Wiccan church

What it is

A Wiccan church is a body that Wiccans set up when several of their covens join under one roof. The pattern is chiefly North American. In Europe, Wicca usually keeps to standalone covens, each running on its own, while in the United States some covens pool themselves into a church or similar organisation. Many of these churches begin as hive covens, covens that have already branched into newer ones of their own. Beyond churches, Wiccans have also formed schools, temples, sanctuaries, covenants and research bodies. A coven, the small working group at the centre of Wicca, stays the unit these larger bodies grow from.

Where it comes from

The church model belongs chiefly to North America. Wiccan churches are recorded in the United States, where covens combine into single bodies, and in Canada, home to the Wiccan Church of Canada. European Wicca, by contrast, runs through standalone covens, which makes the church a shape tied to American and Canadian practice. The named organisations range from churches such as the Aquarian Tabernacle Church and the Rowan Tree Church to groups like Circle Sanctuary, the Covenant of the Goddess and Children of Artemis, with covens such as Bricket Wood and New Forest also counted among Wiccan organisations.

How it is done

A church takes shape when covens join together into one body. Often the seed is a hive coven, one that has already branched into newer covens of its own. Some Wiccan and neopagan witchcraft organisations then give themselves formal standing: they incorporate as non-profit bodies within their own state or province, and some of those additionally gain tax-exempt standing in the United States through section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The choice is optional, and covens in Europe generally keep their independent form.

Who does it

Those who form these bodies are Wiccans themselves, the practitioners of a neopagan witchcraft religion. Joining or founding a church is a choice each coven makes: in Europe covens most often remain independent, while in the United States some federate. The named range runs from churches and a temple to a school, a sanctuary, a covenant and a research association, showing how differently Wiccan groups have organised themselves.

Peoples and places

The divide runs between continents. In Europe, Wicca lives mostly in standalone covens. In the United States, covens sometimes join into churches and other organisations, and Canada has a Wiccan church body of its own, the Wiccan Church of Canada. The named organisations include the Aquarian Tabernacle Church, the Covenant of the Goddess, Circle Sanctuary, the Church and School of Wicca, Universal Eclectic Wicca and Children of Artemis, with covens such as Bricket Wood and New Forest also on the list. The same religion organises differently on each side of the Atlantic.

Compare and confuse

A Wiccan church is easily mistaken for the coven, the small group at Wicca's base. A coven works on its own; a church is what several covens may build when they combine, often from a hive coven that has already sent out newer covens. The wider category is the magical organisation, and Wicca belongs to the neopagan family. Names differ with scale: church, temple, covenant, sanctuary and school all appear among Wiccan bodies.

Law and persecution

These groups can hold formal legal standing, and some choose to. Wiccan and neopagan witchcraft organisations have incorporated as non-profit bodies within their state or province. In the United States, some have gone further and gained tax-exempt standing under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Incorporation is a matter of choice, and covens in Europe generally keep their independent form.

Questions people ask about Wiccan church

Good reading and sources

• Wiccan organisation on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data