4 People You Need to Improve your Teaching

If you want to grow as a Bible teacher, you need more than commentaries. You need four people to improve your teaching.

At a writers’ conference, a speaker said every writer needs three voices in their life: a cheerleader, a coach, and a critic. He was right.

And for Bible teachers, I’d add one more: a craftsman.

Each plays a different part: encouraging you when you want to quit, sharpening your skills, testing your ideas, and helping you polish your work so the meaning of Scripture is clear.

Ideally, these are four different people. Together, they help you handle God’s Word with confidence and care. Let’s meet them.

The Cheerleader

Every teacher needs someone in their corner. Someone who believes you can do this when you’re not so sure.

A cheerleader is the friend who keeps you going. They offer steady encouragement, remind you why the work matters, and help you get back up after a hard night or a rough class. Their gift isn’t technical editing; it’s courage.

What a cheerleader does

• Notices progress you’re too tired to see.
• Celebrates faithfulness, not just results.
• Sends the “keep going” text when you want to quit.
• Prays for you before you teach and follows up after.

What to ask of them

• “Would you pray the night before I teach?”
• “After class, ask me one thing that went well.”
• “When I get discouraged, remind me of the bigger picture.”

What they are not

• They’re not your editor or theologian. Don’t hand them your outline for line-by-line critique. Let them do what they do best: strengthen your hands for the work.

How to choose one

• Look for someone hopeful, faithful, and honest, who loves the Lord and loves you enough to keep pointing you back to Him.

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The Coach

A coach helps you do what you said you would do. Not tomorrow. Now.

Unlike your cheerleader, your coach isn’t focused on how you feel. Their job is accountability and keeping you aligned with your goals, your calendar, and your calling. They ask sharp questions, question “obstacles,” and push you toward action: just do it.

What a coach does

• Clarifies goals and turns them into specific, dated steps.
• Asks questions that help you find solutions: “What’s the next faithful action?”
• Tracks progress and follows up: “Did you send the outline by Tuesday?”
• Names excuses and resets focus: “What will you do in the next 24 hours?”

What to ask of them

• “Help me set a realistic deadline and hold me to it.”
• “If I stall, ask what’s really in the way.”
• “End our check-ins with one clear next step.”

What they are not

• They’re not your therapist or your editor. They don’t process all your feelings or polish every sentence. They keep you moving.

How to choose one

• Look for someone reliable, direct, and wise. Someone who respects Scripture and your ministry, and who isn’t afraid to tell you the truth.

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The Critic

A critic tells you what didn’t work and why.

Where the cheerleader fuels your courage and the coach drives your execution, the critic sharpens your content. Their job is to name the gaps: what was unclear, what dragged, what felt assumed, and where Scripture needed more careful handling. You won’t always enjoy their feedback, but you will grow because of it.

What a critic does

• Identifies confusion: “This point lost me. What does that term mean?”
• Spots weak support: “You asserted this, but didn’t show it in the text.”
• Flags pacing and structure: “Too many sub-points before the payoff.”
• Notes tone and accessibility: “This sounded insider-y; define the jargon.”
• Reports impact: “I left unsure how the passage answers the main question.”

What to ask of them

• “Where did you get lost and why?”
• “Which statement needed an example or clearer logic?”
• “What should I cut? What should I slow down and explain?”
• “If you were my target listener, what would you still be asking?”

Who can be a great critic

• A fellow teacher who values careful exegesis.
• Someone from your target audience (often the most insightful).
• A thoughtful listener who isn’t impressed by stage presence but cares about clarity and truth.

What they are not

• They’re not your enemy and not your editor-in-chief. They don’t rewrite your lesson; they reveal where it needs work.

How to choose one

• Look for people who are honest, specific, and truthful. If something is wrong, they are willing to point it out without theatrics or attacks.

How to receive critique (three simple rules)

1. Listen first. No defending, no explaining, just take notes.
2. Clarify, don’t justify. Ask, “Can you say more?” instead of “Here’s what I meant.”
3. Decide and act. Keep what strengthens the text; release what doesn’t. Then revise promptly.

Invite a critic early enough to make changes. Their questions will sting less than your audience’s silence. Plus your teaching will be clearer, stronger, and truer to the text.

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The Craftsman

A craftsman is the teacher you apprentice under to learn the trade.

Commentaries can inform you, but craftsmen shape you. Choose a few teachers whose style resonates with you and study them on purpose. Attend their classes, listen to their podcasts and sermons. Watch how they handle Scripture and serve their audience.

What a craftsman does

• Models faithful exegesis: how to move from text to meaning to application.
• Demonstrates structure: how an introduction sets the question, how transitions carry weight, how the conclusion lands.
• Shows audience awareness: what to define, what to assume, and how to pace for a specific audience.
• Embodies tone: firm yet gentle, confident yet humble, Scripture-first rather than personality-first.

How to learn from them (even from a distance)

• Reverse outline: After listening, sketch their outline. Where were the main movements? What was the thread?
• Track the text: Note how they explained Scripture. Where did they go into detail and where did they summarize?
• Study transitions: Highlight the sentences that moved from exegesis to illustration to application.
• Time the beats: Mark how long they spent on context, argument, illustration, and conclusion.
• Imitate, then adapt: Try their structure on your next lesson, but adjust it to fit your voice and your passage.

What to ask in a face-to-face meeting

• “How did you get from this passage to your main idea?”
• “What did you cut and why?”
• “Where did you expect pushback, and how did you prepare for it?”
• “How do you decide what to define for this audience?”

What they are not

• They are not a shortcut to authority. A craftsman does not give you a script; they teach you a process.
• They are not your critic or coach (though they may play those roles at times). Their primary gift is craft.

How to choose one

• Prioritize teachers who honor the text, argue from Scripture, and explain clearly. Look for fruit: humble posture, careful claims, and a track record of helping ordinary people understand the Bible.

Apprenticeship is slow work. But over time, watching a craftsman will refine your instincts, so your teaching becomes clearer, truer, and more useful to the people you serve.

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Find Your Folks

Before you ask someone to mentor you, look at the people you already have in your life and identify which roles you still need. While one person can wear more than one hat, but diversity is usually better.

Match people to roles

• Your best friend may already be your best cheerleader.
• Your spouse can be a steady coach, but asking for constant critique may strain the relationship.
• A thoughtful class member might be an ideal critic from your target audience.
• A seasoned teacher or pastor can serve as your craftsman.

Ask clearly and set expectations

• Be specific: “Would you be my critic for this next project?”
• Define the job: “Coach = deadlines and follow-up; not line editing.”
• Set a cadence: “30 minutes every other Monday.”
• Clarify the deliverable: “Text me one accountability question and one next step.”

Use simple scripts

Problems arise when your friend assumes you want a critic, but you expected a cheerleader. Make sure you name the role up front and repeat what you’re asking for.

• Cheerleader: “I need encouragement more than edits. After I teach, would you name one thing that went well and pray for the next one?”
• Coach: “Hold me to a draft by Thursday, 5 p.m. If I miss, ask what blocked me and what I’ll do in the next 24 hours.”
• Critic: “Circle anything unclear, unsupported, or too fast. Tell me where you got lost.”
• Craftsman: “Could I buy you coffee and ask how you moved from this text to your main idea?”

Revisit and refine

• Check in every few months: “Is this role still working for both of us?”
• Adjust as seasons change. You may need more coaching before a new series, more critique as you polish.

Choose wisely, ask plainly, and honor people’s time. If someone needs to drop off the team, graciously let them go.

Trust Your Team

Finally, listen to your team. When you invite people into these roles, let them do the job you asked them to do.

When your coach enforces a deadline, don’t resent it. You sought the accountability; receive it.

When your cheerleader encourages you, quiet the inner trash talk and let the encouragement land.

When your critic offers hard feedback, don’t be shocked or wounded. Be grateful. You asked for clarity, and this is how you get it.

When your craftsman pushes your method, lean in. They’re shaping your instincts, not just your outline.

And don’t just use a team. Be on someone else’s. Offer to cheer, coach, critique, or apprentice others as you’re able. Serving on another teacher’s team will sharpen your own skills, deepen your humility, and strengthen the community around God’s Word.

Rejoice when your team does the job you asked them to do. This is part of the plan to improve.

Part of the Series: Bible Study 201: Learn to Teach the Bible

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