Cherry Hill Seminary

Cherry Hill Seminary provides higher education and practical training in Pagan ministry, as the first graduate-level education for Pagan ministry in the world. Cherry Hill Seminary offers online distance-learning classes, regional workshops, and intensive retreats.

Cherry Hill Seminary is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization under the laws of the United States, offering master's-level degrees under authority of the state of South Carolina. Cherry Hill's business office is located in Columbia, South Carolina.

History

The seminary was founded in the early 1990s by Kirk White, Cat Chapin-Bishop and Laura Wildman-Hanlon of Vermont's Church of the Sacred Earth. Classes were conducted first by mail, and then brought online in 2000. The seminary was granted 501(c)3 tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service in March 2007.

White recruited nonprofit consultant and Cherry Hill Seminary student Holli Emore to serve as the chair of the first working board of directors, which began meeting in January 2007. At the end of that year, Emore became the seminary’s first executive director, and the seminary relocated to South Carolina. By 2012, the faculty had grown to sixty educators, most with doctorate or relevant master's degrees.

The master's program was announced in July 2009. In fall of 2010, 38 students were matriculated into either a master's or a certificate program, and many more took courses outside of the formal programs.[1]

Cherry Hill Seminary granted its first Master of Divinity degree in Pagan pastoral counseling to Sandra Lee Harris of Sacred Well Congregation in May, 2012.[2] Evidence of that degree was submitted to the Association of Professional Chaplains as part of the recipient's application for evaluation of theological equivalency by the Board of Chaplaincy Certification, Inc. in lieu of a graduate degree from an accredited seminary. On November 1, 2012, BCCI notified the recipient that her educational credentials had been accepted.[3]

Academic standing

Cherry Hill Seminary has been granted an official exemption from South Carolina requirements for educational institutions,[4] meaning it can legally grant Master of Divinity degrees.

Cherry Hill Seminary is also seeking accreditation from the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), a process which will take several years.

Programs

Each of three major areas of graduate study is associated with an academic department at Cherry Hill Seminary:

  • Department of Ministry, Advocacy and Leadership
  • Department of Pagan Pastoral Counseling and Chaplaincy
  • Department of Theology and Religious History[5]

The Pagan Community Education (PCE) department of Cherry Hill Seminary responds to the varying interests of those who do not need a graduate degree. Courses fall into one of several broad categories: Ethics and Boundaries; History and Fundamentals; Ministry; Leadership & Community; Ritual; Electives.[6]

External links

References

  1. ↑ "Our Mission, Vision, Values & History". Cherry Hill Seminary: education for leadership, ministry, and personal growth. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  2. ↑ Emore, Holli. "Cherry Hill Seminary Awards First-Ever Pagan Master of Divinity Degree". Press Release August 16, 2012. Cherry Hill Seminary. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  3. ↑ Greene, Heather. "One Step, One Leap: The Ripple Effect of Equivalency". The Wild Hunt 18 November 2012. Jason Pitzl-Waters. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  4. ↑ "Cherry Hill Seminary 2012 Catalog" (PDF). cherryhillseminary.org. Retrieved 2012-03-19.
  5. ↑ "Master's Degrees". Cherry Hill Seminary: education for leadership, ministry, and personal growth. Cherry Hill Seminary. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  6. ↑ "Pagan Community Education". Cherry Hill Seminary: education for leadership, ministry, and personal growth. Cherry Hill Seminary. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
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