Tell Me More

Host Luke Stehr is joined by college minister Connor Toreallaba and Dr. Gary Stidham for a conversation about the gospel movements happening on college campuses across Texas and the country, and what every believer can learn from them. Gary has spent more than two decades in collegiate ministry, including 20 years leading the Baptist Student Ministry at UTA. Connor leads First Baptist Arlington’s college ministry. Together they talk about why students are more open to faith than they were a decade ago, how “reps” build confidence in sharing your faith, and a simple step-by-step way to start a gospel conversation with anyone.

In this episode

• A great time for college ministry. Gary says he knows of at least 10 campus ministries that have each seen more than 100 students profess faith in Christ in a single year. Ten years ago, he knew of none.
• Evangelize or fossilize. As culture becomes more post-Christian, churches and campus ministries are recovering a sense of urgency about sharing the gospel.
• Why reps matter. Contact evangelism means going out in pairs and talking with strangers. It gives students dozens of practice conversations in one semester, and that confidence carries over into conversations with roommates, coworkers, and family.
• Getting reps outside of college. Ideas include reviving “visitation”-style follow-up, gospel appointments over coffee, neighborhood cookouts, kids’ activities, and community events. Luke also suggests a simple prayer to pray everywhere you go: “God, what are you doing here, and how do I join in?”
• What counts as sharing the gospel? A spiritual conversation is valuable, but sharing the gospel means communicating the message of Jesus: he lived, died, rose again, and offers salvation, usually with an invitation to respond.
• Your story in one sentence. Have a full testimony, a 20-second version, and a one-sentence version, built on “Then… but God… now.”
• The holy relay race. One plants, another waters, and God gives the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6). You have a part to play, but not the whole thing.
• The thresholds of faith. Most people come to Christ through a series of steps. For many, the first step is simply knowing one Christian they trust. That’s a good reason to “fly the Jesus flag early.”
• Building a witnessing culture. Connor’s approach is to lead by example, pray boldly, set clear expectations, talk about it often, and share stories.

The SALTY method

Gary’s step-by-step framework for gospel conversations:

• Start a conversation. A good opener is “What’s your spiritual background?”
• Ask questions, with permission, moving from general to personal.
• Listen to answers with genuine curiosity.
• Tell the good news, using a gospel summary you know well, such as Three Circles, the Romans Road, or the Bridge to Life.
• Yes or no: invite a response.

Resources mentioned

• Free SALTY ebook at garystidham.com
• I Once Was Lost by Doug Schaupp and Don Everts (InterVarsity Press), the source of the “five thresholds” framework
• 1 Peter 3:15, on sharing your hope with gentleness and respect
• First Baptist Arlington’s equipping brunches

Take a step this week

Pray for opportunities. Write your one-sentence testimony. Ask one person, “What’s your spiritual background?”

Learn more about First Baptist Arlington at fbca.org.

Dr. Dennis Wiles is back from Canada, and he joins Michael and Ashley Berryhill to talk about what he learned. He joined a pilot mission trip through the Ascent Movement, hosted by Canadian Baptist Ministries. The trip took the team from the Greater Toronto Area to Montreal and Quebec, where they saw how churches are sharing the gospel in one of the most multicultural places in the world.

From there, the conversation turns to evangelism here at home. Dr. Wiles shares two divine appointments: a server at a busy restaurant who asked for prayer, and a Hindu seatmate on a flight from Africa who wanted to add a statue of Jesus to his home altar. These stories show how simply being available can open doors for the gospel. The episode closes with a call to pray, because every great movement of God has begun with a praying church.

In This Episode

• An overview of the Ascent Movement’s pilot trip to Canada with Canadian Baptist Ministries, TMS Global, and Restore Hope
• Visiting Tyndale University during the 500th anniversary of William Tyndale’s English New Testament
• Why “multi” isn’t the same as “inter”: multicultural vs. intercultural, multigenerational vs. intergenerational
• New research from Canada: younger generations aren’t so much secular as pluralistic, and they’re more open to spiritual conversations
• Why the gospel doesn’t need cultural or political power to prop it up
• William Carey and the “unusual, mysterious partnership” between God’s power and our availability
• Two divine appointments: a restaurant server and an airplane seatmate
• Evangelism as a continuum: being one link in the chain, not just the person “closing the deal”
• Becoming “come and see” people, like the Samaritan woman
• Prayer as the “secret sauce” behind every revival and awakening

Key Takeaways

• The power of the gospel doesn’t depend on us, but it does have to be shared.
• Busyness is one of the biggest reasons we walk right past divine appointments.
• Try praying for “the one”: ask God each day to put one person in your path.
• You don’t need a playbook or to have every answer. Just say, “Yes, Lord, I’m available.”
• Praying together with other believers creates accountability, and lets the whole church celebrate when God moves.

Scripture Referenced

• 1 Peter 3:15
• John 4 (the Samaritan woman)
• The prayer life of the early church in Acts

This Week’s Prayer
“Father, help me to be sensitive to your leadership in my everyday life.”

Join Us
The Table meets Wednesdays at 6 PM in the Fellowship Hall for worship, prayer, and a devotional led by Dr. Wiles, plus light bites. Pick up a copy of the weekly prayer guide, and find more at fbca.org.

Hosts & Guests

• Michael, Minister of Worship
• Ashley Berryhill, Minister of Discipleship Engagement
• Dr. Dennis Wiles, Senior Pastor

Katy Reed Hodges sits down with two of First Baptist Arlington's youngest and newest staff members for an all-women episode of Tell Me More. Tatum Scully is a UTA senior and our new college associate. Jaylin Harris is the first resident in the church's new Global Residency. Jaylin grew up in a tiny village in the Oklahoma Panhandle, where her graduating class of 18 was the biggest in school. A DNOW weekend with the ministry Glowing Heart pointed her toward UTA and eventually to First Baptist Arlington. 

Tatum is from San Antonio, where a full scholarship settled her college choice and a mission trip to Denver sparked a calling toward church planting. Both describe following God one step at a time without seeing the whole map. Katy notes that the whole church is learning to walk that way in a changing ministry landscape.

The conversation turns to the friendship between Tatum and Jaylin, who went from fellow freshmen to roommates. They talk about making room for honest conflict and carrying each other through seasons of discernment and support raising. From there, they talk candidly about their generation: scared and lonely, longing to be known but afraid of it, quick to spot anything inauthentic, and all in once they see the heart behind something. Drawing on Oza's sermon from John 4, where Jesus offered "connection before correction," they make the case for letting people belong before they believe. Their advice for reaching Gen Z is simple. Open your home, set the table, don't worry about the dishes in the sink, and invite someone to dinner.

In this episode of Tell Me More, Dr. Wiles and Luke sit down with Raphel Anzenberger, executive director of the French Baptist Union of Canada, to explore evangelism, Scripture engagement, and what the kingdom of God is doing in a highly secular context.

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Watch the sermon Here: https://youtu.be/sXMS1CN62pI
Listen to the Sermon here: https://share.transistor.fm/s/55bf5818
Download the Sermon Notes from Raphel: https://www.fbca.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/7-signs-of-John-method.pdf

Raphel begins by sharing his background—from growing up in Strasbourg, to mission work in Chad, to partnering with Christian communities across Europe and now serving in Quebec. He helps listeners understand how French-speaking Canada represents an under-evangelized environment, and why the church there is learning to communicate the gospel with clarity and courage in a culture where faith is often challenged, misunderstood, or dismissed.

A major focus of the conversation is Raphel's approach to reaching people who believe they already know what Christianity is—yet have not encountered its claims through the primary sources. Drawing from his sermon on John’s Gospel and the “Seven Signs”, he explains how beginning with the person and words of Jesus can reframe people’s assumptions—especially when the gospel confronts secular narratives at their foundation.

The episode also highlights themes of “flourishing” in community life, the importance of faithfulness in minority contexts, and the upside-down nature of the kingdom—where real spiritual fruit often grows not through cultural power, but through service, urgency, and Jesus-centered discipleship.

Whether you’re asking “How do we do evangelism in a secular age?” or “How do we cultivate a living, Scripture-shaped church?” this conversation offers practical insight, biblical grounding, and encouraging perspective for the journey ahead.

What does it look like to share your faith in everyday life? In this episode of Tell Me More from First Baptist Arlington, Dennis Wiles, Katy Reed Hodges, and Luke talk about evangelism, the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15, and why stories reach people in ways arguments often can't. 

Along the way they swap fishing stories (including a knife-in-the-mouth rescue under a boat), share highlights from Truett Seminary's women in ministry conference and a mission trip to Montreal with the French Baptist Union, and give practical tips for starting spiritual conversations. You'll hear how a simple daily prayer, "Lord, put the one person in front of me today," is changing how church members see their neighbors, servers, and coworkers. Whether you're new to faith or looking for fresh ways to share the gospel, this conversation will encourage you to go looking for the one.

What does it really mean for a church to flourish? In this episode of Tell Me More, the team sits down with Curt Grice, marking 32 years on staff at First Baptist Church Arlington, to unpack how a study-leave prayer for direction turned into a years-long journey with the Global Flourishing Study, a landmark research partnership between Harvard, Baylor, and Gallup surveying over 200,000 people across 22 countries.

Curt and his Dennis trace the story from its roots in the Psalm 1 imagery of deep roots, strong trunks, and fruitful branches, through First Baptist  Arlington's own congregational survey of nearly 1,300 adults, to the surprising, humbling results: strong scores in prayer, scripture, and worship, but real room to grow in evangelism and daily Bible reading. They talk candidly about how those findings reshaped the church's 2026 ministry priorities, from a renewed evangelism series to a daily devotional now reaching 800+ subscribers.

The conversation closes with a preview of an international gathering of "flourishing" pilot churches near Assisi, Italy, bringing together California Pentecostals, German Lutherans, and Italian Catholics for a shared retreat on what it means to flourish as the people of God — evidence, they say, of a new, global, post-denominational move of the Spirit.

In this episode:

• The origin story of First Baptist Arlington's connection to the Harvard/Baylor Global Flourishing Study
• Key survey results on prayer, scripture engagement, worship, and evangelism
• Why daily Bible reading and evangelism became 2026 ministry focus areas
• A look ahead to the international flourishing retreat in Montefalco, Italy
• How Psalm 1 shapes the church's vision of spiritual flourishing

Tell Me More is a podcast from First Baptist Arlington. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app or visit fbca.org to learn more.

It's back-to-school season at First Baptist Arlington, and there's a lot to catch up on. Kasey Fagan joins the podcast to share highlights from Family Getaway at Riverbend, including a dad teaching his son the drums during worship, volunteers keeping things running, and the sweet chaos of families making memories together. Dr. Wiles recaps a whirlwind stretch that took him from teaching a doctoral seminar at Truett Seminary to an Auburn-Baylor football game in Atlanta, plus a look back at the outpouring of love from his 25th anniversary celebration at First Baptist Arlington. 

The conversation then turns to what's ahead: midweek programming kicks back into gear with returning favorites like Bible Heroes for preschoolers and new rotations for elementary kids, and the fall sermon series "Gone Fishing" launches its focus on evangelism. Dr. Wiles shares his own (admittedly limited) fishing skills as a jumping-off point for the series, and previews the lineup of guest speakers, Rafael Anzenberger, Oza Jones, and Gary Stidham, who'll each bring a different perspective on sharing the love of Jesus in the weeks he's traveling.

A little bit of everything: family, faith, fly fishing, and a full calendar heading into fall.

Dr. Wiles is off teaching a doctorate seminar this week, so Katy and Luke are joined in studio by college minister Connor Torrealba for a lively, laughter-filled catch-up. They reflect on the previous Sunday's celebration of Dr. Wiles' 25th anniversary at First Baptist Arlington, the packed sanctuary, the tributes from fellow pastors, and the behind-the-scenes staff effort that pulled it all together.

Connor shares what's making this the college ministry's best fall start yet: new touchpoints with UTA students through summer orientations and a breakfast burrito cart, a record-breaking Thursday night turnout, and a rain-soaked Dollar Steak Night that turned into an unexpected opportunity for deeper conversations. The group digs into what a "gospel appointment" actually looks like and how intentional follow-up has become a hallmark of the ministry.

They also look ahead to a busy season at FBCA: a refreshed Wednesday night gathering of worship and prayer (The Table), care ministries including a new anxiety support group, the launch of Alpha, an evangelism-focused program for people exploring faith, and a new fall sermon series through the book of Jonah called "Gone Fishing."

It's a candid, funny, and heartfelt look at what God is doing across the church's ministries — and the team working behind the scenes to make it happen.

In this  episode of Tell Me More, the hosts sit down with Dr. Dennis Wiles as First Baptist Arlington prepares to celebrate his 25th anniversary as pastor. After a lighthearted cold open about a lifelong fear of clowns and some good-natured ribbing about accents (Alabama twang meets Texas drawl), the conversation turns reflective.

Dr. Wiles looks back on his very first Sunday in August 2001, the nerves, the new-city disorientation, and the sense that this was exactly where God was calling him and his family. He shares a powerful story about a season early in his ministry when a seemingly impossible mission trip to West Africa was funded through an unexpected, and much larger than expected gift, a moment that helped launch the church's global missions work and its counseling center in a single afternoon.

The conversation then shifts to what it means to live a "questionable" faith in a skeptical culture — exploring the New Testament's countercultural household codes, Michael Frost's idea of evangelism as fishing, and why winning people matters more than winning arguments.

The episode wraps with a look ahead to fall programming, including the Alpha course, a new Bible study on Jonah, and Wednesday night gatherings — plus an invitation to join the church's 25th anniversary celebration this Sunday at 10 AM.

Dennis R. Wiles 

First Baptist Arlington 

August 23, 2026 

2026: Flourishing Together:  

Transformed on The Jesus Way 

Gospel Guide: John 

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

-Romans 12:1-2 

AUGUST 2026: Prayer for Believers 

August 2 – September 5, 2026 

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep praying for all the Lord’s people. 

-Ephesians 6:18 

Prayer for . . . More Believers! 

John 17:20-26  

Theme for August 2026: Prayer for Believers 

Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.  

- Max Lucado 

Prayer lays hold of God's plan and becomes the link between his will and its accomplishment on earth. Amazing things happen, and we are given the privilege of being the channels of the Holy Spirit's prayer. 

- Elisabeth Elliot 

If your day is hemmed in with prayer, it is less likely to come unraveled. 

- Cynthia Lewis 

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  

-Ephesians 6:18 

HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER OF JESUS 

This prayer is marked by its depth – theologically, ecclesiologically, soteriologically, and eschatologically. 

PRAY FOR THE LOST! 

The ultimate test of our prayer life is our concern for the lost. If we do not pray for them, it proves we do not care if they perish. 

-J. Oswald Sanders 

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. 

-Jesus (Luke 19:10) 

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 

-Jesus (Luke 10:2) 

 
PRAY FOR THE LOST

          -Jesus to draw them to Himself

          -God to open their hearts and minds

          -Holy Spirit to convict them

          -God to orchestrate circumstances

          -Faithful believers to cross paths

          -Courage to accept Jesus

ADOPT GOD’S PERSPECTIVE! 

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 

-1 Timothy 2:1-4 

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 

-2 Peter 3:8-9 

PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL! 

 
PRAYER

Lord, I pray for lost friends, family members, and colleagues. May they hear Your call to salvation in fresh new ways this week and give their lives to Jesus. Amen.