The Minneapolis Area Synod is launching a new online learning series.

We will be hosting monthly Zoom calls on different topics with presenters from our community. The calls will be on the second Thursday of each month, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m., and will be recorded and shared on the Synod website. Grab your lunch and hop on!

October 2025 Update: Due to a request from Bread of Life Deaf Lutheran Church, the live calls will only have simultaneous Spanish interpretation. About a week after the live call, we will post a recording of the call with ASL interpretation.

Upcoming Dates

Due to low registration numbers, the December 11 conversation has been cancelled. If you have questions about writing resolutions or for the Reference and Counsel Committee, reach out to Liz Farmer.

Learn Together Over Lunch Series: Church Consolidations and Mergers

January 8, 2026 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Led by Rev. A. John Bischoff Jr, author of the book, Church Consolidations and Mergers: Working Together for God's Mission [...]

Learn Together Over Lunch Series: Moving Beyond Land Acknowledgements

March 12, 2026 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Led by Dr. Kelly Sherman Conroy, this conversation will discuss how to create a land acknowledgement for your ministry and [...]

Learn Together Over Lunch Series: Narrative Budgets

May 14, 2026 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Rev. Tim Brown is the Director for Congregational Stewardship at the ELCA and will lead attendees in building narrative budgets [...]

Recordings

*Because the information on the MN Paid Leave Program changes frequently, this recording will only be left up until mid-October, to prevent old confusion if changes are made.

Slides

Handout

Recordings

Please Note:
The presenter stated differently in the live conversation, but since learned this correction: There is no exclusion under the law for religious organizations. Coverage for priests depends on their federal tax status. If a priest is taxed under SECA, they are considered self-employed and would be excluded from Paid Leave but could opt in for coverage. To the extent a priest is taxed under FICA, they are not treated as self-employed and would be covered by Paid Leave. *This can apply to ministers, etc. as well if they are taxed under SECA.