In the past, to obtain an ordination certificate required a person to be religious and deeply connected to the faith. At least, these were the requirements for most Christian churches around the world. But, in these modern times, a lot of things are changing. We are stepping away from the traditional values a bit which is still highly respected and even persons outside churches can get ordained. But the process isn’t simple.
If your lifelong wish is to become a wedding officiant, it is not important whether you are religious or not. Today, the requirements to be ordained are much different. There might be a good chance that you fulfill all of those requirements.
What makes obtaining this certificate even easier is the fact that you can fill out the form online. Yes, you can get ordained while you are sitting in the comfort of your own home.
To help you with this process, you can use this article and follow these several easy steps to ensure that everything goes smoothly.
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Contents
1. Do some legal research
Before you decide to be a wedding minister, you should probably do a bit more research on the subject. This can help you figure out whether you really need this in your life and whether you can actually do it.
You have to keep in mind that there are some laws in certain countries or states that will prohibit you from officiating wedding ceremonies even if you have the certificate. There are also some states that approved wedding ministers, but they do not approve of those that have obtained their certificates online.
Once you figure out whether it is worth it to be ordained in your state, you can go ahead and fill out the necessary form online.
2. Find the right website
Previously, I talked about the possibilities of becoming a wedding minister from the comfort of your own home. Believe it or not, but that is definitely possible and people have been doing that for the past few years.
Right now, there are probably thousands, if not hundreds of websites that could provide you with a proper certificate. However, it is also important not to ignore the fact that there are websites out there that provide fake certificates. They exist just to take your money.
There are also companies that provide a legitimate service, but their ordination process has not been approved/accepted.
So, if you want to ensure that you are not spending your money in the wrong place, I suggest that you first do your research online. In my opinion, one of the best ways to find a reliable website for anything is by using Google. Google’s search engine and rating system will help you with anything. If you do manage to find some company, you can use that rating system and see what people have to say about it. If most of the reviews are positive, go right ahead and use that website.
Source: Addison Clark
3. Learn how to officiate
Before you continue with the process, it would probably smart to figure out how to officiate. You would want to embarrass yourself in front of your best friends and family when trying to officiate their wedding ceremony.
You will have to figure out exactly how the wedding sermon should go, what you should say, and what the couple getting married has to say. Once you have this information, you can continue and obtain the certificate.
Keep in mind, some of those websites that provide ordination services also offer a “How-to” video as suggested by interfaithseminary.com.
4. Fill out the form
You are almost done, but it is still not over yet. In fact, this might be the most crucial step of this entire process. You have to ensure that you do everything right if you want to get that certificate. Otherwise, if you make some mistakes, your application could get denied and the whole process will be unnecessarily prolonged.
To avoid that, I suggest that you follow the instructions step-by-step.
So, once you have found the right website, it is time to go to the “Fill Form” section. Do not worry, filling out the form is quite simple, you just have to ensure that everything is done correctly.
The form will ask for your legal name, your date of birth, your location addresses, and some other information. You must not forget to put in your email because that is how you are going to receive your confirmation. Just in case, I think it would be best to put your phone number in there too.
Source: Engoo.
Once every blank space is filled, it is time to click apply. However, before you click apply, I suggest that you read the terms of agreement before you do that. I know, sometimes the policy list can be very long, but it is worth reading it. It is always better to be safe than sorry. That is why I always double-check when filling out any kind of form.
Once you are certain that everything is done properly, click apply.
5. Wait for the confirmation
You went through most of the hard parts and now all that is left to do is just wait. Usually, the waiting period after submitting the application is anywhere between a week and an entire month. It probably depends on the company. Although, I am sure they will provide you with an estimation of where you are going to get your confirmation.
6. Officiate a wedding
Congratulations, you are now finally ordained and you are legally allowed to officiate any wedding ceremony. Whether it is your friends or close family members, you can make them happy by being a very important part of their wedding.
Source: ARAG
As you can see, getting an ordination certificate is not complicated at all. You can finish this entire process in just six easy steps and you are done. I hope that found this article informative and useful enough.
