About your CMC internship

Now that you have earned your Community Ministry Certificate you are qualified to apply for ordination by Cherry Hill Seminary if you complete this 20-hour supervised volunteer internship. The purpose of the internship is for you to apply the skills you have learned with direct service in a real-life situation, with a supervisor who can vouch for your successful completion.

Where will I carry out my internship?
You will investigate needs in your own community and inquire about the possibility of interning. Here are suggested categories for you to explore:

Ministerial work with a group of at least 5 participants.
Presentation of workshops, sermons, rituals or services.
Social advocacy work, client assistance at a community nonprofit.
Counseling or pastoral care services, social services work.
Emergency/disaster relief work.
Hospital, hospice or nursing home visits.

Do I need CHS approval?
Yes. Contact your CMC faculty-mentor by email with information about the work you wish to do, the organization that is involved, and who will supervise you and give you feedback. Once they approve it, go to the next step below.

What is the cost?
$100 for the one month module.

What if I need to take more than a month to complete my internship?
Talk about it with your faculty-mentor first. If you need more time, you will be charged for another month (as with the CMC).

Is there a CHS form to turn in at the beginning of my internship?
You must submit this form to initiate your internship BEFORE YOU START.

Does my internship supervisor have to turn in anything?
Yes. Ask your supervisor to turn in this form BEFORE YOU START.

How do I document my internship?
When you have completed your 20 hours of volunteer service, ask your supervisor to submit this evaluation of your internship.

When you are finished, and your internship supervisor has turned in the final evaluation, we will attach it to your ordination application for consideration by the Clergy Review Committee during their next round of applicant reviews.

Register for CMC internship

Announcing Ordination for Cherry Hill Seminary Graduates

Posted on September 26, 2025November 3, 2025

Columbia, S.C. — Cherry Hill Seminary will accept applications for Seminary ordination its program graduates, by vote of the Board of Directors.

Board Chair Dana Doerksen said, “Cherry Hill Seminary is proud to establish a clear path to ordination, ensuring that our graduates’ rigorous education and formation are recognized in a way that reflects their study and preparation. This initiative affirms our commitment to preparing qualified Pagan clergy who will serve their communities with integrity and professional accountability.”

Cherry Hill Seminary students who have received their Master of Divinity degree, Community Ministry Certificate, or Spiritual Direction Certificate are eligible to apply for ordination by the Seminary. Ordination signifies a commitment to serving others using the knowledge and skills gained in these programs, as well as demonstration of personal integrity, and approval by the Clergy Review Committee.

The Clergy Review Committee is composed of experienced ministers from our faculty and is independent from Seminary administration. It will meet twice yearly, as needed, to review applicants. Applicants must be interviewed by the committee. Those accepted will be ordained in a virtual ceremony by the Seminary.

Applicants who have received their Community Ministry Certificate must also complete an additional month of supervised internship with a local organization. Their CMC faculty-mentor will guide them through placement in and completion of that internship. A key element of all applications is agreement with the Cherry Hill Seminary Clergy Ethical Code.

Rev. Dr. Robert Patrick, a faculty member who also serves on the Ordination Review Committee noted, “Pagan practitioners are very often solitary and not part of a highly organized community. They may be associated with international organizations without a local affiliate. For Cherry Hill Seminary to become an ordaining institution means that it embodies the needed spiritual community that stands behind the act and practice of ordained ministry.”

Those wishing to apply may find more detailed information at this link, including an application form. Applicants will be reviewed twice annually, and must apply for renewal every five years.

Cherry Hill Seminary serves Pagan and Nature-based communities by providing transformative education and empowering students to advance academically and lead spiritually. For more information contact CHS@cherryhillseminary.org, or leave a voice mail at 1-803-862-9088.

Cherry Hill Seminary Clergy Ethical Code

Clergy ordained by Cherry Hill Seminary are required to agree to and abide by the following ethical guidelines. Failure to do so can result in revocation of ordination.

Privacy and Confidentiality

Conversations between clergy and those coming to you for spiritual support should be treated as confidential (except where the law requires mandated reporting).

Financial integrity

Clergy should always maintain transparency and sound record keeping if you are handling any funds for a group. Never accept donations or payments without documenting them, especially with cash. Scan, photocopy or simply take a photo for this purpose. Ask someone else to count money in front of a second person if you “pass the basket” for money. Any expenditures that you make on behalf of the group must be backed up with a receipt of some kind which is kept with financial records.

Best practice for a group of any size is to have a financial committee which does a monthly review of all records, including bank statements and receipts. If you or someone in your group discovers missing or inappropriately used funds, you should follow up immediately. Hiding the situation can damage your and your group’s reputation, diminish trust, and affect participation. Where there is a clear record of theft, consult a professional and/or make a police report.

Protection of children or vulnerable adults

In the United States most states require allegations of abuse against a minor to be reported immediately to state authorities. Cherry Hill Seminary encourages immediately reporting to the civil authorities all instances of child abuse regardless of personal confidentiality issues. Each state has a different mandatory reporting process. You should call local law enforcement authorities or go to your state government website and find the appropriate office for reporting child abuse.

If you are serving in a group or congregation and observe any inappropriate behaviors by others, you should immediately report your observations to the person or group (such as the minister, a program director or church council chair). Examples of inappropriate behaviors would be seeking private time with children or youth, taking children or youth on over-night trips without other adults, making suggestive comments to children or youth, or selecting or using staff or volunteers without screening.

For example, Cherry Hill Seminary is incorporated in the state of South Carolina. The SC Code of Laws 20-7-510A requires all members of any clergy, teachers and childcare workers. to make such reports. Failure to report suspected abuse of children or youth is a crime. Reports may be made confidentially or anonymously. Every state provides immunity from civil liability for persons required to report suspected abuse in good faith and without malice. Simply stated, “in good faith” means that the person submitting the report believes what he or she is reporting to be true.

Working with minors

Clergy working with minors should maintain an open and trustworthy relationship between the minors and adult supervisors. You should:

Be aware of your own and others’ vulnerability when working alone with a minor. Whether in a social or ministerial situation, the minor’s location and activities should be known by parents or guardians at all times. You must also be mindful that minors do not possess the capacity to make freewill and voluntary decisions.
Use a team approach to managing activities. In general, at least two adults should be present in situations involving minors.
Only meet with a minor where other adults can have open access to the room. The entry door should either have a window or be left open. Do not meet with a minor if there are no other adults in the immediate vicinity. Never visit a minor’s home without at least one other adult present and without the expressed welcome of a parent or guardian.
Use caution regarding physical displays of affection, topics of conversation, and language used with minors. This includes physical games such as wrestling or tickling. Touching and embracing a minor is not appropriate if it could not also be done comfortably in the presence of the minor’s parent or guardian.
Not share sleeping quarters with minors, unless accommodations are barrack-style with multiple adults and multiple minors in the same room. Each adult and each minor must have a separate bed.
Not share locker rooms, shower rooms and dressing rooms with minors unless another adult is present.
Understand that physical contact with youth can be misconstrued and should occur: (a) only when completely nonsexual and otherwise appropriate, and (b) never in private.
You must never supply illegal drugs and/or alcohol to minors, nor may they consume alcohol while functioning in an official capacity with minors. This includes those who are involved as coaches or managers of youth sports teams.
Know that physical force or demeaning language should not be used in disciplining minors. Physical force is only permissible to protect yourself, another innocent party, or a person who is out of control.

Sexual Conduct

Clergy must not exploit the trust placed in them by the faith community to attain sexual gratification or intimacy, or to use sex to coerce or manipulate others.

Harassment

Church personnel must not engage in physical, psychological, written or verbal harassment of others. Harassment can encompass a broad range of physical, written or verbal behavior, including: physical or mental abuse; racial insults; derogatory ethnic slurs; unwelcome sexual advances or touching; sexual comments or sexual jokes.