School of Staff and Ministry Development
Next intake August 2023
“The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few;
Details
The School of Staff and Ministry Development is a 2-year program for new staff at YWAM Seamill. It is aimed at serving the growth and staffing experience of new staff within their lives and ministry.
This program is based on the idea of an internship – learning ‘on the job’ or serving while growing. Each participant is coming to join the YWAM Seamill community, to staff and serve in a particular ministry while having input, mentoring, and training.
For more information scroll down and get in touch with us if you want to apply or have questions!
Common questions about the SSMD
What is an internship?
An internship is entering into a job with deliberate mentoring. Where one is being introduced to a new field – in our case, missions. There are different parts to it that help give a well rounded experience like first-hand experience, development of crucial skills. So to say, an Internship launches people into a new field with experience, skills and know-how.
Are there any prerequisites I need to have before I can be accepted?
Yes, a completed DTS with YWAM is non negotiable. We do also want to acknowledge that to have a deep, fruitful, and impactful time, it requires a genuine love of Jesus and this world, to be hungry to learn, grow, and change and to be willing to constantly live sacrificially, serve everyone and step over any kind of unbelief, self-pity or negativity. (We simply recognize that we invite you to staff here with us, and not just attend a program, which means, we invite you to work alongside us, furthering the kingdom of God, going the lowly road of following Jesus and living for the sake of a needy and broken world.)
What has God been speaking to us about the SSMD?
Luke 10:2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Is 37:31b “… take roots downward and bear fruit upward.”
God has been speaking to us from the beginning about the balance of both going deep in our relationship with God, that our walk with God would be genuine, solid, tested, and a witness for God, and also of going out, bearing fruit, reaching this generation in practical, lasting ways. There are times for focusing on roots/sowing and other times for focusing on fruits/harvest – both are important, valid and given from God. May we learn from God His ways in every season and run the race that is before us with zeal, endurance, wisdom and great love.
What will I learn during lectures?
The bottom line of this course is to support and raise this generation of disciples of Jesus and missionaries in the word of God and therefore centred in the person Jesus and how He lived and taught. The lectures aim at both our lives and the way we minister and serve as disciples of Jesus. This also includes, learning and growing in how to give away and share the revelations and understandings, one lives in.
Over the 2 years, following topics will be covered:
- God’s purposes with mankind,
- Living and Serving wholeheartedly in Missions,
- Bible,
- Discipleship,
- Leadership,
- Team work and unity,
- Faith and Prayer,
- Missions,
- Holistic Living,
- Biblical Worldview and Evangelism,
- Developing Ministry Skills,
- Vision and Values of YWAM
How will a typical week look like? Will I be a student or a staff member?
You will apply as a staff and come, being fully integrated into our YWAM community, as a staff. As every other staff on base, you will have responsibilities within the community, while most of the time you will spend with your particular ministry (more on that below). Additionally, you will have designated SSMD times that include inputs, assignments and mentoring.
What ministries can I join?
As one of our key scriptures says, “the harvest is plentiful,” so also the opportunities to serve at YWAM Seamill are plentiful. To start your time as a new staff, you would join a currently existing ministry and serve there while being deepened in your calling. These can include being a DTS staff, doing worship and prayer, serving the base practically like in the kitchen, gardening, or maintenance, or doing different kinds of local outreaches. Please feel free to ask us about other current existing ministries and how you can join and serve there.
If you have specific interest in a particular ministry, please do not hesitate to write to us, to discuss further possibilities. If you have a desire to start a new ministry while doing the SSMD, you can bring this desire very much and we would love to support, pray with you and release you into those ministries as the Lord leads.
Our general recommendation is to staff DTSs during the SSMD. Staffing a DTS is unlike any other experience, but will grow you like few other leadership opportunities! It is full of privileges, like seeing breakthroughs in trainees, seeing people encounter Jesus, growing deeper in DTS lecture topics, forging deep friendships with people from all over the world. It also has challenges, like navigating team conflict, planning outreaches, confronting apathy, fear or unbelief. Yet, no matter what stage of life you are in, or if you know where you see yourself in, staffing DTS will grow you like few other experiences! Name it and you will learn it during staffing a DTS. Yes, we love DTS! 🙂
Is the course accredited with the University of the Nations?
Yes! This course is registered with the UofN as a School of Ministry Development and offers 24 credits. 12 credits for the full lecture phase and 12 credits for an integrated outreach. The lecture phase is spread over the 2 years as learning is integrated with serving in a ministry. The outreach phase is full-time. The specifics of the outreach will come during the course of the school after further prayer – but as you will be a full part of our community, this will be an outreach that is designed around what we feel the Lord is saying to our community (leading a DTS outreach counts as the outreach for the SSMD).
During the 2 years there will be different kinds of assignments, like books and team projects, to evaluate each one’s growth and participation in the school. These assignments together with each person’s character development and ministry involvement will make up the final grade at the end of the 2 year program.
What are the costs?
As mentioned above, you will be a full-time YWAM staff member at Seamill, which means there is no fixed amount. You will need to budget rent, food, school fees, private expenses, travel expenses and outreach expenses (this is at least £500 per month).
Every YWAM staff is fully funded by support that they have to raise on their own initiative. We are very happy to support you in doing steps of faith with support raising from the first days! We do encourage you to see the costs or fundraising, not as a hindrance for joining staff. God has provided for thousands of YWAMers all around the world, for hundreds of outreaches, for years of support for so many of us who have stayed here for a long time. There’s no shortage of testimonies!
Upcoming dates?
August 19th, 2024 – July 2026
Who is leading the school?
Hi, my name is Samuel Scharf. I did my DTS in 2016 at YWAM Seamill, Scotland and I have been on full-time staff since 2017. I have served in various roles from kitchen manager to DTS staff and leader. Currently, my main ministry focus is on discipling and setting up the SSMD program. I also love music, sport, traveling and good food. The main emphasis in my heart is the purity of the church. “To those who have no mixture, God will give the Spirit without measure.”