Henry Reyenga back again with you, and we are marching through the Wedding Officiant Skills Course.

One of the most common questions—we've been offering this program since 2014, and thousands have become ordained as wedding officiants. The stories that I hear are incredible about what that day has meant, and you are part of that.

So we're going to talk today about some of the legal issues.

To become a wedding officiant means that you become part of an authority not only given by the Christian Leaders Alliance in your ordination, but also an authority vested by the local governing authorities. A wedding, in most places, has ties to two authorities.

For instance, when you pronounce the couple husband and wife, I would say something like this:

"By the authority that the church has vested in me and the authority that the state has vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

There is this sense where, as a minister of the Gospel and by the authority that the state has vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.

That's why we hear that in these wedding ceremonies.

In this session, we're going to talk about researching marriage laws and understanding the public responsibility of a Christian wedding officiant.

When you officiate a wedding, you are serving in more than one way. You are serving spiritually, you are serving pastorally, you are serving publicly, and in many places you are serving legally.

A wedding is more than an event. It's a covenant before God, but it's also a public act that may be recognized by civil authorities. That is why Christian wedding officiants must take both ordination and local ministry laws seriously.

Spiritual Authority and Public Responsibility

Let's talk about that.

As a Christian wedding officiant, you represent spiritual and church authority through your calling, training, ordination, and recognition.

You are not merely a ceremony host. You are not a public speaker. You are not a friend reading words at a wedding. You are serving as a minister-servant.

Christian ordination is connected to calling, competence, confirmation, credibility, and accountability.

A faithful ministry role should not be isolated or self-appointed. It should be recognized by others who affirm your character, your participation, and your calling.

What I love about being a wedding officiant is that it has all of those minister characteristics—those becoming-a-minister characteristics.

First of all, you have a bride or groom asking you to perform a wedding. Or you have a ministry calling that says, "I'm called to marriage ministry." To be part of a marriage ministry is to become a wedding officiant.

Okay, so you have calling now.

How does that work in a wedding officiant role?

When a bride and groom-to-be ask someone to perform their wedding, what it is, is a quiet calling.

In other words, this person sees in you something special to lead them through this very intimate, spiritual, and amazing process that brings them together in covenant marriage and love.

Wow—that's a powerful calling.

I have seen, over the period of this ministry offering, the power of that. So it's clear that this is part of a calling.

What happens so often is somebody says:

"Hey, I'm doing something else. I have a job. I am a housewife. I am a grandma. I am a grandpa. I've never considered myself a minister."

But they do see that interest. They do see that intentionality in their heart.

They would consent to do that.

Maybe you said to someone, "Oh, I would love to."

But then reality sets in.

Now what do I do?

Because the laws say that a minister performs a ceremony.

Then you go online and you might see these quick ordinations.

"Whoa. All I have to do is give my name and some money and I'm ordained?"

You see these instant ordinations and you say:

"You know what? Would they satisfy the legal requirements for ordination?"

And, you know what? In many places those instant ordinations work.

But then when you read through one of those instant ordinations and you look into your own heart and convictions, you say:

"I'm a Christian. I want to be ordained as a Christian wedding officiant. There's no real training offered here."

I want to do this well and with confidence.

Instant ordinations are often frowned upon in places like Tennessee and other locations because the law suggests a minister—a minister who is called, trained, and ordained by a religious organization that takes seriously the historic Christian church.

So this legal piece is connected also to the reality of a program of ordination.

Now, when I went to become a minister, I first had to do eight years of college and seminary before I could even do one wedding.

I remember thinking:

"This is a function-specific officiating role of ministry. What if the training were front-loaded?"

What if somebody could get all the training needed to do a wedding ceremony well?

What if the process of essential spiritual guidance and pastoral care could all be trained as skills?

What if that could also be a first step in ministry?

Who knows? Maybe it would be a one-time ministry occasion.

But maybe it would be more.

Maybe it would prompt someone to go into ministry or study ministry.

I see that here at Christian Leaders Institute and the Christian Leaders Alliance.

People start like you start—as a wedding officiant. They see this worldwide ministry opportunity. They see all the training and they say:

"You know, I liked this class. I think I'll take another class."

Next thing you know, fifteen courses later, they're on their way to a Bachelor of Divinity degree. They're moving toward becoming ordained as a Minister of the Word, a Minister of the Gospel.

They're still working their job. They're loving their other job.

But this is their calling.

And it all started when a bride and groom said:

"Hey, will you perform our wedding ceremony?"

It is powerful.

So, to be a legally understood wedding minister means that you are part of that calling-training-ordination pathway.

But it also means that you have vested state authority in many jurisdictions.

A wedding officiant carries that vested state authority.

Now, I would say that's most jurisdictions, but I say many because there are some places in the world where the marriage license is one entirely separate thing—like the Netherlands—and then the church part is totally separate.

But in places like the United States, it's pretty much all connected together.

This means that civil governments recognize qualified persons to solemnize marriages, sign marriage licenses, and complete public documentation connected to marriage.

This does not mean that the state creates Christian marriage.

From a Christian perspective, marriage begins by God's design.

Genesis 2:24 says:

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh."

Jesus also said:

"What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate."

Christian marriage is not merely a governmental contract. It is a covenant before God.

Now let me explain something here.

A married couple can go to a justice of the peace and get married as a government contract, so to speak.

But governments understand that people are religious. They are spiritual.

In Christian marriage, it's not just a contract under family law in a government. It is also a spiritual covenant.

It's a spiritual understanding.

And it makes sense. If you're going to get married and say "till death do us part," you want to ask God to help you.

You want this to be covenantal.

Because there is divine authority, spiritual authority, church authority, and government authority, these two vested authorities work together.

What's important for you to do, wherever you're going to conduct the wedding, is to research the laws that apply there.

This is an important principle:

You must research the laws where the wedding will actually be held.

This is very important.

If you live near a state line, somebody may live in one state, but the venue might be in another state.

You have to research the laws of the other state.

The relevant question is not only:

"Where do I live as the wedding officiant?"

The relevant question is:

"Where is the wedding taking place?"

Marriage laws vary by county, state, province, country, and local jurisdiction.

Requirements can differ regarding:

  • Who may officiate
  • Whether the registration is valid
  • How the marriage license must be completed
  • How many witnesses are needed
  • Where the license must be filed
  • How soon it must be returned

Do not guess.

Do not rely on memory.

Do not assume what worked for one wedding will work for another wedding in a different location.

Contact the county clerk, registrar, state officials, provincial officials, or proper local authorities.

If anything is unclear, take responsibility to understand.

One of the things we do at Christian Leaders Institute and Alliance is publish Wedding Officiant Handbooks to help you understand all of those legal issues.

What to Research Before Officiating a Wedding

Research several key legal questions:

  • Who is legitimately permitted to solemnize a marriage in that jurisdiction?
  • Does the officiant need to be ordained?
  • Does the officiant need to register with a county, state, province, or local official?

A lot of times you will not need to register, but you still need to show that you are ordained.

Bring your ordination card.

Bring your ordination certificate.

Bring your Letter of Good Standing.

In many jurisdictions, the Letter of Good Standing is very important because it states that you are an active minister with the Christian Leaders Alliance.

The Letter of Good Standing also includes the training that you have received, and in many jurisdictions that becomes very important.

Again, ordination is not something you give yourself.

Ordination is something that is given to you as you proceed through a program.

You were called.

You received training.

This is a very biblical pattern.

The Apostle Paul instructed Timothy regarding training and approval.

Ordination is conferred through others who see your calling and your training and recognize it.

The Christian Leaders Alliance recognizes that process.

I'll talk a little bit about that.

How does the Christian Leaders Alliance recognize that process?

We recognize this process by placing you on the Christian Leaders Alliance Ordained Minister Database.

We have a process by which you receive your credentials.

Then there is also a public prayer that is given in your location.

If you're part of a church, many times your minister will pray for you.

If you're part of a Soul Center, which is a religious organization, a prayer may be offered there as well.

This can also be recognized through a prayer in your home by others who pray for you.

We even have in this course process a little liturgy—a small ceremony of ordination.

If you're not specifically part of a church community right now, this ceremony can be done.

One of the things that is really powerful and meaningful for people who do one-time wedding officiant responsibilities is to get together with the bride and groom and show them the process you're going through.

You can say:

"By the way, I want you to see this training that I'm doing for this one-time wedding. Here are my credentials."

Then you can ask:

"Would you go through this short three-minute ordination form with me? Because I'm becoming your ordained wedding officiant."

The Christian Leaders Alliance allows that kind of ordination pathway.

And here's why:

Because we have seen what happens when calling, training, ordination, and recognition occur.

Whether you're ordained by your pastor in a church you're currently attending, whether you have a public ceremony in a more intimate setting with the bride and groom, or maybe even with your spouse, whatever that process may be, we have seen at Christian Leaders Alliance the powerful results.

It means that you are vested by an ecclesiastical organization—that's the Christian Leaders Alliance.

And you are vested to be a recognized ordained wedding minister and wedding officiant in your local state.

You are part of this.

One of the things I always think about is this:

Think about your calling.

Think about where God can lead you through this.

And become more and more confident and competent in leading others into the covenant of marriage.

最后修改: 2026年06月9日 星期二 07:57