Join Us for a Circle
See details of our current offerings below. Circles are limited to 8-12 people, and are offered both virtually and in person.
Drop in for a Two-Hour Evening Group with space to name what you need to reclaim, offered Tuesday night, every other month.
Stop by for a Full-Day Conversation what wrestle with theological concepts like sin or gender that take longer to unpack and rebuild.
Commit to an In-Person or Virtual Monthly Circle, reclaiming either the stories of the Hebrew Scriptures or the letters of Paul.
Go All In with a Learning Community for Pastors or the Cohort, spending intentional time finding your voice and community.
Continue to check back as we update our offerings a few times throughout the year. Do you want to join but aren’t quite sure when and where yet? Stay in touch by subscribing to our newsletter. Having questions about registration? Email Lisa at lisa@40orchards.org.
Reclaiming [ ]: conversations shaped by what you’re wrestling with right now.
Drop in for a 2-Hour evening group from 7-9 pm CT on November 11, January 13, March 10, or May 12
Join with 8-14 others in a facilitated circle where you can ask better questions— together. All are welcome, whether you have participated in many 40 Orchards Scripture Circles or if this will be your first time.
There are questions we carry, stories that still sting, and parts of our faith we’re not sure what to do with. Reclaiming [ ] is a space to bring what you need to reclaim—whether it’s a passage, a doctrine, a theological idea, or a piece of your story.
Every other month, we gather to wrestle with sacred trouble in community. Topics are chosen by participants and shaped by curiosity, courage, and the collective need of the moment.
Time and location:
Virtually via Zoom, from 7–9 pm CST on the second Tuesday, every other month. (9/9, 11/11, 01/13, 03/10, 05/12)
Pricing:
A donation of $25 will be requested, however it is not required to make a donation in order to attend. All money paid is a tax deductible donation, furthering the mission and vision of 40 Orchards, a 501(c)3.
Reclaiming Sin: Unlearning Separation, Reclaiming Goodness
Stop by for a full-day conversation on Saturday November 8 from 9 am to 3pm.
Some things take more than a few hours to unpack. This is a place to wrestle with narrow theology and find a more expansive way forward.
For many of us, sin has been the starting point of the story—our relationship with God framed by failure, shame, and the need for someone else to make us right. But what if that story was never the only one? What if the idea of original sin was just one theory, and not a very helpful one? In Reclaiming Sin, we’ll gather to wrestle with questions that have shaped entire theological systems: Is substitutionary atonement necessary—or even true? Was separation ever the foundation of the human-divine relationship? And what happens when we start not with our brokenness, but with our belovedness?
Together, we’ll explore the roots of these doctrines, the harm they’ve caused, and the liberating alternatives within Scripture, tradition, and experience. This is a space for sacred disruption, theological curiosity, and reclaiming a story in which we are, in fact, very good.
Time and location: A one-day in-person circle in Minneapolis, MN, on Saturday, November 8, 9am–3pm CST
Pricing using a Sliding Scale – Choose With Care
We believe cost should never be a barrier to participation. This sliding scale invites each person to contribute in a way that matches their current resources while sustaining our work for the whole community.
Program Price – $75
Covers the true cost of the program, including operating expenses (Zoom, website, etc.) and fair pay for our staff.Discounted Price – $50
For those who would not be able to participate at the full cost. Please choose this if paying the full rate would cause you financial strain.Generosity Price – $100
For those with ample resources who wish to support scholarships and discounted rates for others. Your choice here helps ensure cost is never a barrier.Scholarship – $0–$49
If these rates are still not accessible, you are welcome to choose the amount that works for you, including $0. We ask that this be reserved for times when paying more would prevent you from participating.
When you pay more, you directly support someone else’s participation. When you pay less, you are part of a community made possible by the generosity of others.
All money paid is a tax deductible donation, furthering the mission and vision of 40 Orchards, a 501(c)3.
A donation request will be sent upon completion of registration.
Reclaiming Sin: Unlearning Separation, Reclaiming Goodness is full.
Please email lisa@40orchards.org to join the waitlist.
Reclaiming the Stories: Exploring the Bible’s Characters Beyond Hero/Villain Binaries
Commit to a monthly in-person circle, in Richfield, MN, on the 1st Thursday of the month, from 9–11 am, October through June.
An ongoing circle with 8-14 people, reading Scripture slowly, asking hard questions, and holding space for different perspectives.
The Bible is full of complex people—tricksters, prophets, sex workers, and divine misfits—whose stories disrupt power and defy easy categories. In this monthly circle, we’ll explore characters both named and unnamed, rule-breakers and rule-followers, to uncover narratives of resistance, survival, and sacred disruption.
Together, we’ll peel back layers of moralism and patriarchy to reimagine Scripture through the lens of liberation, queerness, and holy defiance.
Time and location: In-person in Richfield, MN, on the 1st Thursday of the month, 9–11 am, October through June.
Pricing using a Sliding Scale – Choose With Care
We believe cost should never be a barrier to participation. This sliding scale invites each person to contribute in a way that matches their current resources while sustaining our work for the whole community.
Program Price – $400
Covers the true cost of the program, including operating expenses (Zoom, website, etc.) and fair pay for our staff.Discounted Price – $300
For those who would not be able to participate at the full cost. Please choose this if paying the full rate would cause you financial strain.Generosity Price – $500
For those with ample resources who wish to support scholarships and discounted rates for others. Your choice here helps ensure cost is never a barrier.Scholarship – $0–$299
If these rates are still not accessible, you are welcome to choose the amount that works for you, including $0. We ask that this be reserved for times when paying more would prevent you from participating.
When you pay more, you directly support someone else’s participation. When you pay less, you are part of a community made possible by the generosity of others.
All money paid is a tax deductible donation, furthering the mission and vision of 40 Orchards, a 501(c)3.
A donation request will be sent upon completion of registration.
Reclaiming the Letters: A Monthly Dive into Paul’s Writings—Without the Baggage
Commit to a monthly virtual circle, via Zoom, on the 3rd Wednesday of the month, 7–9 pm CST, September through May.
An ongoing circle with 8-14 people, reading Scripture slowly, asking hard questions, and holding space for different perspectives.
For many, Paul’s letters carry the weight of exclusion, used to silence women, shame bodies, and marginalize queer and oppressed people. These texts, however, were written as letters, not rulebooks, grounded in specific communities and full of emotion, nuance, and hope.
We’ll read them with curiosity, context, and courage, reclaiming what’s been distorted and exploring what these writings might offer to communities seeking justice, liberation, and faithful disruption.
Time and location: Virtual via Zoom, on the 3rd Wednesday of the month, 7–9 pm CST, September through May.
Pricing using a Sliding Scale – Choose With Care
We believe cost should never be a barrier to participation. This sliding scale invites each person to contribute in a way that matches their current resources while sustaining our work for the whole community.
Program Price – $400
Covers the true cost of the program, including operating expenses (Zoom, website, etc.) and fair pay for our staff.Discounted Price – $300
For those who would not be able to participate at the full cost. Please choose this if paying the full rate would cause you financial strain.Generosity Price – $500
For those with ample resources who wish to support scholarships and discounted rates for others. Your choice here helps ensure cost is never a barrier.Scholarship – $0–$299
If these rates are still not accessible, you are welcome to choose the amount that works for you, including $0. We ask that this be reserved for times when paying more would prevent you from participating.
When you pay more, you directly support someone else’s participation. When you pay less, you are part of a community made possible by the generosity of others.
All money paid is a tax deductible donation, furthering the mission and vision of 40 Orchards, a 501(c)3.
A donation request will be sent upon completion of registration.
Reclaiming the Pastor’s Voice
A 5-month learning community for pastors who refuse to settle for safe answers or shallow sermons.
Reclaiming the Pastor’s Voice is a 5-month learning community for pastors and teachers who want to speak with clarity and courage in this cultural moment. Twice a month, we’ll use the Hebrew scriptures as a launch point to reimagine familiar texts, ask sharper questions, and find new language for justice, liberation, and belonging.
This is not a curriculum—it’s a space to counter the distortions of Christian nationalism, to name what’s often left unsaid, and to rediscover why preaching matters. Alongside shared conversations, members also receive asynchronous teaching, as well as individual guidance from Lisa and Stephanie—the kind of support pastors rarely get for themselves.
More than a conference, this learning community is ongoing, flexible, communal, and deeply personal. This space is designed for pastors and faith leaders who are committed to preaching and teaching in ways that nurture justice and hope. If you’re licensed, ordained, or guiding other leaders, you’ll likely find it a fit. Curious but not sure? Let’s talk.
Begins January 2026. The first step is filling out an interest form. We will then get in touch with you to talk more.
40-Week Cohort: Rebuilding trust in Scripture and community—one conversation at a time.
An immersive, small-group journey from September to June that creates space to wrestle with Scripture, reclaim hope, and grow in community.
Our 40-week cohort is a space to rebuild and reimagine faith in community, especially for those whose spiritual journeys have shifted through disillusionment, loss, or awakeniOur cohorts are immersive, small-group journeys that create space to wrestle with Scripture, reclaim hope, and grow in community through study, conversation, and shared rhythms.ng. Over the course of ten “seeds” of study, we explore biblical themes through midrash, conversation, and experiential learning—inviting curiosity, vulnerability, and expanded ways of seeing. Twelve participants journey together through full-day Scripture Circles, a weekend retreat, and regular gatherings, with rhythms that nurture connection, Sabbath rest, and personal growth. Led by two facilitators committed to your wholeness, belovedness, and freedom, the cohort offers the depth, structure, and support to wrestle honestly with Scripture and discover fresh hope for a faith that can hold complexity.
Begins Fall 2026. More information and registration will be available soon. Please email lisa@40orchards.org with questions.