Becoming a wedding pastor can be achieved by studying theology at an accredited school for two to 10 years or by purchasing an ordination online from a church. After being ordained, the pastor must follow state requirements for performing weddings.
A person who wants to become a wedding pastor can take one of two available routes. He can study theology at an accredited school and major in theological studies. This can take anywhere from two to 10 years of study and higher education. Another way to officiate at weddings is to simply purchase an ordination. Many churches sell ordinations online, giving anyone who wants to become a wedding pastor the legal jurisdiction to do so.
Attending a university to study theology and completing the selected program ensures that the student has at least an associate degree. Some theologians attend a university and study for up to 10 years to receive a Master of Divinity or Doctor of Theology degree. Students majoring in theology don’t do it just to become a wedding pastor. They tend to minister to a church or teach theology. As a minister of a church, he is authorized to perform marriages.
To become a wedding pastor, or any type of pastor or minister, one must be ordained by a church. This is a decision that the church makes and the church gives the person the ability to perform religious and church functions, including officiating at weddings. Governments do not set requirements for people authorized to perform a wedding. This decision is entirely at the church’s discretion.
Many churches ordain those who want to become a wedding pastor. Many of these ordinations take place over the Internet on the church’s website. An applicant need only be a Christian who believes in God and accepts Jesus as his savior. For a fee, the church provides the prospective wedding pastor with an identification card or certificate authorizing him to perform legal marriages in the United States.
After a pastor or wedding minister, whatever name he chooses to go by, has been ordained by a church, he needs to follow the state’s requirements for performing a wedding. The wedding pastor takes care of the necessary paperwork for the city or town where the wedding takes place. Normally, the minister must submit a marriage license to the county clerk within a certain period of days after the wedding. The time required for filing the marriage license is generally between four and 20 days.
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