Inviting Young People into the Great Commission with Next Steps

DMI’s Next Steps course came from an idea formed in São Paulo, Brazil. This was in March 2020 at the Global Missions meeting, before the pandemic. This meeting was unique. YWAM Frontier Missions workers gathered from across the globe. The purpose was to recruit and inspire young people to join mission work. The pandemic hit and people could not travel any longer. We held many Zoom meetings to develop a new training method despite the crisis. The leaders of this new training created action steps and developed the secret sauce that has now become DMI’s unique way of running online training and helping people fulfill the Great Commission.

What’s Different About Next Steps?

The Next Steps course differs from the other DMI courses. It caters to youth in Africa, Asia, and Latin America in particular. The course focuses on obeying the Great Commission – to make disciples as God commands. It is short and inexpensive. These characteristics were key for working with a younger audience. The total training is only five live sessions and 7 lessons. It includes 3 one-hour Zoom meetings where trainees can ask questions and understand their action steps. The last two meetings are the kickoff and the ending celebration at the conclusion of the course. One part of the secret sauce that makes this work is a vibrant online community. The coaching and community take place on WhatsApp. The trainees take part in a cohort, which keeps them engaged and encouraged along the way.

Sound exciting? Youth from the Global South exploring and learning about the Great Commission? We think so! They also get a certificate for completing their action steps and are commissioned. Many go further with their ministry or our other courses from there.

How Do People Hear About This Great Commission Course?

Next Steps recruits trainees through social media advertising and word of mouth. Do you know someone who might be interested? Please help us spread the word about this life-changing course! Our next cohort begins October 12th, 2024.

So far, the course has logged 400-500 young people. This program is primarily for youth. Some younger kids want to do the Next Steps course too. DMI has begun developing the Go course for younger kids.

What is Next Steps For?

• Awareness. The focus of Disciple Makers Increase (DMI) for the Next Steps Course is the Global South (Africa, Asia, and Latin America). Many young people in these regions have not been invited to participate in God’s plan to reach the lost. They are unaware that they are part of the Great Commission. Many lack access to training, let alone any that they can afford. Often, they also do not have support from their families and church communities.

• Disciple-making. The Next Steps course is designed to usher them into disciple-making and introduce them to the idea of Disciple Making Movements (DMM) in an easy on-ramp. They learn simple evangelism and disciple-making skills they can immediately practice. DMI hopes to add new languages to the Next Steps course to make it more accessible to Latinos and youth who don’t speak English. In the next 2-5 years, we are hoping to add several languages and are currently engaging with possible facilitators for these different languages. As trainees engage in disciple-making, we can then help them begin to form groups and be trained to launch movements. This is now beginning to work in our Tamil and Portuguese DMM training.

Tribal Asian Youth Join In

Until now, 75%-80% of the Next Steps courses were African youth. In July, we started a test cohort in Malaysia with 20 trainees. Tribal youth who have God’s heart to reach the unreached were the focus. This cohort had 10 facilitators. They helped the youth with training and online coaching on their action steps. DMI is excited to see how these young people will progress. They are now being coached to follow through on their part in the Great Commission.

Current Challenges & Creative Solutions

The Next Steps course has two big challenges.

• First, many people in our target audience have poor internet connections or no access to the internet.
• Second, finding young facilitators to take over the community groups is a constant need.

Whether it is the cost of having a connection for these youth or a poor connection. DMI is working to overcome these challenges. Please pray with us for this! Cohorts are using a creative way to continue the training despite internet issues. They find a nearby house with a good connection. The trainees in that area can all gather in one location for the session. This has also helped in peer accountability for those who gather around those with better internet sources. The other challenge remains and needs additional prayer and brainstorming. Unless we multiply leaders, the program can not grow! Again, pray with us as we seek God for wisdom on this.

Powerful Testimonies of Great Commission Activity

There are many testimonies from young people’s experiences in the Next Steps course. One testimony came from Esther from Fiji.

I used what I learned in the course to reach out to different women in my community. One woman was a Buddhist. One woman was a Hindu. I was also able to reach out to a Muslim woman. They all asked me back and asked me to pray with them.

– Next Steps Trainee

One young woman in India who attended the Next Steps course. She was in university. She would tell Bible stories to her friends on campus, and many would call her up and ask her to tell them more.

Next Steps has been a powerful tool. It invites youth to fulfill their calling. It encourages them to reach out to other youth in their communities and beyond. Despite the challenges, DMI facilitators and volunteers have found ways to serve youth in the Global South. Their actions have drawn people to hear the gospel. They are now sharing it in their communities. We praise God!

Join us in spreading the word about Next Steps! Do you know a young person who has a heart for God? Invite them to consider taking the upcoming Next Steps Course. Maybe you’d like to sponsor one or two people to do this unique training.

Got questions? Comment below or write to us today!