Pleasure Church: Spring

Summary: Pleasure Church – Spring 2026 Registration

Welcome! Pleasure Church is a 8-week, 7 session online series celebrating the body and the sacredness of pleasure through a sex-positive, inclusive Christian lens. We gather in curiosity, care, and joy and ask for your help in making this a safe space. 

While not required, if you would like to purchase Who Told You That You Were Naked? | Meditations on the Sexual Body  you can purchase by clicking the title and completing the steps on the Pilgrim Press website. 

You will register one time for the entire 8 week series. 

• Teaching Sundays: Rev. Dr. Beverly Dale will offer a teaching, followed by interactive Q&A and small-group conversations in Zoom breakout rooms. These sessions will be recorded for those who register in advance. Teaching Sundays: April 12, April 26, May 10, and May 31.
• Reflection Sundays: Online listening sessions where participants can submit questions for Rev. Dale ahead of time. These weeks will not be recorded and will not include a teaching time. These weeks are designed to allow for processing, group conversation, and questions that emerge (but can't be answered because of time) on the teaching Sundays. Reflection Sundays: April 19, May 3, and May 17.

+Additional Deets

An upcoming online series, Pleasure Church Spring ‘26 with a focus on “Sexual Perfection vs. Sexual Authenticity” offers a space for thoughtful engagement with questions at the intersection of Christian faith and sexual embodiment. Beginning April 12 and continuing through May 31 (with no session on May 24), the weekly gatherings will take place Sundays at 1:00 PM (Eastern).

Led by Rev. Dr. Beverly Dale, an ordained minister and founder of the Incarnation Institute for Sex & Faith, the series is designed for individuals interested in re-examining how religious teachings have shaped their understanding of the body, sexuality, and self-worth. Drawing on her text, Who Told You That You Were Naked? Meditations on the Sexual Body, the series invites participants to reconsider inherited beliefs that are harmful and explore healing through a more integrated, pleasure-centered faith. The goal is to choose the abundant life Jesus taught and discard the body and sex-negativity of the  teachings of the Empire Church. 

Rev Bev brings decades of experience in parish ministry and university chaplaincy, including 21 years at the University of Pennsylvania, where her work included spiritual care alongside sexual and racial minority communities, survivors of sexual violence, and those navigating questions of identity and belonging. Her volunteer work included Chaplaincy at Planned Parenthood. Her work focuses on addressing the impact of shame-based religious teachings and supporting the development of a theology that affirms the body as integral to spiritual life.

The eight-week series includes three structured teaching sessions led by Rev. Dale, each incorporating guided practices and exercises to support personal reflection and healing. These include divinity,  authenticity and self regard, perfection and purity, pleasure and sensuality and authenticity. These sessions will be recorded and made available to all registrants. Four additional “Reflection Sundays” will offer unrecorded, participant-driven discussions, with questions submitted in advance.

Session topics include:

• Introduction: “What Does God Think About Your Sexuality?”
• “Sexual Self-Confidence and Self-Love”
• “Removing Self-Destructive Perfection”
• “Opening to Become Faithful Pleasure Seekers”
• Integration: “What Does an Authentic Pleasure-Seeker Look Like?”

The series is hosted by the Incarnation Institute for Sex & Faith, a nonprofit organization committed to fostering an inclusive, science-informed, and sex-positive Christianity.

Note: this is neither a worship space nor therapy. It is called "church" because we are building a safe, non-judgmental and inclusive community space for spiritual healing and growth that celebrates Jesus' teaching of the “abundant life” (John10:10).