2025 Conference Schedule & Speakers
Speaker
Wilson Geisler
Director of Global Research, International Mission Board (IMB)
Schedule
6:00 pm – Taste of the Nations, Lamb Auditorium (No RSVP required!)
8:00 am – 8:50 am – Prayer Walk Bailey Student Center
9:00 am – 10:15 am – 1st Plenary – “Defining Lostness” Chafer Chapel
10:15 am – 11:10 am – Coffee with Missions Representatives Bailey Student Center
11:15 am – 12:15 pm – Workshops
CAC 205 – 3-2-1 Evangelism
CAC 206 – Cross-cultural Teaching of the Bible & Theology: Challenges &
Rewards
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm – Q&A Lunch CAC 204
1:45 pm – 2:45 pm – Missions Panel Lamb Auditorium
3:00pm – 4:30pm – Ice Cream Social with Alumni Lamb Auditorium
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – Dinner with Missionaries Lamb Auditorium *SIGN UP REQUIRED!*
8:00 am – 8:50 am – Prayer Walk Bailey Student Center
9:00 am – 10:15 am – 2nd Plenary – “Measuring Lostness” Chafer Chapel
10:15 am – 11:10 am – Time with Missions Representatives Bailey Student Center
11:15 am – 12:15 pm – Workshops
CAC 205 – A Love for People and the Lost
CAC 206 – 8 Pathways to the Unreached from Dallas
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm – Q&A Lunch CAC 204
1:45 pm – 2:45 pm – Missions & Evangelism in Global Contexts Online
3:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Evangelism Experience Lamb Auditorium
8:00 am – 8:50 am – Prayer Walk Bailey Student Center
9:00 am – 10:00 am – Workshops
CAC 205 – Brokenness and Beauty: World Arts and Witness Along the Journey
CAC 206 – Global Opportunities for Theologians and Expositors
10:15 am – 11:30 am – Commissioning Plenary – “Engaging Lostness” Chafer Chapel
11:30 pm – 1:00 pm – Commissioning Lunch with Missions Representatives Bailey Student Center
About our Plenary Speaker
We’re so excited to have Wilson Geisler join us this year as our 2025 plenary speaker. He is the Director of Global Research for the International Mission Board (IMB) based in Richmond, Virginia. Wilson has a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, a BS in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University, and a MS in Structural Engineering from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. Wilson was a licensed and practicing Structural Engineer in Texas for 15 years prior to being called to overseas missions. Wilson is also a software developer and was the owner of Inertia Software, Inc. in Austin, Texas from 1995 to 2000. Now calling Virginia home, Wilson served with the International Mission Board in various strategy and leadership roles for 13 years in South Asia and the Middle East before becoming IMB’s Director of Global Research in 2019. Wilson has been happily married to Natalie for 37 years, and they have two grown children.
Plenary Sessions
Students are required to attend all three plenary sessions. Students located in Dallas are expected to attend events in person unless extenuating circumstances prevent them from doing so. Please note that plenary sessions are not during the regular chapel hour nor are they the same time every day.
Defining Lostness
In the first plenary session, we will examine the biblical basis and development of the people group paradigm, along with the modern challenges of a changing landscape of lostness.
Scripture: Gen 10:9; Gen 11:1-9; 1 Peter 2:9-10, Rev 7:9
Location: Chafer Chapel
Measuring Lostness
In the second plenary session, we will examine the realities and challenges involved in determining the peoples and places with the greatest need for the gospel and Kingdom advance, along with the often-misunderstood terms “Unreached” and “Unengaged.”
Scripture: Romans 15:14-24; Acts 15:3-4; Romans 10:12-15; Prov 27:23
Location: Chafer Chapel
Engaging Lostness
In the final plenary session, we will talk through the practical steps to engage the least reached people groups, both in your nearby communities and across the globe.
Scripture: Acts 17:26-27, Acts 20:3-4; Eph 2:10; 1 Peter 3:9, 1 Tim 2:1-4, 1 Cor 4:17
Location: Chafer Chapel
Taste of the Nations
Join us on March 10th to kick off our conference with our iconic night with tastes of food from around the world. There will be a variety of tables and each table will have a small sampling of foods from a specific culture. You can meet our global students and their families as they share their food, culture, and more about different people groups. It is an honor to be able to fellowship within the nations right here within our DTS community. In addition, this is a wonderful time to talk to representatives from missions organizations working all around the world. NO RSVP REQUIRED! Just show up ready to fellowship and try new things!
Workshops
The purpose of workshops are to engage and interact with a topic in a deeper, practical, and personally applicable way. There are three separate tracks for workshops this year which will be announced soon. Typically we recommend that students choose one track for the whole week, but feel free to choose what interests you most.
3-2-1 Evangelism
CAC 205 — Hosted by Intervarsity
Join us as we walk through how we train, equip, and challenge students to use prayer, hospitality, inviting, and calls to faith to reach their friends and peers with the gospel of Jesus and make an eternal impact right where one is.
Cross-cultural Teaching of the Bible and Theology: Challenges and Rewards
CAC 206 — Hosted by Dr. Rick Calenberg
Teaching the Bible and theology in Africa is very different from teaching the Bible and theology in Dallas! This workshop explores the dynamics of contextual Bible and theology teaching led by a missionary teacher who has spent much of the last 40 years in theological education in West Africa.
A Love for People and the Lost
CAC 205 — Hosted by SIM
People don’t care what you know until they know that you care. In order to reach people with the Gospel, we must remember that people spell love T.I.M.E. How can we meet people where they are? We love them, find opportunities to share the Gospel, and make disciples. Come and let’s talk about what this looks like!
Eight Pathways to the Unreached from Dallas
CAC 206 — Hosted by the Navigators
This workshop will consider the priority of engaging the unreached and frontier peoples. And will overview eight practical pathways to engage the unreached as a DFW resident.
Brokenness and Beauty: World Arts and Witness Along the Journey
CAC 205 — Hosted by Dr. Neil R. Coulter & Dr. Robin Harris
“But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us” (2 Cor 4:7 NRSVUE). Art-making involves breaking something to make something new. In our lives, God leads us through brokenness so that we can bear witness to his glory. Learn about a visual art genre of brokenness and mending, and then practice it in a hands-on project!
Global Opportunities for Theologians and Expositors
CAC 206 — Hosted by FIM
Join us as we explore a variety of examples of how DTS students can use their academic skills and biblical passion to train majority world Christian leaders.
Q & A Lunches
Enjoy a delicious, FREE lunch with our plenary speaker, Wilson Geisler. This is a time where you can ask questions you may have, dive in deeper to topics related to missions, and wrestle with difficult concepts or their application. Students MUST RSVP BY 2/27 in order to get a free lunch. Even if you didn’t RSVP, you are still welcome to join! We may not be able to give you a meal, but you can still engage with our speaker and ask any questions or give any comments you may have.
Coffee & Snacks with Missions Representatives
Come to the Bailey Student Center from 10:15am – 11:10am right after the plenary sessions to drink coffee, have snacks, and meet representatives from missions organizations working here in Dallas and all around the world. You can also make appointments with different missions organizations and come back in the afternoon Tuesday and Wednesday to explore even further. These times are excellent opportunities to learn more about missions organizations working to fulfill God’s global mission all around the world. You can sit down, enjoy coffee, tea, and snacks with any of the representatives. There are truly a wide variety of organizations so everyone can find something that interests them.
Evangelism Experience
Want to share the Gospel but not sure how to start? Join us on Wednesday, March 12th at 3:00pm in Lamb Auditorium for a practical training where you’ll learn a simple, effective way to communicate your faith directly followed by evangelizing in our local community. This session is also valuable for those already active in sharing the Gospel, offering fresh insights and techniques to strengthen your approach. After the short training, you’ll head out with a supportive team to put your new skills into practice—don’t worry, experienced mentors will guide you every step of the way. We’ll wrap up with dinner and a time to reflect on what we’ve learned. Grow in confidence, connect with others, and make a difference in the community. You won’t want to miss it!
Ice Cream Social with Alumni
All mission-minded students are invited to meet and fellowship with DTS alumni who have hearts for missions. Join our alumni for an ice cream social on Tuesday, March 11 at 3:00 p.m.! Please enjoy ice cream and be encouraged by our alumni who have worked all around the world.
Dinner with Missionaries
Would you like to talk to missionaries who have worked all around the world? Are you interested in learning more about what missions organizations do and opportunities for internships, jobs, and ministries? Then join us for our Dinner with Missionaries on March 11th at 5:30pm in Lamb Auditorium. Sign up is required! Please sign up by clicking the button below and follow the instructions carefully.
Missions & Evangelism in Global Contexts: Poland and Brazil
Join us online via teams on Wednesday, March 12th from 1:45pm-2:45pm CST. Two Global 100 students, one from Poland and one from Brazil, will share their experiences regarding mission and evangelism in their home contexts. This session will be an opportunity for them to share insights about:
- A brief overview of Christianity in their countries
- Their personal ministry work
- The unique opportunities and challenges Christians face in missions and evangelism in their countries
- How DTS students can get involved
Please note that this event can only be joined online through teams.
