Cherry Hill Seminary
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 | |
| Type | Private, Paganism |
|---|---|
| Established | 1990s |
| President | Holli Emore |
| Location | , , United States |
| Campus | Distance |
| Website | CherryHillSeminary.org |
Cherry Hill Seminary provides higher education and practical training in modern pagan and nature spiritualities, offering 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 nonprofit organization under the laws of the United States, offering master's-level degrees under authority of the state of South Carolina, with a business office located in Columbia.
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, then brought online in 2000.
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. The seminary was granted tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service in March 2007.[1] By the end of that year, Emore became the seminary’s first executive director, and the seminary relocated its business operations and incorporation to South Carolina.
Cherry Hill named its library in honor of longtime faculty member Judy Harrow in June 2009.[2] The master's program was announced the next month. In fall 2010, 38 students were matriculated into either a master's or a certificate program, and many more enrolled in courses outside the formal programs.[3]
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.[4] 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. BCCI notified the recipient in November 2012 that her educational credentials had been accepted.[5]
Academic standing
Cherry Hill Seminary has been granted an official religious exemption from South Carolina requirements for educational institutions, meaning it can legally grant Master of Divinity degrees. This degree is not accredited.[6]
Cherry Hill Seminary is unaccredited.[7]