Ends of the Earth DTS

Ends of the Earth DTS (Winter)

Can We Fulfill The Great Commission In Our Generation?

“The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become.”
― Henry Martyn

In the Ends of the Earth DTS, God WILL share with you a piece of His heart for the lost in the nations.

Where will He lead you? To what nation? To what people? In what language? Addressing what issues? There’s only one way to find out…join us this winter!

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What to expect

A YWAM DTS is for people of all ages (17+) who are serious about taking their relationship with God to the next level. It is a five month program blending classroom learning, small group activities, personal reflection, practical service, and community living, with the goal of learning to give your all for Jesus as you discover your part in God’s mission for the world. Come join us as we pursue God and His purposes together!

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When

2027:
January 3, 2027 – June 5, 2027

Electives: Children @ Risk, Teachers for Transformation, Apologetics

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How much

Lecture Tuition – $3995 plus applicable conference fees. Tuition covers the cost of meals, lodging, guest speakers, and books. Conference fees charged separately and range from $250-$400 depending on conference location.
Outreach – Outreach fees vary from $3000 – $4500, depending on the location and cost of airfare.

About this DTS

2000 years ago, Jesus stepped out of the wilderness and into the public eye. His face was set like flint, His mission clear – “the people who sat in darkness would see a great light. And those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light would shine.” (Mat. 4:16)

Down through the ages, others took up his mission. The Apostle Paul endured floggings and shipwrecks to shine that light across Europe. Moravians sold themselves into slavery to reach Caribbean slaves. Brother Andrew hid Bibles in wheel wells to smuggle past communist guards. Each of these missionaries saw the great light. They were freed from the domain of darkness. And they were determined — no price was too great to pay for the one who’d given everything for them.

Who will pick up the torch in this generation? Billions still await the good news. They live in mountain villages, remote islands, closed countries, mega-cities. Will you go where few dare to tread?

The Ends of the Earth theme is a feature of our Winter Discipleship Training School (DTS). DTS is a 24/7 discipleship community designed to grow your relationship with God and your ability to share His message with the nations.

Electives included

Each DTS follows the same core curriculum. However, you can choose an Elective that will provide supplementary teaching and training on a topic that you are uniquely passionate about. Not every Elective is available with every DTS, so whether you attend the Fall or Winter DTS could impact which Electives you have available to choose from.

Children At Risk

Throughout the world millions of children are orphaned through war, through AIDS, through extreme poverty. Every seven seconds a child dies from a preventable disease. Drug addiction runs rampant. Children are sold into prostitution or forced to become child soldiers.

They’re lost and they have no place to live. These children have no hope. And these are the ones that are on the heart of God.

More information on this elective

The Children at Risk Elective will focus on the needs of children around the world and the issues that put them at risk — sex trafficking, poverty, AIDS, abuse, child soldiers, and broken families. We will also focus on the heart of God who promises to be a “Father to the fatherless, who sets the lonely in families.” (Psalm 68:5,6)

For three months, we will examine strategies to help these kids and pursue ways to assist poor communities around the world. And then we will go, spending two months overseas. Past DTS outreaches have gone to India, Thailand, Myanmar, Uganda and Kenya. On outreach, you may work with street kids, AIDS orphans, slum communities, sex slaves and refugees, as well as reach out to people of all ages through evangelism.

The Children at Risk Elective is a feature of our Fall and Winter Discipleship Training Schools (DTS). DTS is a 24/7 discipleship community designed to grow your relationship with God and your ability to share His message with the nations.

Teachers for Transformation

“As you go, disciple all nations,” Jesus told His disciples. “Teach them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mat. 28:19-20). The fulfillment of the Great Commission is inseparably connected to education. And this world has never needed Godly teachers more than it does right now!

More information on this elective

The Teachers for Transformation Elective will equip you with a foundation for education so that you can disciple others effectively. You will discover God’s heart for children and the unique window we have to infuse His truths into their lives. Over 85% of Christians give their lives to God between the ages of 4 and 14. There is a desperate need to reach people during these formative ages. Many are lost and broken because they do not learn God’s ways as a child and as a result, do not know how to process life’s challenges.

The great American abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass once said, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” We believe that God wants to raise an army of young men and women able to bring truth and love to this hurting world. This DTS is for anyone who has a heart for children and education regardless of their background or training. Would you be willing to answer the call in order to make an eternal impact in the life of children?

On outreach you will have the opportunity to apply what you’ve learned during the lecture phase. The knowledge and skills acquired will be put to the test in the nations as you work with children in a cross-cultural setting.

The Teachers for Transformation Elective is a feature of our Fall and Winter Discipleship Training Schools (DTS). DTS is a 24/7 discipleship community designed to grow your relationship with God and your ability to share His message with the nations.

Apologetics

Tragically, today in the U.S., for every 1 convert to Christianity, there are 4 deconverts from Christianity that now identify as non-religious. In 2 Corinthians 10:5, we learn that, as believers, we are to “demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” How can we offer people the answers they’re looking for, and do our duty as believers to demolish the arguments that would seek to steal their knowledge of God?

More information on this elective

Is God even real? Did Jesus really raise from the dead? Does evolution disprove creation? How do we respond both lovingly and truthfully to LGBTQ issues? The apologetics elective will tackle tough questions like these, and equip you to hope to have life changing conversations with those struggling with their faith.

Apologetics means “to offer a defense”, specifically, a defense of Christian beliefs. It is useful both for strengthening the faith of existing believers, and for removing barriers that people may have to belief in Jesus. In this elective, we will spend time on strengthening one another’s faith, and on evangelizing on the university campus using the skills we’re learning in class. If you have friends or family who wrestle with serious doubts about Christianity, or if you yourself have difficult questions that you’ve struggled to find answers to, then the Apologetics Elective is for you!

The Apologetics Elective is a feature of our Winter Discipleship Training Schools (DTS). DTS is a 24/7 discipleship community designed to grow your relationship with God and your ability to share His message with the nations.

Science

Are you interested in computing, science fiction or the environment? Do you enjoy STEM subjects, but also want to connect with God and explore ways to make a difference in the world? Do you connect with God best when you’re in nature? If so, then the Science Elective is for you!

More information on this elective

A DTS elective is an opportunity to grow in your relationship with God along with people who share similar interests and hopes to you. In our Science Elective, you will get a chance to do just that.

Each week we will spend time chatting about how the Bible and missions can connect with science, with technology, with issues about the environment – and we’ll connect with some of the work going on around the world in YWAM in these areas. As you spend time exploring and growing in your faith in the DTS, you can also spend time with people who share similar passions to you and explore what could be possible.

Johannes Kepler (a 16th century Christian astronomer, inventor, physicist, and philosopher) said that science is the process of “thinking God’s thoughts after Him.” As we learn about what God created and how He made it to work, we learn more about who He is and who we are in relation to Him. What could be more fulfilling and empowering than that?

The Science Elective is a feature of our Winter Discipleship Training Schools (DTS). DTS is a 24/7 discipleship community designed to grow your relationship with God and your ability to share His message with the nations.

Youth Workers

Samuel was a little boy when he first heard God’s voice. David was a teenager when he killed Goliath. And Esther was no older than 15 when she saved her people from genocide. God loves young people! Jesus actually said we cannot even enter His kingdom unless we become like children — trusting, curious, playful, humble and honest.

But youth are also under attack. Anxiety and depression are at all time highs. The vast majority of young people say they struggle with loneliness. And Only 4% have a Biblical worldview according to a recent Barna survey. How do we engage the emerging generation in unique ways to help them rise to their potential and overcome their challenges?

More information on this elective

This is what the Youth Workers Elective is all about. We love young people. And we believe that the secrets to helping them overcome are found through the life of Jesus. He called an ordinary group of teenagers to be with him, to become like him, and to do what he did. We will unpack youth discipleship practices as we dive deep into the message and methods of Jesus. We will also learn skills every youth worker needs like how to: 

  • teach & preach 
  • lead small groups
  • create fun learning environments
  • listen & ask good questions
  • hear from God

On outreach, you may have opportunities to work with children and youth in various settings like schools, churches, the streets, and other ministry fields. Upon the completion of the DTS lecture phase, the Youth Workers elective, and DTS outreach phase, you may have the option to join our Youth Workers Internship. During this 3 month summer internship, you will help disciple youth who come to Madison for Mission Adventures. And you will be mentored by our Mission Adventures leadership team. 

The Youth Workers Elective is a feature of our Winter Discipleship Training Schools (DTS). DTS is a 24/7 discipleship community designed to grow your relationship with God and your ability to share His message with the nations.

End Bible Poverty

In the West, we tend to take for granted having a Bible in our own language. In the U.S., we have over 100 English translations, and thousands upon thousands of resources to help us study it, understand it, and apply it to our lives.

However, most people in the world DON’T have a Bible readily available that they can read and understand, let alone one written in their heart-language. Most of the world lives in Bible Poverty.

YOU can help change that!

More information on this elective

“Picking (the Bible) up, you need to remind yourself that you hold in your hands not only the most famous book in the world, but one that has extraordinary power to change lives, to change communities, to change the world.” – N.T Wright

In 2022, of the 7,378 languages on earth, only 723 have the whole bible translated into their language. Over 1000 languages still don’t have even a portion of the Bible. This is what we mean by Bible Poverty. Without access to the Bible faith can only go so deep, hope can only last so long, and transformation can only go so far. We believe that God would want everyone to have a Bible in their heart language, and to have access to tools and teaching to help them learn how to use it.

In our End Bible Poverty Elective, we will discuss the scope of the Bible Poverty issue, and learn ways we can help combat it and eradicate it in our lifetime! We’ll explore how we can help with translating the Bible, distributing it to those who don’t have it, and teach people how to use it. Together, we can deliver the Good News of hope, restoration, and salvation through Christ to those most desperately in need of it!

The End Bible Poverty Elective is a feature of our Winter Discipleship Training School (DTS). DTS is a 24/7 discipleship community designed to grow your relationship with God and your ability to share His message with the nations.

Spark: Arts, Media, Music & Dance

Learn how your passion for the arts can be unleashed for the Kingdom of God, merging your God-given creativity with His plan to disciple the nations!

More information on this elective

The year was 1787. The slave trade had uprooted millions of people and transported them across the Atlantic in horrific conditions. A survivor of the slave trade named Equiano wrote a book that awakened the conscience of a nation. William Wilberforce picked up the cry for abolition in British parliament. Artists and poets advanced the cause in public opinion. Potter Josiah Wedgewood designed a porcelain hair piece picturing a slave in chains together with the words “Am I Not a Man and a Brother?” This medallion became fashionable across England and helped end the slave trade.

What happens when there is a marriage of the arts? If poets, writers and potters helped free the slaves, what will happen in our day as musicians, photographers, and painters unite their gifts for the cause of freedom?

Spark DTS draws together a wide range of artists with various gifts and passions — musicians, painters, dancers, photographers, writers, and film-makers. We seek to build a community of artists who invest in one another’s lives. Training and inspiration will come from one another and from God Himself as we seek His heart. The primary role of the staff is to facilitate discussion and the creative process, not to provide in-depth art training. Our hope is to blend the various gifts and talents represented in our community to create beautiful artistic pieces that bring healing to the nations.

The Spark: Arts elective is a feature of our Fall and Winter Discipleship Training Schools (DTS). DTS is a 24/7 discipleship community designed to grow your relationship with God and your ability to share His message with the nations.

When:

TBD

How Much:

Tuition covers the cost of meals, lodging, guest speakers, and books. Outreach fees vary from $2500 – $4000, depending on the location and cost of airfare.

$3850 plus outreach

YWAM Madison
Part of the YWAM global family of ministries