Becoming A ULC Ordained Minister For Wedding

By Martha Murphy


Whether officiating a civil union, commitment ceremony, wedding or funeral, most couples prefer to obtain a professional minister, priest or rabbi. There are also a number of inter-faith officiants whom mostly officiate at inter-faith or secular ceremonies. Most often, those providing these services have specifically become an ordained minister for wedding, funerals, memorials and to work as spiritual counselors.

While most often rabbis, pastors, priests and ministers go through years of training, others become ordained online through sites such as the Universal Life Church also known as ULC. For, an individual can simply go online, answer a few basic questions, fill out a form and become ordained instantly free of charge. After which, there is no waiting period before the minister can perform weddings, funerals, blessings, baptisms or work as a spiritual confidant and counselor.

The ULC is one of the only organizations to provide ordination to individuals without requiring that the individual take courses or pass a test. Whereas, students at seminaries and rabbinical schools must often take a number courses and pass several tests before becoming ordained. In addition, unlike the high cost of these institutions, the ULC is free to join.

While ordination is free of charge, ULC ministers can request a number of materials from the online store for a nominal fee. These include, books, business cards, certificates, licenses, robes, packages for different types of ceremonies and other items. In addition, once ordained, there are a number of different courses and levels of education ministers can go through to acquire various certificates.

Proof of ordination and ministerial registration is often required by all couples and states to officiate at a wedding. As such, the ULC provides a variety of materials including marriage licenses, wedding packages for ministers and everything else one needs to successfully perform a ceremony. All of these items and others can be found at the online store on the ULC website with a number of shipping options available.

The process is fast and easy when it comes to online ordination. While becoming an ordained minister without an educational background may sound too good to be true, it's important to understand the legality behind the process. Basically, because the ULC is an active not-for-profit church recognized by the U. S. Government, ordinations can be appointed in accordance with the doctrine of the church.

Officiating weddings is one of the biggest perks an ordained minister enjoys. Officiating weddings can often be a personal and rewarding experience. For, the ability to join two souls into one is something not everyone has the desire or capability to do. While this is the case, it is important to recognize that different states have different laws regarding these ceremonies.

It should be noted that some states have different rules related to performing marriage ceremonies that others. For, while most states require proof of ordination or issue a marriage certificate, not all do so. In these cases, the minister is often responsible in assuring that all documentation which the couple are required to send back to the state for certification of marriage are on-hand and signed at the end of the ceremony. If not, there could be legal issues later in life with regards to property ownership or actions with regards to medical care.




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