“A Life’s Dream...” Ministers Explain Why They Got Ordained With AMM

Our ministers are the reason that we show up to work every day. Without our ministers, AMM isn’t much more than a few empty desks, a couple of computers, and a coffee machine…

 

But when you stand with couples in front of their friends and families, you are preaching our gospel of love and community. You’re reinforcing our values. You bring the magic that transforms weddings into transcendant expressions of love and joy!

 

That’s why it’s so important to us to tell your stories, to let others know why AMM exists, and why you chose to get ordained through us to officiate weddings. 

 

We’ve spent the last few weeks crisscrossing the country, meeting with our ministers and gathering their stories. Many of these conversations were filmed, and over the next few months, we plan on releasing them here on American Weddings and across our social media accounts so that you can be inspired by other AMM Ministers that have gone above and beyond.

 

 

 

"This is the culmination of a life's dream."

 

“This is the culmination of a life’s dream,” said Tim Hooker, an AMM Minister in Tennessee with over 300 weddings under his belt so far. “When I found American Marriage Ministries, something just spoke to me… When the Supreme Court handed down its decision on marriage equality, most churches wouldn’t officiate same-sex weddings, so I stepped in.”

 

In Cleveland, Tennessee, where Tim lives, many churches won’t solemnize interracial marriages either. Once again, Tim has stepped up. “Nobody else is doing it,” he explained. 

 

 

AMM Minister Tim Hooker, Cleveland Tennessee 

 

 

 

"Being an officiant is more than just a job... it’s a blessing.”

 

Bonnie Sanchez is an AMM Minister in Sarasota, Florida, but she’s been all over the world performing weddings. When she first decided to start officiating weddings, she turned to Google.

 

“American Marriage Ministries just stood out to me. Your values are at my core, there are lots of other online churches out there, but there are none like AMM,” Bonnie said. "Being an officiant is more than just a job. It’s a profession, it’s a career, it’s a blessing.”

 

(Bonnie is photographed at the top of this article with AMM's Natasha Anakotta.)

 

 

AMM's Lewis King with AMM Minister Zelda Sheldon in Nashville, Tennessee

 

 

With hours of footage to review, edit, and compile into videos, we’ve got our work cut out for us. But don’t worry, it’s going to be worth the wait! We have awesome interviews with other ministers from Tennessee, Washington, California, and more…!

 

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In the meantime,

we feature interesting new ministers on our social media every day!

 

Make sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to find out how ministers are celebrating love and creating community all across this country. (And if you’re one of those ministers, we want to hear from you!)

 

 

Updated June 10, 2021

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You might also like: 

 

• AMM Minister Samuel Heath has a calling: To operate on love and to officiate the hell out of weddings
   
• Officiant Quick Tip: Ceremony Writing with AMM Minister Liz Rae (of Liz Rae Weddings)
   
• Officiant Quick Tip: The Questionnaire -- What question surprises couples the most? with Officiant Amber Olsen
   

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