How It Works
What is Interpret Consulting?
Interpret aims to come alongside busy faithful pastors (in churches of all sizes and stages) and to assist them in sermon preparation.
How?
By helping them to (i) strengthen their exegetical skills and (ii) tackle today’s seemingly endless sensitive “hot button” issues.
How Interpret Works
Interpret does this in one of two ways:
(1) through ongoing apprenticeship:
Over a set period of time (from 6 months to 2 years), Interpret will engage weekly with a pastor in 45-60 min interaction (by phone or videochat).
During these sessions, Interpret will use a specific sermon text (chosen by the pastor) as a “springboard” to impart general exegetical principles that will readily apply elsewhere in the Word.
When a text (or topic) touches on a “hot button” issue, we’re there to help!
(2) through occasional assistance:
Some preachers have a fairly good understanding of a majority of the texts they preach. And yet perhaps once every 1-2 months (or perhaps while preaching through hard topics or more difficult books of the Bible—e.g., one of the OT prophets or an epistle of Paul), they could really benefit from outside assistance to help navigate a difficult text or a touchy subject.
What’s the cost?
Churches purchase a “reservoir” of hours (ranging from 10 to 50 consults) at $150/consult, from which a preacher can draw as arranged, with the understanding that 1 hour is usually more than sufficient per sermon (or similar teaching opportunity). There is an upfront fee of $200 for initial consultation with the preacher to learn more about their preaching style, goals and ministry context.
Scholarships
Since Interpret aims to help both small and large churches in diverse contexts, we recognize that financial resources vary and, thus, we offer scholarships for churches in certain ministry stages and settings (e.g., church plants, church revitalizations, churches in under-resourced areas, etc.), as well as for church-planting networks. Contact us to learn more about these scholarships.
Up for a “trial run” at no cost?
Interpret offers 3 free 1-hour consults at no charge. These consults would provide a preacher with a very accurate grasp of what the service can offer and if it would be helpful to them.
The Fine Print
What exactly does (and doesn’t) Interpret offer?
Interpret seeks to strengthen a pastor’s exegetical “instincts” in the “art” of faithfully interpreting the Word by providing insight into a text’s (1) internal “argument,” heart and humanity and its (2) external historical (i.e., religious, social, and political) context, always using (3) the original languages.
In addition, Interpret seeks to equip the pastor to tackle the many difficult cultural issues facing the church today. Thus, Interpret helps preachers to exegete the ancient text and to engage that text in our present cultural moment. But, importantly, Interpret does not help with the details of how to articulate that text to a congregation (nor do we provide “research services” to pastors). To speak metaphorically, if a pastor were a chef, we primarily help with preparation in the back kitchen, not so much the presentation in the front dining area. With Interpret, any ongoing apprenticeship with a preacher will eventually advance to occasional assistance, as a preacher becomes more adept and independent in their exegetical skills.