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DTS Curriculum design

Designing the DTS including Corporate Practices

As you design the 50 hour learning week for the Lecture and Outreach Phase, keep the following in mind. Discipleship takes place through experiential relational processes that deepen relationship with God and others, while responsibly serving God’s purposes in the world.  

 

Christian practices engage a disciple in an experiential relational process. The Church, beginning in the book of Acts, practiced fellowship, care of widows, breaking bread, listening to the apostle’s teaching, Gospel witness, daily prayer and so much more. These practices formed them as the people of God and shaped their way of living in the world.  

 

God has led us to include various corporate and individual practices in the DTS design (in both Lecture and Outreach Phase) to actively engage the whole person, with the aim of cultivating godly desires that lead to growth. These practices (e.g. instruction from the Word, prayer, service in work duty) aim to facilitate the ministry of Holy Spirit in the heart of the disciple, helping us to live responsibly out of the reality of being in Christ together. Participation, engagement and application are key. Information alone is not enough to form and live out of our true identity in Christ. As we join and participate in a community of God’s people, engage together in Christian practices, re-tell what God has done for us in Scripture and connect and apply this in the stories of our lives, the Holy Spirit can powerfully strengthen our identity in Jesus Christ and our security in the Father’s love. 

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The DTS Outcomes describe characteristics of students we aim to graduate from the DTS.  We have identified desires we aim to cultivate and suggest practices that facilitate the work of the Holy Spirit and the formation of the disciple’s heart. These practices are built into both Lecture and Outreach Phase design.

 

As you include Christian practices in the design of the DTS, consider how you will help each disciple make connections between what they are doing and learning and the Scriptures. The practices should become meaningful in light of the biblical narrative and as they are woven into the stories of our lives.

The corporate practices listed below are required. They are to be intentionally built into your 50 hour learning week in the Lecture Phase as specified in the DTS Guidelines and incorporated into the Outreach Phase as specified in the Fruitful Practices for DTS Outreach Document. You can choose to include a number of other practices into your DTS design as God leads. 

• Worship

• Intercession  

• Community Living including Table Fellowship (live/learn)

• Smaller Group Interaction 

• Weekly One on One Sharing with Staff
• Prayer
• Instruction with Application (Lecture Phase)
• Work duty
• Gospel Witness 
• Community Service (outreach) 

Keeping the purpose and outcomes of the DTS in mind, design your DTS Lecture Phase by arranging a number of corporate practices in a 50 hour learning week. Be sure to include those that are required. Then build week upon week, weaving themes and practices together in several ways. In the Lecture Phase, you will pay particular attention to the practice of instruction in the Word (teaching/ application). There is no right order for the flow of teaching weeks. However, there should be a natural progression from week to week. 

 

You may find it helpful to introduce and engage students in the biblical narrative with its Key Concepts early in the Lecture Phase. Just the simple overview of the Bible Story from beginning to end can help the DTS see where we are in God’s Story as well as give a framework for the many topics and activities to come.  

 

Please note that from the beginning of the DTS, we want to practice praying, serving, sharing the Gospel, interceding for nations, surrendering rights, forgiving those who have hurt us and much more. We do not wait until the teaching week on such a subject before we start to practice it. With that in mind, you may find it helpful to start the DTS with topics that aim to strengthen our relationship with God, followed by relationships with one another, followed by our Gospel witness and service in the world. 

About Curriculum Design

The list of concepts identified may help in the selection of speakers and topics but they are not meant to be an outline for a week's teaching as speakers' topics may draw from concepts in two or more of the categories. In addition it may be used as a check list to help guide the school week by week. As the school progresses, the school leader can use this list to keep track of concepts that are covered by speakers, books, etc. so that he or she can address the remaining concepts in some other way (Bible study, devotionals, etc.).

Topics​

The concepts identified in each category must be imparted in some way in the context of the DTS.

The following reflect speakers topics for a whole or partial week's teaching that satisfy this requirement. Note a topic may draw concepts from more than one category. Remember these topics are possible ways to cover the concepts. 

  • Identity in Christ (III, IV) 

  • Renewing the mind (III, IV)

  • Person and work of the Holy Spirit (I, IV, V)

  • Relationships in the body -- friendships, husband-wife, parent-child; with the opposite sex, (III, IV)

  • God's Calling (V)

  • Gifts/calling/destiny (IV, V)

  • Body Life/Community/team work (VI)

  • The Abrahamic Covenant (I, II, V)

  • The Great Commission Mandate (III, V) 

  • History of the advance of the Gospel (V)

  • Sharing the Gospel with the Lost (I, III, V)

  • Basic cross cultural communication principles (V)

  • Heart for the Lost (I, III, V)

  • Unreached Peoples /10-40 window (V)

  • Poor and Needy (I, V))

  • Discipling Nations (II, V)

  • The Nature and Character of God (I) 

  • Strengthening your personal relationship with God, Hearing God's Voice. (I)

  • Worship and Prayer (I)

  • Feeding one's heart through the Word, Bible Study (I)

  • Cultural Mandate/Kingdom of God (II, V)

  • Intercessory prayer (I, II, V)

  • Godly Relationships (II, IV)

  • Stewardship/Work (II, V)

  • Creating With God (I, II, V)

  • Biblical World View (key concepts are in all Categories)

  • Spiritual Warfare (III, V) 

  • The Person and Work of Jesus -- the Cross (I, III, IV)

  • The Fear of the Lord (I, III, IV)

  • Father Heart of God (I, IV)

  • Sin, Repentance and Restitution (III, IV)

  • The Plumb line (III, IV) (remember this is optional in DTS)

  • Relinquishing rights (III, IV)

Suggestions for Application Formats

Possible formats for facilitating understanding and life application.

  1. Classroom Leadership: following the lecture, staff lead the class to clarify what God is saying and give opportunity for personal response.

  2. Small Groups assigned groups that meet regularly.

  3. Spontaneous small groups: divide the group into smaller groups in the lecture setting.

  4. One on Ones.

  5. Journal. 

  6. Reporting/sharing with the Corporate: give time for individuals to share insights with the group.

  7. The Outreach weeks are a key context for furthering understanding and life application for all categories. 

DTS Curriculum Tools

For other languages click here

 

WORKING WITH THE YWAM VALUES

 

STEWARDSHIP

 

DISCIPLING NATIONS

 

PROCESSING

 

OUTREACH TOOLS

 

UNIVERSITY OF THE NATIONS

 

Evaluation

 

Debrifing

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(Last updated: June 13 2015 ) ©International DTS Centre, 2002, 2005, 2015

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