INDEX, Washington – The Aquarian Tabernacle Church (ATC) is creating a new accrediting organization called the Accreditation Program of Wicca (APW) with the aim of “creating a network of recognized Wiccan Training Programs known for high standards.” The new non-profit organization was announced a few days ago via a press release from the ATC and its Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary, now over 20 years old. TWH reached out to learn more.
Belladonna LaVeau is the Matriarch and Arch-Priestess of the ATC. In her leadership role of the ATC, she has noted that one aspect of her ministry is to help professionalize Wiccan Clergy while the ATC provides “big church” resources for existing Wiccan ministers to be more effective in serving modern congregations. “As our world continues to expand and technology brings knowledge to corners that were unreachable before, we have found it is important to have a network of trusted educators that have been vetted,” she said.
Accreditation Program of Wicca logo
LaVeau told TWH, “The ATC built a state-recognized seminary that can confer legal degrees and isn’t accredited. Accreditation comes from a group of peers looking at your work and deciding it meets an accepted established criterion. Wicca did not have an accrediting body and therefore seminary graduates sometimes find that they can’t compete with Christian Ministers for certain jobs, such as Military Chaplaincy. “
The APW is led by a team of experienced Wiccans. Rt. Reverend Kara D. Williams is a 3rd Degree ordained minister of the Aquarian Tabernacle Church in the WISE Tradition. She holds a master’s degree in education (M.Ed.), a Bachelor of Art in sociology, and a Bachelor of Ministry in Wiccan Ministry. She has served as Faculty Director, Assistant Dean of Education, IT Director, and Dean of Education at Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary (WSTS).
Rt. Reverend Brenna Grace is the program reviewer of the APW. She is a 3rd Degree ordained minister of the Aquarian Tabernacle Church in the WISE Tradition. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism/public relations and a Bachelor’s in Wiccan Ministry. Rev Sage Silverstar will serve as the curriculum reviewer and served as Director of Faculty in 2022 of the WSTS. Lapis DeLaRosa will serve as secretary to the APW.
Aquarian Tabernacle Church International logo
Williams said that inspiration for the program came two years ago, “The ATC has been looking at this issue for years. The decision to move forward was made over two years ago. The program was launched in April of 2023 and was announced at Spring Mysteries Festival at the Leadership Dinner,” she said.
The APW looks to the future as well as the present. Their plans also include governmental recognition to create religious parity. Williams added that their plans include applying “to the Federal Department of Education for status as a recognized accreditation board. This allows seminaries and schools in Wicca to attain a similar status to other religion’s seminaries and schools.”
Accreditation will also create educational legitimacy. Grace underscored to TWH that “Accreditation is an important step in the collegiate world. Some people believe, inaccurately, that accreditation is what makes degrees legal. While that is not true, it does give a sense of security to those attending the school that their education is legitimate and will be accepted by other schools if they transfer later.”
The program is targeted around any sources that offer Wiccan education, whether that is covens, organizations offering certificates, and even those who might be offering courses or degrees. “APW is forward looking” Grace noted. “We envision a world where there will be more seminary-level programs. Up until now, many organizations were put off by the fact that even if they opened a seminary, achieving accreditation was extremely difficult. Hopefully, the APW will offer more incentive for others to move forward in creating seminary-level opportunities.”
Williams added that “the program began at the level of seminary and only added the coven and certificate levels so that we covered more programs. We want to be as inclusive as possible.” The APW noted their inclusive approach consistently recognizing that different programs will have different needs, but that accreditation serves as a basis for recognition. “Accreditation, by its nature, is for programs who want to teach in a more public fashion.”
“If a school is oathbound then they can divide their program and only accredit the public portions or decide that accreditation does not serve them,” Williams added.
The team recognizes the challenges ahead. They built the new organization as a new 501(c)3 organization “Because most accreditation boards require that the applicants be legal entities, it is important that seminaries and colleges are legal, degree-granting institutions. Legal requirements for covens and certificate programs are much more flexible since often legal status has not been required for anything else they have done before,” Grace noted.
Another challenge is the multiple traditions of Wicca and how a common accreditation can serve a diverse religion that includes covens, solitaries, and different approaches to training. Grace and Williams acknowledge the complexity but said that common elements remain. “It is important to remember that we are specifically accrediting Wiccan programs,” Grace said. “Within Wicca, we have a set of beliefs that carry over to each tradition, though they may look slightly different on the outside. For example, all Wiccans believe there are four elements that make up the watchtowers of a circle. Sometimes Air can be in the East, other times it will be in the North, but all Wiccan traditions have the same beliefs at a very basic level.”
Accreditors will look for common elements such as the reinforcement of the Sanctity of Nature, The Four Elements, The Wheel of the Year, the use of sacred tools, and the creation of sacred space as well as coverage of Wiccan history. The team will also have standards for degree conferral and course progression, financial practices, operations, and sustainability. The team has organized a handbook with the standards they will employ as well as a rubric for accreditations. The material is available on the APW website.
The team noted that the time is now for an organization that helps legitimize programs. While no programs have yet to be accredited, all the elements for accreditation are offered in a handbook. The APW has all the resources for accreditation available on its website.
LaVeau looks to the future where Wiccan education is supported like other religious-based accreditation of religious education. She added that accreditation and an accrediting body are “the next logical step for Wicca.”
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