I am completely lost here. I was ordained by ULC about 4 years ago, and I have the pretty paper certificate and the credit card style credential, but I'm not sure how much it actually means from a legal standpoint. Here is my situation:

I was asked to perform a marriage ceremony in Dallas County, and also one in Bell County [where I live]. My fear is that maybe the marriage will be nullified and that I could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor for being unauthorized. In Texas, the marriage license has to be valid, then signed and turned into the county clerk. I sent an e-mail to the Bell county clerk and she replied as follows:

//"The County Clerk has no jurisdiction or authority over whether or not you are qualified to perform a marriage ceremony. That determination is made by the authority under which you are licensed or ordained. Yes, the marriage license is returned to the County Clerk where the ceremony was held so that it can be recorded and filed in the official public records of said county. The County Clerk is simply the keeper of the record."//

Texas law reads as follows:

§ 2.202. PERSONS AUTHORIZED TO CONDUCT CEREMONY.
(a) The following persons are authorized to conduct a marriage
ceremony:
(1) a licensed or ordained Christian minister or
priest;
(2) a Jewish rabbi;
(3) a person who is an officer of a religious
organization and who is authorized by the organization to conduct a
marriage ceremony;


Do we fall under (1) or (3) or neither? I was to understand that it is not a Christian ordainment.. it is non-denominational, correct? As far as (3) goes, we're not exactly officers of the religious organization, but we are authorized. The law sounds very ambiguous as usual, but that just adds to the confusion.

Does anyone have any experience in Texas with performing ceremonies as ordained by ULC? Any advice or guidance would be helpful at this point. Thank you all in advance.

I'm new at this too, but I think all either paragraph (1) or (3) could apply but (3) has the best overall fit.

Are there any current or former Texans who could advise?

I have not officiated a ceremony in Texas, however I can tell you that you are correct. If the nature of your ministry is of a Christian theology, you would fall under #1, if you practice under any non-Christian theology you would fall under #3.

Pretty straightforward, just talk to the County Clerk and you should be good.

Let us know how it goes.

"The County Clerk has no jurisdiction or authority over whether or not you are qualified to perform a marriage ceremony. That determination is made by the authority under which you are licensed or ordained...."

That about says it all there. You are Ordained by the ULC Monastery which is a recognized religious organization... So if you are not a Christian minister or a Jewish Rabi you're covered under #3. But atleast the Clerks office's first sentence is the full truth... "The County Clerk has no jurisdiction or authority over whether or not you are qualified to perform a marriage ceremony."

I am happy they so easily admit their limited jurisdiction in Texas. That pretty certificate is just about all you need to prove it if asked to. Anyway, Go and do that which is right and hopefully make your friends happy.

In Texas, like Florida, All one needs is to be recognized by their governing body as an ordained minister and as such able to perform all duties of said office. ( ie. marriages, baptisms, funerals, etc. etc. )

All you must do is to make sure that the marriage certificate gets filed with the county clerks office in a timely manner after the marriage, usually within 30 days of said ceremony.