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Dr. David Strawn
Resident Fellow
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Dr. David Strawn is a professor of Christian Education at Carroll Institute and is Education Minister of First Baptist Church, College Station, Texas. He has taught for Carroll Institute since its origin almost eight years ago. Dr. Strawn says, "I was captivated by the concept when I first heard about B. H. Carroll's plan to bring Christian higher education to the people who needed it in the setting where they were ministering. I love teaching and had always assumed the only opportunity I would ever have to utilize my gifts and calling would be to find a faculty position and leave local church ministry. B. H. Carroll has given me the privilege of having the best of both worlds."
David felt God's call to ministry as a youth and was active in his church's youth and music ministry. While attending Howard Payne College, he discovered the ministry of Christian education and pursued that vocation at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. "A logical expression of my call, gifting, and passion for educational ministry was the pursuit of opportunities to teach in any setting. After about twenty years in full-time educational ministry, God opened the door for me to return to seminary to pursue a doctorate. I had expected that He would use that experience to move me from local church ministry into a full-time faculty position, but that was not His plan. I have continued to serve churches, but have been able to translate my daily experiences in ministry into classroom settings by teaching adjunctively in several settings."
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Dr. Strawn's expertise in Christian Education and his many years of experience in ministry has been a benefit not only for students but for church members as well. "B. H. Carroll has permitted me to include many of my church members in deeper Bible study as well as a more holistic understanding of the working of God in our church and how our church is a part of the larger Kingdom of God. It has been my privilege to draw new students and Readers into the Carroll family as well as teaching those students in the areas of my assignment. I am an 'evangelist' for B. H. Carroll's approach to equipping leaders in their church settings. I want to help church leaders become more effective in guiding God's people into a deeper understanding of His word and making practical application of scripture in the day to day lives of believers. My goal is to play a leading role in equipping the servant leaders of God's people to become skilled in teaching His word and making disciples."
Dr. Lucien Coleman, a Distinguished Fellow at Carroll Institute, has been an enduring influence in David Strawn's life and was his major professor during his doctoral studies. "I continue to rely on his resources for my adult Sunday School teachers as I assist them in their preparation to teach week by week. He has been a gracious teacher and faithful mentor of many years." Now Dr. Strawn is experiencing the satisfaction of being a mentor to his own students. "My greatest satisfaction as a teacher has been watching those I teach put into practice the knowledge and skills I have imparted to them. Seeing the first of my students receive their degrees a few years ago also brought a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction."
When asked about his philosophy of teaching, Dr. Strawn replies, "I believe that teaching is best accomplished by motivating students to discover what they need to know and then guiding them in the discovery of that knowledge or behavior. I seek to lay before my students challenges that they can recognize in their own lives and then direct them to resources that will help them master the information and skills that will permit them to be successful in their ministry settings. I enjoy pointing them to books, articles, audio and video resources in which they can discover how they can be obedient servant leaders of the people with whom God has entrusted them. Discussion both in a classroom setting and in an online chat room permits me to interact with their discoveries and point them toward effective application of their newly-found learning."
In his spare time, Dr. Strawn enjoys flying both full-scale and model airplanes, playing the guitar, but most of all, playing with his four grandchildren. |
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