If you are a Satanist, a member of The Satanic Temple, and a Citizen or Permanent Resident in the United States, then you may register as an Ordination Candidate. During the registration process you will be required to provide accurate personal information, consent to a criminal background check, and agree to the TST Member Code of Conduct. There is also a fee to register. A full detailed list of requirements is published in the Ordination Standards. If you cannot meet all of the requirements for Ordination but would still like to take the coursework, you may be eligible to register as a Non-Ordination Seeking Student.

There is no required preparatory work. As long as you meet the eligibility requirements, you may register as a Candidate. However, before you register you may want to ask yourself a few questions to assess whether you are ready to begin. Do you understand the history and symbolism of modern Satanism? Do you understand the history and mission of The Satanic Temple? Do you know a member of Chapter Leadership or Executive Ministry who can vouch that you are an active member of the community? Do you have at least twenty hours available over the next ninety days to go through the online curriculum, learn the material, pass the quizzes and final exam? If you are unsure, you may prefer to delay registering your candidacy until you have had more time to prepare. If you would like more detail about the ordination program and requirements, please see the Ordination Standards.

From a legal standpoint, The Satanic Temple may disqualify you during your candidacy, or subsequently revoke your ordained status, at any time and for any reason without notice. As a practical matter, as long as you successfully complete the steps of the Online Ordination Program, the only things that would normally lead to disqualification or revocation of ordained status would be:

✔ You are arrested for or convicted of a serious crime.
✔ You breach the TST Member Code of Conduct.
✔ You use your candidacy or status as an ordained Minister of Satan to deceive, defraud, intimidate or otherwise manipulate or gain power over another person, or to gain access to people, places, documents or other materials that you do not have the legal right to access.
✔ You knowingly make false claims or take any other actions that disparage the goodwill, name, brand, or reputation of The Satanic Temple, or its current or past directors, employees, independent contractors, volunteers, donors, supporters, contributors, or current and former founders.

We currently limit ordination to United States Citizens and Permanent Residents for two reasons. First, one of the requirements for becoming ordained is submitting to a criminal background check. We don't currently support the process of performing this kind of legal check outside of the United States. Second, many countries have specific rules, processes and regulations around the requirements for conducting marriages. We would like to ensure that our ordained ministers all have access to the same legal rights and opportunities regardless of the country they are operating in.

If you are not a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident and would like to take the coursework, you may be eligible to register as a Non-Ordination Seeking Student.

You should only become ordained by The Satanic Temple as an authentic expression of your deeply held beliefs, and a desire to embody the values of The Satanic Temple in a way that is visible and acknowledged within the religious and cultural framework of our society. If your only goal is to have the legal ability to preside over a wedding, and you are not deeply connected with The Satanic Temple, then we recommend that you choose one of the many alternatives instead.

Yes. You may rewatch the videos as many times as you like. You will also have the opportunity to retake the final exam up to three times. If you do not pass the exam after the first attempt, you will be allowed to review the videos before you take the final exam again.

At this time there is no alternative curriculum available. Please understand that some form of assessment is necessary to ensure that candidates have the necessary breadth and depth of knowledge required of ordained membership.

No. You are paying to register for the course, not to receive ordination. Think of it as similar to paying to attend a university: you pay to take the class, not to get a degree.

All of the video lectures in the ordination coursework have accompanying transcripts. The visual component of the video lectures is helpful but not critical to understanding the material or passing the quizzes or exam. Reading material, instructions, and quizzes and the exam should all function well with screen reader software. If you have any other disability-related questions or concerns, please contact the Ordination Council for more information.