4 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Doing YWAM Missions Work or a DTS

Are you interested in doing missions work, looking for missional training, or just needing a season to seek God intentionally? All of these things are what YWAM Salem’s Discipleship Training School (DTS) was designed for!

Our missions training experience based in Salem, Oregon, provides you with the opportunity to know God on a deeper level in order to make Him known in new communities and societal spheres across the globe. The decision to do a DTS is a big one. In this blog, we've listed a few questions to think and pray about as you consider whether or not DTS is right for you.

But First...What is DTS?

YWAM Salem's discipleship training school is a 6-month training program for mission-minded individuals ready to jump-start God's purpose for their lives.

The first 3 months are spent learning and growing as a follower of Jesus as missionaries, and Bible teachers from all over the world teach on topics like spiritual formation, Bible, and missions preparation. The second half includes a 3-month mission trip to a part of the world where people have never heard God's story.

It’s an opportunity to partner with local ministries and complete powerful missions projects overseas. Through this hands-on ministry, you'll step out in faith to share the love of Christ.

4 Questions to Know the Answer to Before You Go

1. How are you living out God’s call on your life?

I know that “calling” and “God’s will” are pretty big and often over-complicated topics to address.
Simply put, calling is less about understanding God’s plan for our lives and more about simply living with Him. Are you making space in your life to know God more and, with that understanding, are you loving people well both inside and outside of your community?

Before my DTS, I had no idea how to live out my faith. I thought faith meant reading the entire Bible 50 times throughout the year or spending five hours a day on my knees praying. I thought my call was about what I could do for God and proving I was a “good” Christian.

Now, I firmly believe God doesn't want our performance; he wants to live life with us. It’s scary, and it takes some faith. But will we ever be content with what we do with our lives if we don’t take the time to know God?

2. What scares you about DTS?

Get all the things that scare you out of the way.

For myself, when I try to ignore the fears instead of tackling them head-on, they never go away and begin to control so many decisions I make in my life. God is big enough to handle our fears, the little ones and the big ones, whether they are rational fears or not.

Once the fears are addressed, the scary, nervous feeling starts to go away or morph into excitement. When I can spend the time to process what scares me, I often find myself recognizing that what scares me is what I need the most.

3. Are you satisfied with your relationship with God?

Before my DTS, I didn’t have much confidence in myself or God. I was in a spiritual drought.

When I learned about what a DTS was, it was like water to my spirit. While I didn’t have the words to describe what was going on in my heart, I knew I needed help to make progress toward the life Jesus promised.

Are you feeling stuck? Do you desire refreshment in your walk with God? Explore the type of growth you want to see in your relationship with the Lord. Discipleship training schools are designed for breakthroughs; maybe God wants to bring transformation into your life.

4. Is a season of missions part of God’s plan for you?

This is a big question, but God can answer it. We often spend so much time stressing that we must live out God’s “plan” for our life. While God does have a plan for you, it’s not a series of points where if we miss one we’ll be forever off track.

God’s “plan” is that you live your life with Him. Sometimes God is very specific, and other times he leaves decisions up to us.

Ask God if a YWAM DTS is right for you. Invite trusted mentors and your community to pray for you. But if God doesn’t give you a specific answer, that’s okay too. Just because the heavens don’t open up and a deep voice from above doesn’t call you into mission work, doesn’t mean you aren’t called into missions.

Maybe the final thing to consider is: what if God wants to use you to transform the world? That would be pretty worthwhile.

Part of the work Jesus came to complete here on earth was to invite his people into his redeeming work. There will always be lies, fears, and confusion we must combat, but that doesn’t mean God is leaving you out.

Your story matters. A YWAM DTS could be the chapter that propels you forward into the fullness of Christ.

Do a YWAM DTS to Know God Better & Make Him Known in the Nations

YWAM Salem sits just outside the heart of Salem, Oregon, in a beautiful natural setting ready for you to explore! Connect with God through his natural creations on campus and missions training to work in real-time.

At YWAM Salem, students are immersed in a community of fellow followers of Christ, each on their own journey of transformation through God.

Join the movement. Apply for DTS today.