YWAM San Diego/Baja's Discipleship Training School is the foundation of our organization. With hundreds of students flocking to our campuses in Baja California, Mexico, each year for this immersive 5-month-long experience, we help further the Great Commission by making disciples out of driven youth and young believers.
Our discipleship training curriculum is carefully developed to reflect the teachings of Jesus Christ and lay out a clear path disciples can follow through any societal sphere they choose for their lives. In order to make the most of your DTS experience, it can be helpful to get a bit of background on what exactly Christian discipleship training means.
Read on to learn more about how we follow Jesus' model and apply for a YWAM DTS today.
What is the Definition of Discipleship?
The definition of a disciple is a person who follows the teachings, life, and aim of Jesus Christ. In Christianity, discipleship is the process of becoming like Christ, embodying God's word and His love in everything you do.
Discipleship is not a one-and-done event. It's a lifelong commitment to spiritual growth and spreading your faith through the nations to help others follow Christ in the same way.
The 4 Basics of Discipleship
As a Christian discipleship leader, there are four essentials you will rely on when missioning to a new community or individual.
The Word of God
The People of God
The Spirit of God
The Mission of Jesus
All four of these aspects of discipleship must be used together to help you bring those untouched by God's story into his Love.
What is a Modern Day Disciple?
Being a true disciple of God has taken on many forms over the decades. A modern disciple is simply someone who wishes to further their biblical wisdom and faith with God, while also applying to all spheres of their life, personal, professional, and spiritual.
Modern discipleship can look very different than traditional expectations. You can be a disciple in a coffee shop, a theater, at church, on the surf, or in the classroom. YWAM San Diego/Baja's DTS helps lay the spiritual foundation you and your peers need to become effective disciples in an ever-changing, and even digital world.
What Does the Bible Say About Discipleship Training?
The Great Commission is outlined in the Gospel of Matthew and is the most referenced Biblical scripture regarding discipleship.
"Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on Earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matthew 28:16-20
It's important to understand that Jesus is not just commanding the spreading of the Gospel, but instructing His followers to become leaders in their own right and to develop disciples through their own faith and ministry.
Discipling in this original context commands to equip Christians with the Biblical resources and faith they need to find their new identity in Christ, understand its meaning, and fully live in it.
What Was Jesus' Method of Discipleship?
You may have heard one of YWAM's core teachings: Know God and Make Him Know. While we're proud of our history teaching young Christians how to focus on and live this mantra, Jesus did it first.
To non-believers, Jesus encouraged them to participate in prayer, to come to Him, and to get to know Him better. To believers, he taught them to use the tools and time knowing God they had spent to bring others into the light. His life was one of perfect discipleship. He prayed for others, lived alongside average people, spread His Father's love to them, and encouraged those around him to be powerful disciples themselves.
The First Step to Discipleship
The first step in discipleship looks different for everyone, as everyone is at a different place and time in their lives and in their personal walk with God. While many think tangible activities such as Bible study, reading the Bible front to back, attending church, or traditional evangelism, are the answer, it's much simpler than that.
Before starting your future lifetime in missions and discipleship, and even before attending a YWAM DTS, it's important to undergo extensive self-reflection. Take an in-depth look at the Gospel, how you interacted with it in your life thus far, how you serve God now, and what your relationship with the Lord is like at this moment.
Now look into the future. What do you want this relationship to look like? How will you get there over the next few months? How can you lead yourself to a deeper understanding of God, his place in your life, and His plan to use you to reach the world?
Once you've answered these questions, or at least given them some thought, you'll have opened yourself up to the teachings you'll experience in DTS.
Step Two: Discipleship Training School
Ready to answer God's call but now sure where to start? Feeling stuck in life and unsure how to live up to the life of missions you desire? Go beyond the first step of self-reflection and take control of your God-written destiny, with Discipleship Training School from YWAM San Diego/Baja.
Our 5-month-long missions training experience will take you on a transformational journey toward the rest of your life in missioning to the nations. DTS is broken into 2 distinct phases:
Campus Phase
It all starts on one of our two beautiful campuses in Tijuana, just south of the U.S./Mexico border. Both our Ensenada and San Antonio Del Mar locations are within walking distance of the beach as well as vibrant local communities full of delicious taco stands and cozy coffee shops.
In this phase, you will spend 11 weeks in dormitory-style housing, building a strong spiritual foundation. With daily lessons on missions and your chosen elective, daily worship, small group sessions, personal reflection time, and community building, you'll have all the tools you need to be an effective disciple.
Outreach Phase
The remaining 8 weeks of your DTS session will be spent on an overseas mission trip to a destination previously untouched by God's love.
Through service activities, worship, and your unique passions, you will help bring new people into God's waiting embrace, fulfilling your duty as a disciple and the Great Commission laid out by Jesus Christ. Possible outreach destinations include:
Europe
South East Asia
Latin America
The Caribbean
Africa
Apply for a YWAM DTS Today
Ready to become the disciple God has always intended you to be? Apply for a DTS with YWAM San Diego/Baja today and take the first step.