Ministers of the Universal Life Church are welcome to ordain laypeople from their personal, independent ministries, as well as their friends and family members, if both parties are interested in doing so. Our ministers are also free to ordain someone in any way they choose; the ULC Ministries does not have any specific procedure or ritual it requires its ministers to follow when ordaining others. Anyone who becomes ordained by our ministers is able to gain the same legal privileges of someone who is ordained directly through the ULC. We insist that our ministers follow a single rule concerning what happens after ordination ceremonies occur, however, to ensure that these new ordinations are legally recognized in the same manner as ours. This rule is as follows:

Once you have ordained someone from your independent ministry, you must e-mail us with their name, mailing address, and e-mail address and we will enter their information into our ordination database.

Any ordination you issue will not be legally recognized by any state unless the personal information of the people you help get ordained is entered into our ordination database. these people will thus not be able to perform wedding ceremonies and apply for marriage licenses if you do not follow the above rule.

Please note that this rule is not applicable to you if you have filed 501(c) or nonprofit organization paperwork for your ministry with the government of the state where your ministry is located in. If you have filed the above paperwork, your ministry is its own church in the eyes of the state and thus your ordinations are legally recognized in themselves. An independent ministry such as yours does not need to be tied to us in any way in order to gain any of the legal privileges extended to churches, and you do not need to file your ordinations through us in order for them to be considered "legitimate". In short, if your ministry is TRULY independent (i.e. recognized by your state government as being a church in itself), there is no need to look to us for assistance or answers to your questions nor are you compelled or expected to attach yourself to the ULC Ministries moniker whatsoever.

If you have questions not answered in this post, e-mail us and we will be delighted to answer them for you. Thanks!