How to Become an Ordained Minister Online

One of the great things about living in the 21st century is now anyone can become a legally ordained minister online. As an ordained minister, you can officiate wedding ceremonies, baptisms, and other religious ceremonies. Of course there is more to being ordained than just officiating ceremonies. Being ordained can be very rewarding, but ultimately it is up to the individual to "legitimize" the act.

Steps

1. Find a church website that accepts online ordinations. Try searching for "become ordained" There are many websites that offer ordination.
2. Find a church that reflects your lifestyle and religious beliefs. You do not have to be "religious" to become ordained.
3. Every church has different requirements for the ordination process. Most require your full legal name, mailing address and a valid email address.
4. Complete the ordination request from the church website and make sure to follow any further instructions.

Tips

• Before you perform a wedding, learn the state marriage laws and check with the County Clerk of where the marriage is taking place. While you might be legally ordained as a minister, there could be restrictions on who can solemnize marriages in the county.
• In a few states you need a letter aka "Letter of Good Standing" from the organization that ordained you.
• If you plan to perform a marriage in the state of Nevada be sure that you check that the organization has a "physical" congregation in the state of Nevada as the laws in Nevada prohibit an ordained minister from performing a wedding if there is not a physical congregation in Nevada. Unless you are a resident of another state in which case you can request a one time exception from the county in which the license is obtained.
• Be confident and have faith performing a ceremony can be a very rewarding experience.
• There are churches that are non-denominational and open to any religious beliefs. They do not require you to switch from your current faith to get ordained. There are some online churches that require you to switch to their faith.
• Research which church best suites your belief structure.
• Check with the church that you are getting ordained with for any additional requirements they might have.
• You can go to Google or use your favorite search to find a non-denominational church to get ordained with.
• Consider a minister training course - after all being an ordained minister is more than just performing weddings, you can also perform baptisms and funerals. Ultimately the main idea behind becoming ordained is between the minister and God.

Warnings

• Be sure the church is established and has been around for some time.
• An August 2007 article in the New York Times [1] notes that questions can arise regarding the legality of wedding ceremonies and marriage solemnizations conducted by ministers who received their ordination online. Please confirm with your local County Clerk that your ordination is recognized in the jurisdiction in which you plan to perform weddings.

Related wikiHows

• How to Become a Church Music Minister
• How to Create a Church
• How to Design a Church Web Site
• How to Make a Good Confession in the Catholic Church

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/fashion/05marry.html Great Wedding! But Was It Legal?

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