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DTS Curriculum

Expanded DTS Curriculum approved by YWAM’s GLT.

I. God’s Nature and Character
II. God’s Intention for Individuals, Peoples and Creation
III. God’s Redemption: Sin and The Cross
IV. God’s Family: His Children & His Church
V. God’s World: His Call & His Commission Doing the Works of Jesus
VI. YWAM: A Response to God
About Curriculum Design

Why The Clarified Curriculum?

In 1998, the International DTS Centre Leadership Team, along with the Global Leadership Team (GLT) and the International Leadership for the U of N (ILT), started a process to clarify the curriculum of the DTS. There were a number of reasons for this clarification. One major concern was that as DTS leadership was passed down from one generation to the next, key phrases listed but not explained in the original document, were no longer understood in their fullness by many DTS leaders/staff. For example, a phrase like ‘the Character and Ways of God’ had lost much of its meaning and in some cases had been reduced to a ‘Fatherheart of God’ teaching alone. For further information on why the curriculum needed clarification click here.

Explanation of the Curriculum Document

The curriculum is now divided into 6 not 7 categories. It does not dictate a format, nor restrict the DTS leader to a particular leadership style within the DTS context. In fact, every effort has been made to identify individual components of the DTS rather than specific models. The expanded curriculum document still allows for maximum flexibility of format and style, but also insures a greater degree of consistency and quality in the content and learning context of our schools worldwide for the future.

The curriculum document is created to ensure we maintain the integrated nature of the DTS in its learning style, always connecting head understanding with heart and action application. Each category has 4 sections:

  • Integrated summary statements – these describe how the DTS looks when the concepts are understood, the heart attitudes are actively developed and the activities are being lived out in integrated form.
  • Concepts to Understand – biblical concepts that are necessary to teach within each category.
  • Attitudes to Nurture – heart attitudes that are significant to develop when focusing on each category.
  • Activities to Do – activities that are necessary to include in the DTS that would naturally flow out of understanding the concepts in that category.

In addition to the clarified curriculum document you will find an updated Purpose Statement for the DTS as well as Outcome Statements for DTS students. Whilst the purpose statement has been updated and the curriculum clarified, it is important to note that neither the purpose of a DTS nor its content have been changed.

The DTS Purpose, Outcomes, Curriculum and Guidelines documents, along with an introductory letter of explanation, are available in multiple languages which can be downloaded in Adobe Acrobat PDF read only format by clicking here .

To view these files you will need to download a free PDF reader by clicking here.

I. God’s Nature and Character

Encountering God

The DTS affirms that God seeks to make himself known to all people.

  • recognizes that God desires to have relationship with people and share his heart with them.
  • imparts a life-changing understanding of God and his ways.
  • seeks for the Holy Spirit to reveal aspects of God and truth.
  • encourages personal response to God in worship, prayer and obedience.
  • nurtures a love and hunger for the Bible.
  • equips to read the Bible in such a way that transforms beliefs, values and behaviors.
  • cultivates the practice of hearing God’s voice.

Concepts to Understand and Apply

  1. God is uncreated.
  2. God is infinite in that he is all powerful, all knowing, all present, creator, eternal, and more.
  3. God is a personal/relational being in that he is three distinct persons in one being (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).
  4. By character God is loving, just, holy, wise, gracious, compassionate, merciful, kind, forgiving, long suffering, slow to anger, faithful and more.
  5. God is sovereign and has ultimate control of history while taking into account the very real choices of people.
  6. God is both transcendent (outside of creation) and immanent (is present and active in creation and dwells within the believer).
  7. God created people to be relational so that he could have relationship with them. (Relationship is built by a free exchange of thoughts, emotions and decisions.)
  8. Worship is an appropriate response to God. There are many different ways to worship God corporately and privately. Worship should also be reflected in our lifestyle.
  9. God invites people to talk (pray) to him about their needs and concerns.
  10. God longs to share things that are on his heart with his people.
  11. Prayer in the name of Jesus makes a real difference.
  12. The Holy Spirit speaks personally and clearly to people through a variety of ways (e.g. an inner voice, a picture, other people). These personal words or instructions must always be consistent with the Bible and may be confirmed through others.
  13. God pursues the lost and desires all to be saved through Jesus Christ.
  14. Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God.
  15. A general knowledge about God is available to all people through creation.
  16. God’s specific revelation of himself and his purposes are recorded in the Bible.
  17. The Bible is God’s inspired and authoritative Word and is our primary standard for living.
  18. The Bible is to be used in a way that strengthens our faith, renews our mind and informs us to be able to make right choices (read, meditate, study, memorize, etc.).
  19. The Holy Spirit is the teacher and revealer of God’s truth.
  20. Believing and obeying the truth that one already knows is critical to gaining further revelation of truth.

Attitudes To Nurture

In relationship to God:

  • trust
  • faith
  • reverence
  • love
  • dependence
  • loyalty
  • submission
  • cooperation
  • desire for ongoing communication with God
  • hunger and passion to know God and to make him known
  • hope
  • courage
  • commitment
  • worship
  • humility
  • teachable
  • gratefulness
  • contentment
  • hatred of sin
  • abiding in God
  • seeking more revelation of God and truth
  • love for the Bible
  • questioning
  • seeking understanding and wisdom
  • confidence to hear God’s voice.

Activities To Do

(These should be happening throughout the DTS. Some are structured into the schedule, some are simply expressed in informal interactions. The goal is for every person to take responsibility for engaging in these ways.)

  1. Praise and worship God through a variety of ways both individually and corporately.
  2. Actively listen to God and obey him.
  3. Consistently read, study, meditate and apply God’s Word.
  4. Actively develop godly attitudes by searching God’s Word.
  5. Honestly share one’s heart with God in prayer.
  6. Regularly choose to draw aside in private times with God.
  7. Live out of a dependence on the Holy Spirit within.
  8. Seek to demonstrate God’s character in relationships and circumstances.
  9. Step out in faith, trust God to supply what is needed to do what he asks you to do (e.g. courage, money, people).
  10. Seek out the lost and share Christ.
  11. Study/ reflect on Scripture relevant to the concepts in this category.