AMM Ministers: Serving a Congregation of Two, or Many

Learn more about your congregation as an ordained AMM Minister

 

 

As an AMM Minister, you are part of a global Fellowship that supports and celebrates marriage for all adults. 

 

Your ordination empowers you to serve your congregation in any way you are called. But that means you’ve got to be able to read the room. This type of work puts you in contact with individuals and families from all sorts of backgrounds, many of whom one might not meet otherwise, and it’s important to learn the best ways to connect with them. 

 

Below, we talk about who belongs to your congregation, the kinds of services you may provide them, and how and where you might meet with them. 

 

 

• Get ordained online with American Marriage Ministries here. 

 

 

Your congregation as an AMM Minister  

 

Your congregation is a vital part of your ministerial service. When officiating a marriage, you may consider the wedding party and guests as your congregation. Your congregation may consist of the people to whom you minister, or those friends and family with whom you commune spiritually or otherwise. 

 

Because of the beautiful diversity of religion in the United States, there is no precise definition of ‘congregation’ found in our country’s laws. Your congregation may be an informal collection of friends and family, or a larger group of regular members. It’s likely to evolve over time, as will you.  

 

Either way, an important part of your ministry is service to your congregation, or others outside your immediate congregation, who want you to solemnize their marriage.

 

 

How do AMM Ministers serve their congregations? 

 

As a minister ordained with AMM, your primary role is to solemnize marriage. This role is founded in AMM’s three guiding Tenets: 

 

• All people, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation, have the right to marry.
• It is the right of every couple to choose who will solemnize their marriage.
• All people have the right to solemnize marriage.

 

In addition to performing weddings and upholding these tenets, you may also choose to officiate funerals and memorials, name change ceremonies, quinceañeras, baby blessings, house blessings, energy clearings, and other spiritual or religious rites. 

 

Some AMM Ministers also offer spiritual counseling, relationship and premarital coaching, business coaching, and minister education, depending on their personal experiences and expertise. 

 

The many roles of AMM Ministers: 

 

• Officiate weddings, marriage vow renewals, and commitment ceremonies
• Officiate funerals and memorial services
• Officiate quinceañeras, baby blessings, name change rituals, and other life-cycle ceremonies
• Perform house blessings and energy clearings
• Provide spiritual guidance 
• Provide relationship and premarital coaching
• Provide officiant-focused business coaching
• Provide continuing education to other wedding officiants
• And more

 

 

Where do AMM Ministers meet with their congregations? 

 

Despite the way most ministerial work is portrayed in television and film, many congregations meet in informal settings rather than churches. Congregations may gather in community centers, outdoor parks, kitchens, and library meeting rooms. Many AMM Ministers discuss matters of faith and spirituality with their congregation in their home or office, which they treat as a place of worship.

 

Others have the privilege to commune in a dedicated place of worship, such as a temple or church. Others still find their calling in performing a single wedding held in a special venue. 

 

 

 

 

Visit our FAQ Page to read more about what it means to be an AMM Minister. 

 

 

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