Discover Who We Are
Start with our mission and vision—the why behind everything we do. From there, explore the values that shape our work, meet the staff and board who guide it, and learn about the practice of midrash that grounds our circles. Whether you’re curious about what “reclaiming Scripture” really means or just wondering what to expect when you show up, our FAQ has you covered. This is the place to get to know 40 Orchards—what we believe, how we gather, and where you might find yourself in the story.
Our Mission
Our mission is to create circles for all* people to wrestle through biblical texts, so that— together— we can expand each other’s experience of what is sacred, whole, and good.
*We value equity, diversity, and inclusion. We acknowledge and embrace the complex questions of what it means to be human. No matter how you identify in terms of race, class, gender, sexuality, faith background, politics, and more, you are invited to come and wrestle with us. The only thing we won’t wrestle with is each person’s God-given goodness.
Our Vision
Our vision is for our community to cultivate wholeness, hope, and freedom, for ourselves and for others.
Our Values—together, we are committed to:
We circle around the biblical text. At the same time, we don’t make anyone in our circles believe any certain thing about that text. We see the Bible as a multi-faceted gem containing stories of the Divine and humanity. The Bible continues to reveal new beauty as we look at it from different angles.
Learning from each other.
Many people believe that there should be a leader and an answer key when they study the Bible in a small group. At 40 Orchards, we are all learners together. There are no answer keys and no hierarchies. We seek questions, knowing that questions are better than answers. The way we see it, since every human is made in God’s image, every human has something to teach us about who God is. There is communal wisdom in every circle.
Expecting goodness.
We believe goodness is at the center of who God is and how humans are made. Every human is inherently valuable and worthy of love. As we affirm what is already in us, we also celebrate the potential of the goodness we can bring through how we live. We hold on to hope, together.
Wrestling together.
We believe there is value in uncomfortable conversations and vulnerable questions. In our circles, we wrestle with the difficult parts of our own stories, as well as those in the history of Christianity. We struggle through the -isms (racism, anti-semitism, sexism, and more) that have been embedded in what we’ve been taught, and continue to look for new perspectives. While we believe God is good, we also talk about the times that might not feel true. Tension is a necessary part of moving forward in freedom and wholeness.
Searching for more.
Deconstruction and faith shifts can easily lead to cynicism and despair, feeling like we no longer belong to traditions that have been meaningful in our lives. We search the Bible and our lives through the lens of sacred possibility. We assume there is more to be discovered, questioned, and applied as we listen for how God is still speaking.
Left to right: Stephanie Spencer and Lisa Adams. Taken after they both preached at a local congregation in 2022.
Left to right: Todd Bratulich, Lisa Adams, Stephanie Spencer, and Jason Steffenhagen. Taken at our Fall 2022 Celebration.
Our Staff
Lisa Adams, Co-Director
Lisa Adams started her working career at a McDonalds in the 80’s and has been learning new skills and trying new things ever since. After a winding vocational road, that included ministering at a megachurch, Lisa found her way to 40 Orchards, finished her MDiv, and now splits her time between the communities of 40 Orchards and people who are (or have been) incarcerated and justice impacted. She is curious about people and loves to listen to their stories about the complexities of what it means to be human. She is passionate about laughter, do-overs, and seeing the good in each person. Lisa loves that she is able to bring her authentic self and join in on the communal wisdom that comes from the communities she is a part of. She is full of questions and wonderings and enjoys participating in subversive and justice-oriented practices. She is pretty sure that there is nothing better than learning in community from those located on the edges, nurturing goodness, and giving hugs that heal. Email Lisa
Stephanie Spencer, Co-Director
Stephanie Spencer never tires of asking questions about God and the meaning of the human experience. A former pastor and seminary grad, she knows what it is to be inside the institutions of religion. But at this stage of her life, she can't imagine being anywhere but 40 Orchards, where she is sharpened by co-leadership with Lisa, gets to learn from the gathered community, and experience spaces where everyone and everything belongs. She is passionate about helping people learn to trust their inner wisdom, and risk listening to the desires of their hearts. She has a complicated relationship with her emotions, and almost always finds clarity for her existential crises when she's on a hike or a run. Stephanie is also an Enneagram Coach, artist, wife, mother, and coffee-lover. Email Steph
Our Board
Jason Steffenhagen, Chair & Podcast Co-host
Mary Eliasen, Treasurer
Cathy Pinske, Secretary
Anna Stamborski, Member
Reclaiming Midrash: Rediscovering a Way of Study from the Jewish Tradition
A lawyer once approached Jesus with a question and, in typical fashion, Jesus responded to that question with more questions. “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”
These two questions are helpful for us as we think about Scripture. It is not only important to discover what a biblical text says. We must also be mindful about how we’re reading it. What happens when we read a biblical text with narrow minds and pre-determined assumptions, disconnected from our own personal experiences? What if, instead, we bring our wrestling, our questions, and our discoveries, all connected to our actual life? At 40 Orchards, we engage with Scripture through the practice of midrash.
What is midrash?
Midrash is a Jewish way of engaging with scripture that began in the ancient world and continues today. The early rabbis felt free to ask questions about narratives of the biblical text, not only in the words written, but also in between and beyond it, in a spirit of discovery.
Over time, one way of practicing midrash that began to surface was examining the biblical text with four layers of questions.
The first layer is peshat פְּשָׁט. Peshat is the Hebrew word for surface, plain, or simple. It is the straightforward details of a verse, like the names, places, events, and chronology.
The second layer is remez רֶמֶז. Remez is the Hebrew word for hint. It goes beyond the surface, and looks for connections between passages. This layer also opens to possible allegory or metaphors as it makes those connections.
The third layer is darash דְּרַשׁ. Darash is the Hebrew word for seek or inquire. It is where the term midrash comes from. This layer goes past what is immediately apparent. It wonders about why things are happening. It wants to examine what is not being said along with what is told. Darash seeks to fill in options for what appears to be missing in order to find deeper meaning.
The fourth layer is sod סוֹד. Sod is the Hebrew word for secret or mystery. It allows for more hidden meanings, such mystical understandings of Hebrew numbers.
As an acronym, the 4 levels of midrash form the Hebrew word pardes, which means orchard.
Midrash is not a formula, but it can be a guide. It is fruitful and expansive. We use the simple meaning to ground us, while seeking to stretch past what we see at first glance. We open to the mystery and possibilities, and invite our perspectives to be part of the conversation.
FAQs
What’s with the word “reclaim”?
Because much of what we were taught about the Bible, God, and ourselves has been shaped by systems of power, patriarchy, white supremacy, and fear. “Reclaiming” is our way of saying that these harmful interpretations are not the only story.
In agricultural terms, to reclaim land is to return to soil that has been stripped, overworked, or neglected, and restore it so that something nourishing can grow again. We believe the same is possible with Scripture, theology, and faith. Reclaiming means coming back to the text with fresh eyes, unlearning what harms, and uncovering what liberates. It is not about throwing everything away. It is about cultivating something whole, rooted, and life-giving.
Is this a Bible study?
Sort of? We center our study on biblical texts, but the way we study is probably nothing like any Bible Study you’ve attended. This is a study where you are listened to before you are taught. Where theology mixes with vulnerability. Where all voices are valued. Where the Story of God is a multi-faceted gem that each of us can hold, turn, and discover. Welcome to a space where you can have more questions than answers—a space that offers healing and wholeness and sacred transformation. 40 Orchards circles are held in small, intimate groups led by our skilled teachers. We call a 40 Orchards study a Scripture Circle and, within each circle, we apply the concepts of midrash to biblical texts, combining the diverse questions and insights of the group with foundational understandings of the original language, history, and culture of these texts.
Come bring your questions, doubts, grief, frustrations, and longings, and sit in a circle with us. Click here to learn more about our Scripture Circles and here to learn more about midrash.
Who can attend a 40 Orchards circle?
Our circles are open to everyone. All are welcome. Whether you are curious, doubting, or skeptical—whether you have a religious background or none at all—your voice matters here. If you don’t want to study in the Bible, if you only want to stick with literal readings of scriptures, if you’re not alright with questions, or if you need everyone in the room to believe the same thing, you may not enjoy this way of study. But if you wonder if the Bible might be saying more than you’ve ever experienced, join us. Click here to explore our upcoming circles.
Do I need to know a lot about the Bible in order to gather with you?
No. Come exactly as you are, with whatever you know. Everyone in our circles has a different level of experience with the Bible, and every voice and perspective is valued. We do recommend you bring a Bible to the Scripture Circle when you study with us, but if you don’t have a Bible handy, you can easily download the passage on your mobile device.
Is 40 Orchards affiliated with a specific faith tradition?
40 Orchards is not affiliated with any particular faith tradition or denomination. Many, but not all, who study with us would say they are Christian. Most would say they have gone through some sort of “deconstruction” of their faith and are looking for a new way to engage. We welcome anyone who wants to ask questions and wrestle through faith and life with us.
How did 40 Orchards begin?
Years ago, a wise and kind teacher named Rabbi Alan was brought by a couple named Becky and Rick to their Twin Cities living room. At first, they had to push and bribe their friends to come. It felt like a stretch to pay money and give of valuable time to spend an afternoon, or even a whole day, immersed in the Bible with a strange Rabbi. Then, people discovered this way of gathering around the Scriptures wasn’t like anything they had experienced within the Christian tradition. The spaciousness for varying perspectives, the wisdom of communal voices, and the exploration of the multiplicity of the Hebrew language opened to something that, though it was rooted in tradition, felt brand new. Eventually, there were waiting lists to gather, and we knew something beyond one Rabbi was being born. So, in 2016, we founded 40 Orchards with the vision of expanding this way of studying Scripture to more teachers and a wider community. More than 7 years later, 40 Orchards has become more than we could have known at the time. Rabbi Alan has moved on, Steph and Lisa have become co-leaders, and 40 Orchards has moved into a new mission and vision that fits not only who we have been, but who we are becoming.
Why are you called 40 Orchards?
In Scripture, we see the number 40 repeated often… It’s the number of days and nights it rains during the flood, it’s the number of days the spies scope out the Promised Land, it’s the number of years the people spend in the wilderness, it’s the number of days Goliath taunts the people of Israel, it’s the number of years of David’s reign, it’s the number of days Jesus spends in the wilderness… and more. In each case of 40, we see something dying as something else is born. Since 40 weeks is the gestational period of a human child, we don’t believe that’s an accident. We believe it’s important to see and embrace the cycles of life, welcoming the death and trusting the process of rebirth that God can bring. We hope our leaders can be midwives to you in your own journey of 40. What is waiting to be brought to life from the goodness that is you?
Speaking of life, we often talk about Genesis 1 in our circles. Why? Because it is there that we see goodness, tov in Hebrew, mentioned over and over again. We see a creator putting the seeds of life into creation, and rejoicing when the creation brings them forth. We often say that goodness is life that brings life that brings life that brings life. What a better picture of this process than an orchard? It is not a seed or an apple or even a tree, it is a community of trees, who depend on each other to bear fruit, and do so year after year after year.
One more thing. We talk about our approach to Scripture as midrash. One way of understanding the process of midrash is 4 levels of questions: peshat, remeze, darash, and sod. (You can read more about that here.) As an acronym, those 4 words form the Hebrew word pardes, which means orchard. We hope our circles contain an orchard of questions that will plant seeds of new life in all of us.
Why do 40 Orchards circles cost money?
In many churches or religious organizations, several people “tithe,” or donate money in some regular percentage-based way. Through those funds, those churches then have paid staff and budgets that can offer things “for free” that have actually been paid for by someone else. At 40 Orchards, our budget is funded both through the generosity of regular donors, and through connecting donations directly to our program fees. The fee of a Scripture Circle is connected not only to the time of the circle itself, but also the staff investment in curriculum development, community relationships, and preparation for each gathering. We are a 501(c)3, so all fees are in fact tax deductible donations. In addition, every circle has alternative payment options available, from paying nothing up front to choosing a sliding scale. We never want cost to be the thing that keeps anyone from attending. Want to help keep our program fees low? Become a donor by clicking here.