas of society.
5. To IMPART the story, vision and foundational values of Youth With A Mission and the University of the Nations, as well as those of the host base and to provide information about a variety of opportunities for service once the DTS has been satisfactorily completed.

The 12 lecture weeks are a time of focused, intensive discipleship in our missional community. Experienced local and international teachers will help you explore a wide range of topics related to following Jesus in life and character, personal relationship with God and mission.

Encounter God

Encounter God like never before. This is your time to get to know Him more and discover how He does things

1. Hearing God’s voice
2. The nature and character of God

Experience Belonging

Explore God’s ways in relationship and find your place in His family.

1. The Father heart of God
2. Relationships God’s way
3. Emotional intelligence

Gain Perspective

See all of life from God’s perspective. As you get to know God, you find out how He feels about the world you live in.

1. Authority and submission
2. The fear of the Lord

Discover Purpose

Discover more about your calling and start living the life that God created you for.

1. Missions
2. Evangelism

Grow in Holiness

Experience freedom and security through the cross of Jesus Christ. It will change how you live day to day.

1. Repentance and forgiveness
2. The Lordship of Christ

Build a Foundation

Your prayer and worship is fueled as you encounter God in new ways. 

1. Living in spiritual authority
2. Intercession and worship

Dance

With an emphasis on urban dance, the dance track will equip you to use your gift in this area and go to the next level seeking excellence in your dance style and putting it into practice in the streets.

Workshops and master classes on:

– Freestyle creativity
– Fitness for dance
– History of hip hop culture
– Hip hop choreography
– Breakdance
– House basics
– Fundamentals of contemporary dance

Drama

A special approach to develop your acting skills (on camera, on stage, in street theater, etc.) and to learn how to use them to convey the message of the gospel and express the culture of the kingdom through acting.

This track includes workshops such as:

– Musical theatre
– Facial and body expression
– Voice projection
– How to create your own pieces

Multimedia

With a team specialized in communicating and telling stories through different multimedia platforms, you can learn the basic principles of this art and develop your interest in using photography, videography and design to generate multimedia content and be a voice for the gospel message and what is happening around you.

Rap / Music

Focused on developing musical composition, experienced rappers will help you grow in this art form to be able to communicate on stage, both with prepared lyrics and improvisation.

(The availability of this track is subject to the number of participants.)

Sport

If you are interested in sports and using your gifts and abilities in this area to connect with other young people and to create a space where they can get to know God, the Sports track is for you.

The focus is on:

– Football
– Basketball
– Street Workout
– Sports activities with young people from the neighborhood
– Physical conditioning
– How to organize tournaments and sports days

(The availability of this track is subject to the number of participants.)

At YWAM, our approach to training is holistic – live and learn – recognizing that learning and growth don’t just take place through lectures in a classroom, but also through serving, living in community, one-on-one discipleship, small group discussions and more. There will be additional activities such as worship, intercession and evangelism.

Other essential elements of your DTS lecture phase experience include:

Worship

We love meeting with God together! You’ll have regular times of worship with your DTS, as well as with the larger YWAM Madrid community.

Work Duties

Everyone, staff and student, lends a hand to keep our community functioning. This could include serving in the kitchen, helping with administration, working on property upkeep, wherever there is a need and wherever your skills fit.

Assignments and Projects

Book reports, a group research project and weekly journals give you more opportunity to process and apply what you are learning.

Prayer and Intercession

Connect with God’s heart and intentions for situations, nations, people groups and more as you and your DTS regularly pray and seek Him together.

International Community

YWAM Madrid is a multicultural, multigenerational gathering of individuals and families from many church backgrounds, committed to Christ, to the Great Commission and to each other.

Evangelism

As a community, we regularly set aside time to reach out to the cities of Torrejón and Madrid – the mission field at our doorstep – bringing hope to those in need.

One-on-one Discipleship

There will be regular times to meet with a DTS staff member, giving you the opportunity to further process what God is doing, receive prayer and more.

Small Groups

You’ll have times to meet with a smaller group from your DTS to discuss, process, encourage each other and have fun.

Fun and Adventure

Events like open mic nights, trivia challenges, camping trips, BBQs, sports and games are all part of your DTS experience. Whether it’s exploring Madrid’s coffee culture or enjoying the amazing views of Toledo, we love having fun together!

There is no need to wait to start making a difference! Take the gospel into the public spheres – proclaim and demonstrate the truth with love.

Following the twelve weeks lecture phase, your DTS will head off on eight weeks of cross-cultural outreach, in Spain and abroad, to make God known and put into practice what you’ve learnt in the lecture phase.

Outreach teams go and serve the lost wherever they are, and share the hope of Christ in many ways: evangelism, discipleship, sports, drama, youth ministry, teaching, music, practical service, prayer, multimedia – we do it all.

We demonstrate the love of God to people through our lives and through the gifts that He’s given us. Teams regularly partner with local churches and YWAM ministries to strengthen their ministry and provide for follow-up discipleship.

Your final week will be spent back in Madrid, debriefing and being equipped to continue with everything that God has done in your life during the DTS.

We are so glad that you’re interested in getting involved with YWAM Madrid. Here is a quick overview of the application process, whether you plan to come as a student or a volunteer.

1. Get in contact with us!

Start the application process by filling out this quick form! This will give us a good idea of what your interests are and how we can help you best in your application process. If you are still unsure about applying, this would be a good time for us to answer any questions you have.

2. Applying

Once we’ve answered your questions and you’re ready to apply, we will send you the application forms to fill out online.

3. Recent photograph

Please send a recent photo of yourself with your application form.

4. Registration fee

After sending your application form, please make your non-refundable registration fee payment of 50 €, either by bank transfer or PayPal (the bank details are on the application form).

If you are not a European citizen (Schengen Zone), you will need a visa. Processing the visa documents costs 50 €, so if you need a visa, please pay 100 € to cover the visa and the registration cost.

5. References

Please send the confidential reference form to your pastor or spiritual leader. Ask them to send it directly to us at the email address specified on the form.

6. Confidential medical certificate

Please send us the certificate signed and stamped by your doctor.

7. Copy of health insurance and passport

Please scan and email us a copy of your health insurance and any health insurance card you may have. In addition, send us a copy of the main page of your passport (the one with the data and photo), as we will need this to process your visa.

8. Background check to work with minors

We ask all our students and volunteers to obtain this certificate (background check) since we often organize activities with minors on our bases and during our events. If you are not resident in Spain you will need, in addition to the Spanish certificate, a certificate from your country of origin. You can apply for the free Spanish certificate online at the Spanish Ministry of Justice.

9. Quick call

Once we have your application and references, we will set up a quick video call with you to get to know you better and answer any questions you may have.

Do you still have questions? Read our FAQs or send us an email: [email protected].