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 a Monthly Circle, reclaiming either the stories of the Hebrew Scriptures or the letters of Paul.
Go All In with a Cohort, spending intentional time building community and finding your voice.
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.
Drop in for a Two-Hour Evening Group
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.
Reclaiming : conversations shaped by what you’re wrestling with right now.
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.
Our database is currently under construction. Please register to the right, without paying, and expect a follow up email once payment portals are operational.
Stop by for a Full-Day Conversation.
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.
Reclaiming Sin: Unlearning Separation, Reclaiming Goodness
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.
Our database is currently under construction. Please register to the right, without paying, and expect a follow up email once payment portals are operational.
Commit to a Monthly Circle.
An ongoing circle with 8-14 people, reading Scripture slowly, asking hard questions, and holding space for different perspectives.
Reclaiming the Stories: Exploring the Bible’s Characters Beyond Hero/Villain Binaries
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, September through May.
Reclaiming the Letters: A Monthly Dive into Paul’s Writings—Without the Baggage
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.
Our database is currently under construction. Please register to the right, without paying, and expect a follow up email once payment portals are operational.
Go All In with a Cohort.
Our 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.
Reclaiming the Lectionary: A cohort for pastors resisting Christian Nationalism in the pulpit.
Reclaiming the Lectionary is a five-month cohort for pastors and preachers who want to engage the weekly texts with fresh eyes and in conversation with others committed to liberation, truth-telling, and spiritual depth. From January to June, we gather twice a month for half-day sessions—on the 1st Monday and 3rd Friday—designed to fit a pastor’s rhythm, with the option to attend one or both and recordings available for flexibility. Our curriculum is intentionally accessible to a pastor’s workload, offering insights and practices that can feed directly into sermon preparation. Between gatherings, we stay connected through light-touch, asynchronous platforms, creating an ongoing community of support, perspective, and encouragement.
Begins January 2026. More information and registration will be available soon. Please email lisa@40orchards.org with questions.
40-Week Cohort: Rebuilding trust in Scripture and community—one conversation at a time..
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 awakening. 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.