Training and Education
The Universal Life Church Monastery believes that religious education is an important part of every ULC minister's spiritual development. Learning about other religions helps our ministers both become more knowledgeable spiritual scholars and become more open-minded about other belief systems.
Like the Universal Life Church, the "Training and Education" section is constantly evolving. Please check back often to read our freshly-posted content.
Because ULC Monastery ministers are legally able to perform wedding ceremonies in most states and counties in the United States, we strongly recommend you visit our wedding law and wedding training sections of our flagship website to learn more about the most commonly provided service of ULC personnel.
New Content
Pop-Up Chapel
Four staff members of the Universal Life Church traveled to New York City on the invitation of the organizer of the Pop-Up Chapel, a celebration of marriage equality which took place on July 30, 2011. At this marvelous event, eight ULC Monastery ministers were honored to perform the wedding ceremonies of 16 gay and lesbian couples. To learn more about the Pop-Up Chapel, our trip to New York City, and the ministers who performed the wedding ceremonies, please visit the "Pop-Up Chapel" link on the Training and Education menu or simply click here.
Video Guides
The ULC Monastery has prepared a number of training and educational videos for its ministers' use and enjoyment. Please click here to view them. We value our ministers' feedback and input, so make sure to let us know if there is a subject you would like us to cover in a training or educational video.
Interested in being the bride or groom in a same-sex marriage ceremony (or in officiating one)? The ULC Monastery has created the Gay Marriage Etiquette Video Series to help you!
Frequently Asked Questions about the Universal Life Church
It is not unusual for people to have little understanding of what the Universal Life Church is and how its online ordination process works. Online ordination is a strange concept to many and a fearful one to some. An unfortunate by-product of the service the ULC provides - offering free online ordinations to anyone - is that some uninformed individuals harbor resentment against it based off of misconceptions. Even those who take no offense to the ULC frequently do not know how it operates. ULC ministers must take measures to both combat misconceptions and educate the unaware whenever and wherever possible.
Please take a moment to read the following FAQs so that you can disseminate accurate information about the Universal Life Church Monastery.
What is the Universal Life Church Monastery?
The Universal Life Church Monastery is a non-denominational online ministry that offers online ordinations to anyone in the world. The ULC Monastery is the largest federation of ULC ministers in the world and is also the world's largest online ministry. It has ordained hundreds of thousands of ministers online and currently ordains more than 400 ministers per day! It is also a registered non-profit organization with the State of Washington and provides donations to a variety of charities with funds left unspent on its expenses. For more information please read about the ULC Monastery's history.
Is the ULC ordination legal?
Yes, in most US states and counties. Wedding laws are drastically different from place to place, unfortunately. We strongly encourage our ministers to contact the county clerk of the county or counties where they are going to perform marriage ceremonies in or visit the ULC Monastery's wedding law database to determine if that county - and the state it is located in - accept our ordination. Few states and counties outright reject our ordination, though many require ULC Monastery ministers to jump through hurdles.
Do I need to receive any training to become legally ordained through the ULC?
Nope! While we would like for our ministers to learn about other religions and study spirituality, it is not necessary to take any courses to become a ULC minister. All it takes to for a person over the age of 18 to become ordained online through the ULC Monastery is a name, address, and e-mail address.
What can ULC ministers do with their ordination?
ULC Monastery ministers can legally perform wedding, baptismal, and burial ceremonies in most states and counties in the US (see "Is the ULC ordination legal?"). ULC ministers can also bless water and even start their own congregation, if they so choose.
