This course is not just for certification seekers. Whether pursuing educator certification, adding another tool to a ministry toolbox, returning to biblical interpretation after time away, or regularly preaching and teaching Scripture, participants are invited to learn alongside colleagues from a variety of ministry contexts and denominational traditions.

Dates: Monday–Wednesday, January 25–27, 2027 (pre-readings/asynchronous instruction will begin in mid-December)

In-Person Schedule: Monday 1:00–6:00 PM; Tuesday 9:00 AM–Noon and 1:00–6:00 PM; Wednesday 9:00 AM–Noon 

Location: Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront / Online

Instructors: Dr. Margaret Murray Talbot and Rev. Sarah de la Fuente

Registration Deadline: November 30, 2026

APCE is offering this course using a community-supported pricing model. Participants are invited to select the rate that best reflects their circumstances.

How do we faithfully interpret Scripture in a rapidly changing world? How do we move beyond asking, “What does this text mean?” to asking, “How does this text shape faithful discipleship today?”

This course explores the historic commitment of the Reformed tradition to Scripture while equipping participants with practical tools for reading, interpreting, and teaching the Bible in contemporary ministry settings. Participants will engage key principles of biblical interpretation, explore approaches to exegesis through a Reformed lens, and practice applying Scripture in ways that are faithful, thoughtful, and relevant.

Margaret and Sarah have designed the course to expose learners to different lenses for interpreting stories found in both the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Scriptures. Their approach brings biblical scholarship into conversation with the real questions, relationships, and ministry settings in which Scripture is read and taught.

The course fulfills certification requirements for both PC(USA) and Moravian educators and is also open to all learners.

Margaret and Sarah are excited to teach this course and to introduce participants to a variety of approaches to biblical interpretation.

The primary textbook will be What Then Does This Text Mean? Approaches to Critical Biblical Interpretation, edited by Steven L. McKenzie and John Kaltner.

The book will be released in October 2026 by Westminster John Knox Press. Additional information about required readings and course preparation will be provided to registered participants before pre-course reading begins in December.

• Those pursuing PC(USA) educator certification
• Moravian Certified Educators seeking continuing learning and new tools for ministry
• Pastors and others who preach regularly and want a refresher in biblical interpretation
• Christian educators, volunteers, chaplains, and ministry leaders
• Anyone who wants to deepen the way they read, interpret, teach, and engage Scripture

Early December 2026: Pre-course readings begin

Early January 2027: Recorded Zoom orientation

January 25–27, 2027: Course sessions in conjunction with the APCE Annual Event

February 27, 2027: Final paper due

Dr. Margaret Murray Talbot

Dr. Margaret Murray Talbot is an independent biblical scholar, freelance editor, and adjunct professor at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. She earned a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Austin Seminary and a PhD in Biblical Interpretation (Hebrew Bible) from Brite Divinity School.

Her work is grounded in biblical hermeneutics, Hebrew Bible, translation, and the questions that emerge when biblical texts encounter lived experience. She also researches and writes in the area of childist interpretation of the Hebrew Bible.

Margaret currently co-teaches the Bible class at First Presbyterian Church Austin with Sarah de la Fuente.

Rev. Sarah de la Fuente

Rev. Sarah de la Fuente is a practical theologian whose ministry is rooted in relationships, collaboration, ritual, and storytelling.

Through Central Ceremonies, she has spent more than 28 years ministering with people whose spiritual lives often unfold outside traditional church settings. She now also serves at First Presbyterian Church Austin, a congregation that has long been part of her family’s life.

Sarah brings a particular love of biblical Greek, stories, and the ways people make meaning through Scripture and relationship.

Margaret and Sarah are both graduates of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and have been teaching together for the past two years at First Presbyterian Church Austin.

Their shared course, Wonder Through the Bible, brings together their complementary strengths: Margaret’s work in Hebrew Bible and biblical interpretation and Sarah’s practical theology, storytelling, and engagement with the Christian Scriptures.

Questions about the course? Contact JoAnne Sharp at [email protected].