Most Christians have been taught about Jesus. Sermons, small groups, Bible studies — we have no shortage of content.
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Very few have ever been trained to make disciples who make disciples. There's a difference between knowing the Great Commission and actually living it out in a way that multiplies.
JDU exists for that gap — the space between knowledge and movement.
about JDU
A training institution, built by practitioners.
Jesus Disciple University is an online educational training institution that prepares individuals, ministry leaders, and churches to live out, teach, and multiply disciple-making in their own communities.
We offer certificate programs built around a simple conviction: training should produce practitioners, not just graduates. Every program includes a real-world practicum — students don't just study disciple-making, they do it before they finish.
A word on the entities you may have heard about. JDU is the training institution. The Jesus Disciple app is the movement tool. Different jobs, same direction. JDU trains the people. The movement moves on its own.
Make Disciples Who Make Disciples
We don't teach what we used to do. We teach what we're still doing.
133
133 ministry leaders around the world have started their own disciple-making networks through the Jesus Disciple app — real groups, real leaders, real communities.
4th
Within the first Jesus Disciple network, called The Rock Network, multiple streams of disciple-making have reached the 4th generation — past the threshold missiologists call self-sustaining. Real multiplication, still going.
FMI
Foursquare Missions International (FMI) has designated JDU and The Rock as a training site for cross-cultural missionary preparation. Our inaugural cohort launches Fall 2026.
DMM
The disciple-making movement methodology at the core of JDU is the same model driving church multiplication across India, China, Africa, and Latin America. We didn't invent it. We've adapted it.
100%
JDU teachers have led discipleship groups, multiplied them, coached other leaders, and are still doing it today. There's no gap between what we teach and how we live.
engage online
Take JDU Anywhere
JDU offers all it's courses online. Take it anywhere and make disciples that make disciples
online Certificate Programs
Where JDU can take you
Every JDU certificate begins with the Disciplemaker's Certificate.
Our first certificate
The Disciplemaker's Certificate
If you're serious about multiplying disciples — not just learning about it, but doing it — this is where you start.
track 1- online
Non-Degree Track
Personal discipleship formation. Designed for individuals who want deep training without academic requirements.
$495
Total for the full two-semester program. Payment plans available
what's included
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Both Foundation studies (F1 + F2) walked through with your cohort
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Weekly cohort session with your JDU Coach
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Doing What Jesus Did (Semester 2) + coaching development
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Live practicum — you'll lead a real discipleship group
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Progress-marker completion (no letter grade)
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Certificate of completion
for those building toward a degree
track 2- online
Degree Track
Everything in Non-Degree, plus academic assignments that build toward credit in future JDU degree programs.
$995
Total for the full two-semester program. Payment plans available
everything in non-degree, plus
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Weekly reflection papers (500–750 words)
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Four Integrative papers over two semesters
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Letter-graded academic record on your JDU transcript
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Credit toward future JDU Bachelor's / Master's / Doctoral programs
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Faculty rubric feedback on every submission
Tuition for the Fall 2026 Cohort
Choose to pay in full at enrollment:
DEGREE TRACK
$995 total
NON-DEGREE TRACK
$495 total
or, opt into our 3-payment plan at no extra cost:
DEGREE TRACK
$331.67 × 3 monthly
NON-DEGREE TRACK
$165 × 3 monthly
Plan payments are charged to the same card, one month apart. All charges complete within 60 days. No fee, no premium — same total tuition either way.
Plan availability closes September 20. Enrollments September 21–26 pay in full.
DISCOUNTS are available for eligible applicants. If your church is interested in partnership discounts, click here to see if you may qualify for a discount.
Specialized certificates
Training for the disciple-maker
Every JDU certificate begins with the Disciplemaker's Certificate. From there, students specialize — in missions, in leadership, in what God is calling them to next. The certificates below are being developed. Start your journey today by registering for the Disciplemaker's Certificate.
Missions
In partnership with FMI. Start with the Disciplemaker's Certificate this Fall.
Movement Maker
For network leaders ready to lead a disciple-making movement
Church-to-Movement
For church leaders ready to become a disciple-making movement
Leadership
Ministry leaders + pastors + house church leaders
Scripture & Doctrine
Rightly handling the Word of Truth
Worship
For worship leaders and teams
Apologetics
For believers ready to give an answer
where we are headed
Build toward a degree
in development
Bachelor of Arts
in Ministry
in development
Master's Degree
in Ministry/ Missions
in development
Doctoral Degree
in Ministry/ Missions
We are pursuing accreditation through an evangelical accreditation network Launching within 18-24 Months
who's behind jdu
Practitioners. Not theorists.
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jdu chancellor
Jerry Dirmann
Jerry is the senior pastor of The Rock, a Foursquare church in Anaheim, and leads The Rock Network — the first Jesus Disciple network — where the disciple-making model behind JDU has multiplied to the fourth generation through multiple streams. He's spent years building the practical disciple-making framework JDU now trains others in — and he still leads groups.
Frequently Asked Questions
what does it cost?
Non-Degree Track is $495 total for the full two-semester program. Degree Track is $995 total. Both cover Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 — no additional per-semester fees. You may qualify for a discount. Click here for more information.
when do i pay?
You choose at enrollment: pay in full or split into three or seven monthly installments – same total cost, no fee for the plan. Whichever you pick, you'll receive a secure Stripe payment link right after you complete this application. Your seat is confirmed when the first payment clears. Plan payments are auto-charged monthly and the plan auto-closes after the third payment.
WHEN DO COHORTS MEET AND WHAT'S THE TIME COMMITMENT?
Cohorts meet weekly at a consistent day and time for the full semester. Fall 2026 options include Sunday mornings, Sunday afternoons, and weekday evenings – six cohort options in total. Pick the one that fits your regular schedule during the enrollment process. Cohorts skip Thanksgiving week and the final session runs 2 hours to include a graduation celebration. You can expect to spend about 2-3 hours of coursework outside the class in the non-degree track, and 3-4 in the degree track.
what's the refund policy?
Full refund up to the start of Session 2. Partial refund up to Session 4. See the
Withdrawal & Refund Policy (linked in the enrollment application) for full details.
can i swITch tracks after enrolling?
Upgrading from Non-Degree to Degree Track is available only through the end of Session 2 of the Fall semester (approximately the second week of October). To upgrade, you'll pay the $500 difference and complete any weekly reflection papers already assigned within a one-week catch-up window; the Degree Track designation is applied to your record once the missed work is graded. After Session 2, upgrades are not available for the current cohort — you'd enroll fresh at Degree Track pricing in the next cohort. Downgrading from Degree to Non-Degree is not supported once the semester begins.
IS JDU ACCREDITED?
JDU is a new institution and is not yet accredited. We are pursuing accreditation through an evangelical accrediting body — the pathway designed for Bible-based training institutions — rather than through a regional or national body tied to federal financial aid. That is an intentional choice. Regional accreditation could place JDU's curriculum and doctrinal standards under governmental oversight in ways that could compromise how we are called to train disciple-makers. Evangelical accreditation demonstrates accountability to the churches and ministries our students come from and go back to serve. A few things to know: JDU is not on the federal financial aid pathway. Our certificates are recognized by evangelical churches and ministries, not the U.S. Department of Education. Credit transfer to regionally accredited schools varies — if that matters to your plans, please reach out at admissions@jduonline.com before enrolling.
WHAT IF I'M NOT A "UNIVERSITY" PERSON?
We hear two versions of this concern: "it'll be too much work" and "I'm not smart enough for a 'university.'" Neither reflects what JDU actually is. JDU’s Disciplemaker certificate involves meeting once a week for about 90 minutes with a JDU Coach and a small cohort of other students. Outside class, the Non-Degree Track is what any discipleship group does — reading Scripture, praying, listening to two Faithbuilder teachings and walking out what you are learning. The Degree Track adds about an hour a week for a reflection paper. The paper is not research or extra reading; it is you responding to questions about your own discipleship and leadership journey. One of our coaches called it "super-easy — no one should be intimidated by it." Don't let the word "university" scare you. JDU exists to train disciplemakers who make disciplemakers; when we launch our degree programs, we’ll have classes to help student read and write better, but that’s not the scope of the Disciplemaker Certificate. It really is for everyone. English isn't your first language? Not a strong writer? You are exactly who this is for. Both tracks are open to you.
