Asked to officiate a wedding or funeral? Learn what it means to get ordained – plus a list of the most popular, fast, and legal options to become a minister online in 2024.  

 

Weddings and funerals – these are two of the most important and memorable types of ceremonies we celebrate in life. Both weddings and funerals are founded in love and friendship. Both offer friends and families the opportunity to gather and support each other, and to celebrate and honor the people they love.

 

If you’ve been asked to MC or perform a wedding or a funeral service this year, you’ve been entrusted with a very special role. 

 

As you prepare for the day, it’s essential to take time to understand what you’ll say and do on the day of the event, and the steps you should follow to conduct the ceremony in a legal, legitimate, and loving way. 

 

 

Photo: LumiNola / iStock

 

What's the first step? In many cases, step one is ordination.

 

Performing a Wedding or Elopement

 

If you are performing a wedding or elopement ceremony, your first step is to become ordained. 

 

Ordination – or becoming a minister – can be done online. Below, we list a few popular places where you can get ordained online for free, or for an affordable fee. Take time to review each option and choose the church that is best for you.

 

• Get Ordained for free with American Marriage Ministries 

 

It might feel strange to call yourself a ‘minister’ at first, but remember that ministers come from many different backgrounds and belong to many faiths. To be a minister means something different to everyone; what’s important is that you find an organization that aligns with your beliefs. 

 

For example, AMM ordains people of all faiths and backgrounds, and only asks that you share our belief that all people have the right to marry, to perform marriage, and to choose who officiates their marriage!

 

Types of Ministers

 

Ministers can be nondenominational, secular, spiritually eclectic, or a member of a specific faith denomination. The type of minister you wish to become, and your personal values and ideology, will all determine the best organization for you. There are Christian ministers and Pagan ministers, Agnostic ministers and Jewish ministers (called ‘rabbis’), and even atheist wedding ministers! Learn more by clicking the links below.

 

• Become a nondenominational Minister 
• Online Ordination for Modern Pagans: Why it’s So Important, Especially Now
• AMM ordains people of all faiths -- from pagans to monotheists, atheists to agnostics!
• Filling out a Marriage License: What religious denomination do I write down if I’m an atheist?

 

 

 

Photo: shironosov / iStock

 

 

Performing a Funeral Service or Memorial

 

You may be surprised to learn that ordination is not required to perform a funeral! In fact, there are no legal requirements to officiate or MC a funeral service. If you have been asked to lead a funeral or memorial, your love and service are the only requirement. 

 

Some funeral celebrants (as they are commonly called) choose to get ordained even though it's not required. This might be because they belong to a specific faith and ordination is part of their spiritual calling, or because ordination carries a certain amount of professionalism. Some funeral celebrants choose to get ordained to gain access to training materials and the support of their ordaining institution. 

 

• How to Officiate a Funeral or Memorial Service

 

Ordination allows these ministers to perform funerals as well as weddings, and to serve their communities in more than just one way. However, if you only want to perform a single funeral, ordination isn’t required.

 

Where to get ordained? Choose a church that’s right for your beliefs and your budget

 

Now, let’s look at where to get ordained online. 

 

Each of the sites listed below offer legally recognized and legitimate ordinations. Since we are obviously invested in this space, we need to make it clear that the list below is solely based on our research, is subjective, and doesn't reflect the official positions of any of the other organizations included. 

 

This list is for general informational purposes only, and everyone should do their own research. While some of these churches take themselves more seriously than others, they nonetheless all provide legal ordinations and are therefore worth mentioning. 

 

1. American Marriage Ministries
 
We’re going to give ourselves the number-one spot on this list because we think we provide the most reliable free ordination on the internet, backed by the best training for wedding officiants.

 

 

• Get ordained online for free with AMM! 

AMM is LGBTQ+ inclusive and believes that all people have the right to marry and perform marriage ceremonies, regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, or other defining qualities. 

Our free ordination grants full legal authority to conduct marriage ceremonies all across the US! American Marriage Ministries is legally recognized in every state except Virginia. 
 
It’s really that simple, and there’s no hidden ideology that you have to subscribe to. Just be yourself, and be ready to serve your community by officiating weddings. 
 
 
2. Dudeism: The Church of The Latter-Day Dude
 
This modern religion was inspired by the film The Big Lebowski, and bills itself as “the slowest growing religion in the world.” It was founded in 2005 and promotes a modern interpretation of Chinese Taoism (a 6th century BC philosophy) mixed with a little Greek Philosophy to encourage “going with the flow” and “taking it easy” in the face of adversity. 
 
A “Dudeist” Ordination is free, and presumably grants ordained “Dudeist Priests” the right to carry out religious ceremonies as representatives of the Church of The Latter-Day Dude. 
 
 
3. The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
 
This church offers ordinations with the title “Pastafarian Minister.” There’s a lot to unpack here, and the church itself is somewhat hard pressed to spell out exactly what it believes, but their intentions seem to be to make the world a better place. That’s something we can get on board with!
 
Their online ordinations appear to cost around $35, but have held up to legal challenges. So if you want to perform a wedding wearing a noodle strainer over your head (which is something some of their ministers wear) then this ordination is perfect for you!

 

4. The Universal Life Church

These folks have been around since the early 1960s, when Kirby J. Hensley started his church under the doctrine, “do that which is right.” Also known as “The ULC” or simply “ULC,” this group has spawned hundreds of offshoots over the years, which is why we’re just going to focus on the original church, based out of Modesto, California. 
 
The ULC has no traditional doctrine and promotes individual determinism, on the condition that doing so does not infringe on the rights of others. Their website says that, “We do not stand between you and your God.”
 

5. Christian Churches Offering Online Ordinations
 
If you subscribe to the Christian faith, or are marrying a particularly devout couple, you probably want to get ordained by a Christian Church.
 
There's no shortage of Christian Churches offering online ordinations, and most of them will do so for under $100. It’s important to remember that most of these organizations require you to hold certain beliefs and values, and that violating their principles could nullify your ordination. We suggest you do your homework, and give an organization a particular church a call if you have any questions. 
 
Some places to start searching are The National Association of Christian Ministers, Minister Now, and Christian Harvest Church.
 
 
Other online ordination choices that *MIGHT* be legal in your state...
  
There are many other options for online ordination, just type “online ordination” into Google or Bing and you’ll see what we mean! Many of these churches are hard to define, but may align with your beliefs and values.
 
For example, Universal Ministries, based out of Milford, Illinois, seems to bridge the ecumenical space, founded on New Testament and Christian Scriptures from the time of Christ, but are “open to all wishing to share spiritual faith and journey.”

The Church of Spiritual Humanism, another example, offers free ordinations through a religion based in reason, with the belief that human beings can solve the problems of society using logic and science.

However, not all online ordinations are recognized in all states, and some ordinations expire after a period of time.  

 

The Church of Spiritual Humanism, for example, writes on their site that several states may not accept their ordinations, and First Nation Church and Ministry, offers ordination packages at a variety of prices with each license lasting only a certain amount of time (5 years or 10 years). 
 
Be sure to check the legal requirements in your state (and any other state you want to perform marriage in!) by clicking the link below before performing a ceremony if you aren’t sure about a specific online church: 

 

 

• Minister Requirements: Weddings By State
• Get Ordained Online with AMM! 

To find out more about AMM's values, read our Philosophy on Marriage. 
 

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You might also like: 

 

• Who Can Officiate a Non-Religious Wedding Ceremony?
   
• How to Officiate a Wedding For the First Time
   
• Right Before You Step on Stage: A Wedding Officiant’s (Very) Last Minute Checklist
   

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