Author Archive for Fred Creason

Developing Apprentice Teachers

By Fred Creason · Comments (0)
Wednesday, August 11th, 2021

“How could I be so stupid?”  Maybe you’ve never asked yourself this question.  But I have—lots of times.  I’ll never forget the day that my perspective on Sunday School teaching changed forever.  I had always been a good Sunday School teacher.  I had shepherded my students.  I had tried to ground them in the key doctrines of Scripture.  I had tried to encourage them to live for Jesus, in church and out of church.  But I had failed to develop apprentice teachers.  I had sought to gather students in my classroom, rather than equip students to minister in other classrooms. 

I was attending a LifeWay Sunday School training, when 2 Timothy 2:2 gripped my soul.  “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”  The verse became my life verse.  I determined that I would no longer evaluate myself based on the size of my class.  I would evaluate myself based on the Christian leaders, especially the Christian teachers, who came out of my class. 

We tend to grieve over the loss of students, even the students who leave our class to teach other classes.  In some ways, that’s understandable.  The world judges us by the number of students who sit in our classroom.  But Christ judges us based on our impact on his kingdom.  We should always be looking for that student who has the potential to teach.  We should be seeking to multiply our ministry, as the Apostle Paul did, through the lives of others.

Prepared by Dr. Fred Creason

Leadership Strategist, Wyoming Southern Baptists   

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Categories : Be a Catalyst Start New Groups, Bible Study, Enlistment, Group Life, Leadership, New Groups, Small Groups, Sunday School, Teaching, Training

Arranging Your Room to be Guest Friendly

By Fred Creason · Comments (0)
Monday, August 14th, 2017

Many of us know the terror of walking into a Small Group setting, where everybody seems to know everybody, but nobody knows us. We walk in, we search for a place to sit, usually in the place that nobody else wants to sit, and we wonder what to do next.

Many Small Groups think they’re friendly—when they’re only friendly to their members. They never look at their class, or their classroom through visitors’ eyes.  They don’t expect new people, enjoy new people, plan for new people, organize for new people, or organize their room for new people.

The room should be set up for guests: with drinks and snacks, open chairs, and name tags (for everybody in the class!).  There should be a fellowship area where people can stand, and talk, and greet new people.  There should be extra Bibles, in the translation the teacher uses, and extra quarterlies so the guests can follow along.

A clean room is important. Cookie crumbs, cake crumbs, and smells from last week’s pizza party are a turn-off to guests.  A room that looks good is important too. Peeling paint, tattered and stained carpet, old and ill-matching tables and chairs communicate a powerful message.  Old and worn-out Bibles and quarterlies communicate a message as well.

Class members make the greatest impression on guests. But classrooms make an impression too.  We should determine what we want to communicate.  And, as best we can, we should arrange our classrooms to communicate that message.

Fred Creason is the Leadership Strategist at the Wyoming Southern Baptist Convention.

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Categories : 31 Ideas of Outreach & Evangelism, Evangelism, Outreach/Evangelism
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Get a New View Toward the Bible Passage

By Fred Creason · Comments (0)
Thursday, September 29th, 2016

biblesBy Fred Creason, Leadership Strategists, Wyoming Southern Baptist Convetion

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? I grew up with the King James Version of the Bible.  In the 1970s I came into contact with other translations.  At first, I was scared.  Could I trust these new translations?  Then, I became excited.  The new translations offered fresh insights into what the Bible said.

We all like comfort.  Some of us would wear the same clothes all the time, if our spouse would let us do it.  Some of us would read the same Bible all the time too.  It feels good in our hands.  It looks good to our eyes.  But, too often, it has little impact on our brain.  We see the same things all the time—over and over again.

WHAT DO I DO? One of the best ways to gain a new view toward a Bible passage is to read another translation, or several translations.  Some translations focus more on surface structure.  They try to communicate, as literally as possible, the actual components of the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek text.  Other translations focus more on meaning.  They try to communicate, as freely as necessary, the actual meaning of the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek text.

As teachers, we should read both kinds of translations.  If our preferred translation focuses more on surface structure (KJV, NKJV, NASB, ESV), we should consult translations that focus more on meaning (NIV, NLT, HCSB).  If we prefer a more dynamic, meaning-focused, translation, we should consult more formally equivalent translations.

The end result can be life-changing.  We see the Bible in new and fresh ways, and we communicate that freshness to our students.

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Categories : 100 Small Changes, Bible Study, Spiritual Disciplines, Teaching
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Getting the Attention of Your Members

By Fred Creason · Comments (0)
Wednesday, September 28th, 2016

attentionBy Dr. Fred Creason, Leadership Strategist, Wyoming Southern Baptist Convention

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? We all know the routine: “Anybody got any blessings this week?”  “Anybody got any prayer requests?” “Anybody know how Emma’s surgery went?  I meant to go by the hospital, but I guess I didn’t.”  “Anybody know what happened to the Jones family?  Ken and Debbie haven’t been here for a while.  I meant to call, but I guess I didn’t.”

Some people like routine.  But many of us struggle.  We get tired of the same old questions, the same old answers, and the stifling sameness of our Bible study groups.

WHAT DO I DO? People don’t expect much from our Sunday School classes.  And they get what they expect.  But how do we change things?  How do we get the attention of Sunday School members, so that they look forward to coming to class?

We could redecorate the room, or rearrange the tables and chairs.  We could even try to move the blessing and prayer request time to the end of the class period.  But no lasting change will take place until we determine—as a group—why we meet.

Life-changing Sunday School classes know their purpose.  Sunday School began, in the late 1700s, as a ministry arm of the church—a way to get outside the church walls and into the community.  Every class has gifted members, people who can use their gifts and talents to serve others (carpentry, mechanics, yard care, cooking, etc.).

We won’t have to get our members’ attention, when God has their attention.  A class that ministers together will be excited to meet together.

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Categories : 100 Small Changes, Bible Study, Learning, Teaching
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