Our mission is to inspire and nurture students in their life of discipleship with Jesus Christ, in a journey towards:
Knowing God, in truth and relationship
Knowing yourself, in personality, character, abilities and gifts
Knowing the world, in its beauty, diversity and pain

Outtatown Discipleship School is a unique 8 month program of Canadian Mennonite University. The main themes of the program centre on “knowing God, knowing yourself, and knowing the world.”  In order to make the experience as meaningful as possible, students travel and learn together in small groups called “sites”, composed of 30 students and four site leaders who mentor the students and help to guide the learning experience.  Currently registration is limited to three sites, or approximately 100 students. The program runs from September to April with a Christmas break.  The first semester takes place in camps and retreat centres in Canada, and the second semester will take place in an international location (Guatemala or South Africa).

After the program, some students move on to careers and education elsewhere, but many students choose to continue their degree at CMU and receive university credit for their Outtatown experience.

The Vision

The program was created in 1998 (initially called School of Discipleship or SOD) by a joint venture of Concord College and the Mennonite Brethren Church of Manitoba. Their desire was to create an exciting discipleship program that would inspire young adults to continue to learn and grow in their faith. In 2000, three Mennonite colleges in Winnipeg (Concord College, Menno Simons College, Canadian Mennonite Bible College) merged to form Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) out of a vision for collective Christian higher education. As a program of CMU, the School of Discipleship continued to flourish and increase in students.  Soon after, SOD changed its name to Outtatown Discipleship School.

When Outtatown was just a dream of what a discipleship school could be, the founders of the program sat down with both students and educators alike and asked them to identify what key ingredients they would want in an 8 month discipleship adventure that would serve as a gap-year following high school. One of the most important ingredients identified was “getting away”, along with biblical instruction, adventure, seeing the world, freedom to explore faith and ask questions, opportunities to serve those in need, community living, and of course…wearing shorts in winter. Outtatown was created out of this desire: to create the ultimate 8 month discipleship program.

The opportunity to get away is very important because it allows students to have an experience that will take them out of their comfort zones and beyond the pressures and expectations from home communities. Students travel together in a community of young people who are all asking life’s big questions. Some have called this year a “spiritual pilgrimage” because everyone who leaves comes back changed in some way. One of our goals is to send students back to their home congregations ready to serve with all their heart, knowing so much more about the passions and the gifts God has given them.

The Method

As soon as students arrive, we literally take them “outta town”. In the 8 months spent with us students will travel through 5 Canadian provinces, set foot in at least 3 countries, stay overnight in various locations ranging from church basements or even caves and open-air huts to retreat centres and upscale hotels, and sleep in about 30 different beds.

In first semester, students travel throughout western Canada where camps and retreat centres in the Rocky and Coastal mountains serve as a backdrop to their learning environment. In second semester, students travel to either Guatemala or South Africa to experience a vastly different culture and to get involved in the work that God is doing in some of the most beautiful, yet broken places on earth.

Outtatown employs a unique approach to study, combining classroom sessions with experiential learning. Visiting instructors form the basis of study by teaching short-term intensive courses on a variety of biblical themes and topics. Areas of study include: an introduction to the Old and New Testament, Christian theology, the nature of the Church and Christian worship, and how to be faithful to Jesus Christ in the context of the current world situation. Rather than the traditional exam format, students keep a focused journal and work with a Site Leader and small groups of students in the context of mentorship and community. While significant time is spent in interactive or lecture style instruction, learning also takes place through service opportunities in a variety of settings, and unique adventure opportunities such as bungee jumping, surfing, and volcano trekking.

In South Africa, studies focus on the story of South Africa, looking at the country’s transition out of apartheid in 1994 and the need for justice, healing and forgiveness. Living with the four main people groups (Black, White, Coloured, and Indian) students learn about the process of reconciliation on a national and political scale as well as in the context of families, and inter-personal relationships.  Listening, learning, and serving will lead to an understanding of the challenges these people face and the ways in which God is at work in this great country.

In Guatemala, the students are placed into the middle of an emerging democracy that was established in 1996 and is still in a state of flux.  Living with families in a small Guatemalan village, students will study Spanish language and gain an appreciation for the beautiful spirit of these people.  They will build homes with Habitat for Humanity and work with the Indigenous population in the rain forest.  They will see the challenges of poverty and injustice, and will participate in the signs of Christian hope that do exist through the work of God’s people in Central America.

Click here to find out more about university credit earned through Outtatown and credit transfer availability.

Who Should Go On Outtatown?

Outtatown is for any student, from any country and from any faith background who holds a high school diploma and is looking to take a gap year filled with a rich and diversified experience of adventure, learning, travel, friendship and faith development. Outtatown students are usually between 17 and 22 years of age.

While CMU is supported by a wide variety of churches (many of them with Mennonite or Anabaptist roots), our students represent a wide variety of Christian denominations from across Canada, the USA and Europe.  Students will be encouraged to wrestle with life issues and what it means to be faithful to Jesus Christ from a Biblical, Anabaptist perspective.

Click here to read our statement of faith.

Outtatown is for both committed followers of Jesus Christ, and those who are spiritual seekers. It is for students who want to live in community, are ready to learn, and truly desire to go deeper with God. Students are expected to come with an open mind and a good attitude.  Because of our unconventional approach to education, we have found that many students rediscover the “joy of learning” since much of the learning takes place outside the classroom.  However, there is still a significant portion that does, so if you do not enjoy classroom studies and group learning, this year may not be for you. Throughout your studies and travels, you will also be participating as a community in worship, small group events and great “coffee time” with staff. This is a program for people who are ready to think about the tough issues in life, to be challenged by bigger dreams, and are willing to get involved in making a difference. It is our mandate to help students develop and mature as Godly men and women.

Outtatown is also for students who are adventurous. Our goal is to not only challenge students spiritually, but also physically. We believe that part of learning who you are is through physical challenge. Do you have the will and determination to make it to the top of the mountain? Will you face your fear and jump from a 216m bridge with a giant elastic band attached to your ankles?

Both first and second semesters are filled with plenty of adventure activities. The adventure component to our year serves three main purposes:

1. To bond and be unified as a group. There is something amazing about accomplishing difficult feats or overcoming fears while surrounded by good friends. A wonderful sense of camaraderie occurs.

2. To learn who you are and who God created you to be. We want to help you overcome fears and teach you that you do not need to be controlled by them. We also want to help you develop the kind of determination that allows you to face challenges and see them through to the end.

3. To have A LOT of fun! We want you to experience the joy and excitement of adventure activities that you will rarely get the opportunity to experience elsewhere…and what better time or place to experience these thrills than with 30 of your best friends in an exotic location?

Some of the adventures you may have the opportunity to experience while on Outtatown include: hiking, canoe tripping, mountain biking, skiing/snowboarding, deep-sea fishing, rock climbing, caving, horseback riding, body surfing, volcano trekking, bungee jumping, paragliding, surfing, boogie boarding, abseiling (repelling), shark diving, and white water rafting.  We encourage students to be prepared for a challenging year that will require that they stay in good physical condition. While not all activities are mandatory, we do ask students to come willing to try new things.

Why Should You Go On Outtatown?

Often students aren’t sure what they want to do after they graduate from high school. Many feel they aren’t quite ready to settle into a career or another 4 years of school just yet, so a purposeful gap-year is just what they're looking for.

You will likely live for another 60 years or so…why not take one year to have the adventure of a lifetime, and figure out how you want to spend the next 60 years?

By the time you leave us, you will have a much clearer picture of your gifts and abilities and how they fit into a deeper understanding of God and his world. Considerable time will be spent in Knowing yourself modules where your Site Leaders will guide you through an assessment of your gifts, passions, abilities and personality. Career aptitude assessments will help narrow down potential educational and career choices. You will also spend a week during first semester where relationships and gender specific issues will be discussed.

Upon graduating Outtatown, we want you to be able to answer these questions for yourself:

• What school should I go to and what program should I take?
• What should I be doing with my life?
• What career should I pursue?
• What should I look for in a romantic relationship?
• What unique gifts has God given me?
• How does God want me to use my gifts?
• What is my responsibility to poverty and injustice in the world?

Outtatown Alumni often claim that this year was one of the best years of their life. They got to see cities and countries they had only dreamed of. They were able to grow in their faith and develop a deeper and more fulfilling relationship with God. They received direction for their future, making education and career decisions based on gifts they discovered along the way. They served the poor and disadvantaged in the slums of the Third World. They made life-long friendships. They climbed a live volcano in Guatemala, or jumped off the highest bungee jump in the world in South Africa.

If all that isn’t enough, those who continue their education at CMU earn university credit toward their degree!

The question should be…why wouldn’t you go on Outtatown?