Join Us for a Circle
See details of our current offerings below. Circles are limited to 8-16 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. The next one is November 11, 2025.
Stop by for a Full-Day Conversation what wrestle with theological concepts like sin or gender that take longer to unpack and rebuild. The next one is January 24, 206.
Put together your own Community Circle, to bring together the people and conversation you need most.
Go all in with a Learning Community for Pastors or the Cohort, spending intentional time finding your voice and community. The Pastor’s Learning Community begins January 16, 2026. The cohort begins in October 2026.
Other opportunities, like monthly virtual circles or Lent Lunches come and go. 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.
If it is your first time attending, we invite you to come for free.
Reclaiming Heaven & Hell: Unlearning Fear, Reclaiming Hope
Stop by for a full-day conversation on Saturday January 24 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, heaven and hell have been the framework for faith. Life was understood as a test, salvation as escape, and eternity as reward or punishment. But what if those ideas were never meant to be taken so literally? What if the point was not where we go, but how we live and love here and now?
In Reclaiming Heaven and Hell, we’ll gather to ask the questions that have haunted and shaped so many of us. What did Jesus actually mean when he spoke of Gehenna? How did heaven become the afterlife instead of the presence of God among us? And what happens when fear is no longer the engine of faith?
Together, we’ll explore the origins of these ideas, the control and comfort they have offered, and the possibilities that emerge when we let hope, not fear, define the story. This is a space for sacred disruption, deep honesty, and reclaiming a faith where love really does have the final word.
Time and location: A one-day in-person circle in Minneapolis, MN, on Saturday, January 24, 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.
Community Circles: Gather. Speak. Trust again.
Gather your friends or community, choose a time that works for you, and we’ll coordinate a facilitator to guide you.
Invite a small group from your community — individuals or a church — to meet 1-4 times a year, supported by the participants’ donations. These facilitated gatherings offer a safe space to have the hard conversations we often don’t know how to begin: rebuilding trust, wrestling with disappointment, walking through what faith means after hurt. Together you’ll explore issues in the circle of people who already know you, in a context of community and care.
Time and location:
2-6 hours at the date, time, and location coordinated between the host and facilitator.
Pricing:
We aim for $250 for a 2-3 hour commitment. This can be donated by the host or gathered from participants contributions. Like all other 40 Orchards offerings, we don’t want cost to hinder people from attending. Please contact us to see what we can make work.
How:
Email us using the form to this form and we will be in touch about next steps.
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.