Become a legally-ordained minister online

The Universal Life Church provides free online ordinations that never need to be renewed. All that you need to acquire one is a computer, an internet connection, and less than five minutes of free time. We have ordained more than 300,000 people from around the world, from the Yukon to the Yucatan and Australia to Alaska, since we were founded in 2006.

Our online ministry's ordinations have been used for a variety of purposes, but our most of our online-ordained ministers use it to perform legally-recognized wedding ceremonies throughout the world. In addition to wedding ceremonies, some ministers use their ordination to officiate burial ceremonies while others perform burial ceremonies. It is also important to note that our ministers are not obligated to use their ordination at all if they do not want to; many of our ministers are content to follow this path.

Beliefs of the Universal Life Church

While the ULC is not a religious organization that adheres to strict and/or antiquated dogma, it does have a few basic tenets that all of the people who get ordained online through us should be comfortable with, even if they do not fully agree with them. These tenets are as follows:

• The Universal Life Church believes first and foremost that "We are all children of the same universe." This means that every person is fundamentally the same, despite comparatively minor and superficial differences of race, creed, and color. All human beings have the same basic needs - from food to shelter to love - and we should treat even the most different persons in the same way we would treat our own family, spouse, and children, accordingly.
• Religious freedom is a birthright that belongs to everyone; it is a fundamental and inalienable right that is - and will always be - a vital aspect of the human element. Thusly, no man or woman should ever be persecuted - by the state or another human being - for their religious beliefs.
• ULC ministers must "Do that which is right" - from following the Golden Rule to respecting the natural environment - in order to deserve the title of "minister", "priest", "rabbi", "imam", or whatever title they choose to take when they become ordained online.

Training Resources

Most of our ministers only come to us to perform one or two wedding ceremonies, though for some of them becoming ordained online is just the first step on the road to developing their ministry. If the latter description matches your approach to the Universal Life Church, rest assured that there are many educational opportunities for you as a new ULC minister. We offer a plethora of spritual education books, training materials, tax guides for churches, religious texts, and sample sermons (among many other helpful ministry supples) at our store and our chapel. The ULC ministers who have used their ordination to start their own ministry have found these materials and supplies to be incredibly helpful; we're sure you will feel the same way if you choose to do the same.

Minister Resources

The Universal Life Church is pleased to report that we offer several ways for our ministers to interact with other people who have received ordinations from us. These resources allow our ministers to share ceremony ideas, stories, and religious discourse - things people from most online ministries normally cannot do! The first is the ULC Ministers Network, a social network much like Facebook that was built specifically for our ministers to socialize on. Another equally-important resource is the ULC blog, where the ULC posts article about trending topics in religion, politics, and spirituality. The ULC also maintains a forum where our ministers discuss topics like religion, spirituality, and uses of the ULC ordination.

For more information about online ordinations or the Universal Life Church, feel free to e-mail us or look around our flagship website.

The ULC finds the following quote to be both inspirational and highly representative of the mindset the Universal Life Church hopes its ministers adhere to after they become ordained online. We hope you enjoy it as well.

“It is the duty of every cultured man or woman to read sympathetically the scriptures of the world. If we are to respect others' religions as we would have them respect our own, a friendly study of the world's religions is a sacred duty.” – Mohandas K. Gandhi