YWAM Lancaster · Discipleship Training School
Know God. Be sent. Change your story forever.
A Discipleship Training School (DTS) is where a season of pursuing God turns into a lifetime of purpose. At YWAM Lancaster, every DTS shares one rhythm: seek God, then get sent to the nations. Two distinct paths let you answer the specific call on your life.
Two schools. One foundation. Classic DTS · Ekballō DTS
Start here
What is a YWAM Lancaster DTS?
A Discipleship Training School (DTS) is an intensive, months-long program that combines a lecture phase, where you grow in knowing God’s character and your own identity, with an international outreach phase, where you take everything you’ve learned and serve among the nations. It’s the foundational school of Youth With A Mission, the doorway into everything else YWAM does, and it’s recognized for credit through the University of the Nations.
At YWAM Lancaster, a DTS is more than a class. It’s a rhythm of discipleship lived in community on our campus in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, followed by real ministry in some of the least-reached places on earth. You’ll be mentored, challenged, and sent, and you won’t do any of it alone.
The shared experience
Every DTS at YWAM Lancaster has this in common
Whichever path you choose, these are the things that make a Lancaster DTS what it is.
Seek God first
Every school begins with a lecture phase built around one question: who is God, and in light of that, who are you? Foundations before frontlines.
Then get sent
Learning becomes obedience. Every DTS includes international outreach: the gospel carried in person to the nations, not just studied in a classroom.
Life in community
You’ll live, learn, worship, and serve alongside a team on our Ephrata, PA campus. You are not going through this alone.
Real discipleship & mentoring
One-on-one mentoring, honest community, and lifelong friendships forged in the work of following Jesus together.
University of the Nations credit
Your DTS is the recognized gateway school of YWAM, the prerequisite that opens the door to further training worldwide.
A launchpad, not a finish line
DTS ends by preparing you for what’s next: long-term missions, further study, work, or wherever God is sending you.
Two paths, one calling
Choose the DTS that fits the call on your life
Neither path is a lesser version of the other. They share the same foundation and the same heart. They differ in length, intensity, and where God may be sending you. Compare them side by side.
The Classic Discipleship Training School
Know God deeply, discover your calling, and take the gospel to the nations.
Length: 5 to 6 months
- Rhythm: 3-month lecture phase, then 8-week international outreach, then 2-week debrief and reentry
- Outreach: One international outreach, often to the 10/40 Window (Central and Southeast Asia)
- Make it yours: Choose a focus. Presence (worship and prayer), Catalyst (evangelism and communication), or Trailblazers (pioneering the unreached)
- Investment: $3,995 lecture phase, plus $4,000 to $6,000 outreach (varies by location)
Choose this if… You’re stepping into missions and discipleship for the first time, seeking direction, and want a strong foundation with room to explore where God is leading.
The Ekballō Discipleship Training School
“To thrust out with force.” A call to the hardest, least-reached places on earth.
Length: 7½ months
- Rhythm: 12-week training phase, then two 9-week international outreaches, then 2-week debrief and graduation
- Outreach: Two international outreaches focused on difficult, least-reached regions with little gospel presence
- Extra training: Crisis management, wilderness first-responder skills, Bible distribution in restricted areas, and reaching the unreached
- Investment: $3,995 training phase, plus $7,000 to $10,000 outreach (varies by location)
Choose this if… You’re ready to lay down your comforts, you’re drawn to unreached peoples and difficult places, and you want to be stretched. No prior DTS required. Ekballō fully satisfies your DTS.
Still deciding?
Which one is God calling you to?
A simple gut-check. Read both columns. The one that keeps tugging at you is worth a conversation.
Lean toward Classic DTS if…
- This is your first DTS or your first real step into missions
- You want to grow in knowing God before you specialize
- You’re seeking direction and space to discover your calling
- A focused 5 to 6 months fits your season of life right now
- You want to choose a track: worship, evangelism, or pioneering
Lean toward Ekballō DTS if…
- You feel a specific pull toward the unreached and least-reached
- You’re ready to be stretched physically, emotionally, and spiritually
- You want deeper preparation for difficult, high-risk fields
- You can give 7½ months to two international outreaches
- You want it to “ruin you for ordinary Christianity”
Not sure yet? That's okay. Contact our team, and we'll help you discern the right path.
Your next step
Getting started is simple
You don’t have to have it all figured out. Just take the first step, and we’ll walk with you through the rest.
1
Fill out the interest form
No commitment. It just opens the conversation and gets your questions answered.
2
Complete your application
Tell us your story and the path you’re drawn to. We’ll help you discern between Classic and Ekballō.
3
Get accepted & prepare to go
Secure your spot, begin fundraising with our support, and get ready to be sent.
The essentials
What's true for both schools
The practical details that apply no matter which DTS you choose.
- Where: Ephrata, PA. Our campus in Pennsylvania Dutch Country (1932 W Main St, Ephrata, PA)
- Same starting point: $3,995 lecture and training phase for both schools; outreach costs vary by path and location
- Credit: University of the Nations recognized. Your DTS is the gateway to further YWAM training
- Who comes: Students travel from across the U.S. and around the world. Come as you are; be sent transformed.
Frequently Asked Questions
A DTS is the foundational program of Youth With A Mission, an intensive school that pairs a lecture phase (growing in the knowledge of God and your identity in Him) with an international outreach phase (serving and sharing the gospel among the nations). It’s recognized for credit through the University of the Nations and is the prerequisite for further YWAM training.
Both are full Discipleship Training Schools that share the same foundation. Classic DTS runs 5 to 6 months with one international outreach and lets you choose a focus (Presence, Catalyst, or Trailblazers). Ekballō DTS runs 7½ months, includes additional training for difficult environments, and sends you on two international outreaches specifically among the hardest, least-reached regions of the world.
No. Ekballō is a complete DTS in itself. It includes the core DTS elements and fully satisfies the University of the Nations DTS requirement. You can start your discipleship journey with Ekballō if that’s where you feel called.
Classic DTS is 5 to 6 months (a 3-month lecture phase, an 8-week outreach, and a 2-week debrief). Ekballō DTS is 7½ months (a 12-week training phase, two 9-week international outreaches, and a 2-week debrief and graduation).
Both schools have the same $3,995 lecture and training phase, which covers lodging, food, teaching, and course materials. Outreach costs are additional and vary by location: roughly $4,000 to $6,000 for Classic DTS and $7,000 to $10,000 for Ekballō’s two outreaches. We provide a full fundraising guide to help you get there.
Our campus is in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country (1932 W Main Street, Ephrata, PA). Students come from across the United States and around the world to train here.
Yes. Both the Classic and Ekballō schools are recognized DTS programs and serve as the gateway to further training and schools within the University of the Nations and YWAM worldwide.
Two paths. One calling. Your move.
Whether God is calling you to the foundational journey of Classic DTS or the frontline intensity of Ekballō, the next step is the same: just start.
