Okay, probably not

Hi all, I'm apparently wading into a metaphysical and legal quagmire here.

Myself and my fiance are getting married in March. We really, really want our close friend to do the wedding. Any google searches of course lead here and to the ULC.

Searching around the forum, I find a lot of threads that are basically "well, sort of legal, but not really, but sort of!". That's not very heartening to hear

We want to have our friend ordained through the ULC. He's in a fairly bohemian group of friends as it is, so being ordained in general may be of some utility to him. It also helps that he tends to be a religious free thinker (as are both of us), so I suppose we could theoretically argue the ministry clause.

Our County Clerk office is useless (Monroe County), they seem aghast that I would ever ask about wedding officiants in the first place... taxpayer money hard at work, I assure you.

Okay, so anyway, I apologize for digressing. Here's the meat and potatoes:

1) Is the ULC legally recognized in the State of Michigan? (I'm assuming it is, the threads here don't argue that point)
2) If so, is my friend getting ordained for the (present) goal of officiating our marriage legal?
3) If the above is "maybe", what makes it legal and what makes it not?
4) I really don't like "maybe".. if no, why not?
5) If it is legal, what does my friend / us have to provide to the county clerk to make it legal?

I appreciate any help. I don't come from a religious background, so my knowledge of weddings is extremely thin. Likewise, legal terms tend to make my eyes water.

Thanks,
Josh

JUST CURIOUS AS TO WHY I NEVER SEE ANY REPLIES TO ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS HERE. THEY ARE GREAT QUESTIONS SO WHY NOT ANY REPLIES?

Michigan
CHAPTER 83 - Chapter 83. Of marriage and the solemnization thereof. (EXCERPT) 551.7 Persons authorized to solemnize marriage; records; returns; disposition of fees charged by mayor or county clerk. Sec. 7. (1) Marriages may be solemnized by any of the following: (h) A minister of the gospel, anywhere in the state, if the minister is ordained or authorized to solemnize marriages according to the usages of the denomination, and is a pastor of a church in this state, or continues to preach the gospel in this state. (i) A minister of the gospel, anywhere in the state, if the minister is not a resident of this state but is authorized to solemnize marriages under the laws of the state in which the minister resides. See Also: Charter May Be Required: It appears that a charter must be filed with the state before an ordination will be recognized, for the purposes of officiating weddings. "An ordained minister of the gospel recognized by a church that has filed a charter with the State of Michigan, Corporation and Land Development Bureau or an elected government official may perform marriages. To determine if a church has filed a charter (517) 241-6470. Contact the Department of Community Health, Vital Statistics at (517) 335-8677 for marriage statistics. When forming a religious organization, there is a tax guide available from the IRS, publication "tax Guide For Churches and Other Religious Organizations; Publication 1828 Catalog Number 21096G; address: IRS, Freedom of Information Reading Room, P.O. Box 795, Ben Franklin Station, Washington, D.C. 20044; telephone: (800) 829-3676. Many churches are required to have a "Church Copyright License." For further information about this license call (800) 234-2446. Marriage licenses are obtained at the county clerk's office. This may not be required if you are only intending to officiate weddings. Act 327 of 1931: Ecclesiastical corporations 450.178 Ecclesiastical corporations; incorporation; purpose. Sec. 178. Ecclesiastical corporations. Any number of persons, not less than 3, may incorporate for the purpose of establishing any church organization for the purpose of teaching and spreading their religious beliefs and principles. Every such corporation shall be a non-profit corporation and subject to the provisions of this act relating to non-profit corporations generally except as specifically otherwise provided. The term "church” and/or "church organization” used in this act shall be construed to include any church, denominational unit, or church society as the term is commonly used and understood but shall not apply to such organizations as Sunday schools, Epworth Leagues, Young People's Unions, Bible classes and similar societies organized by and affiliated with the parent churches. Whenever any number of churches or other corporations organized for religious purposes desire to unite in a central organization for the accomplishment of any common purpose they may incorporate such organization by severally adopting, at meetings specially called for the purpose, resolutions expressing their desire to become members of such corporation; and by filing duly attested copies of such resolutions together with a copy of the articles of such corporation, as provided for the filing of articles in section 5 of this act. The corporations formed under this section are hereinafter called ecclesiastical corporations. Article of Incorporation Form with Instructions (Note: Adobe Acrobat will be required.) The form is fairly basic, requiring an address for the church (can be your address), details about how often meetings will be held ("once per week, or as necessary"), details on your church structure (you could say "under the rules of Universal life Church / The Monastery.org" or mention the basis of your beliefs), and will require three notarized signatures. The filing fee, to the state, is currently only $20.00.

From this sites link to marriage laws in Michigan, it seems your ordination here should suffice, though there may be some hoops to jump through. I wish I could be of more help, but I am certainly no authority on weddings or the laws involved (wasn't my purpose in finding my way here). Good luck to you.

Another thought...I believe the ULC (the original of these church sites) offers legal assistance if your ordination is questioned, not sure about the Monestary.

Hi

Not sure about in your county but over here in st clair county the county clerk told me plain and simply someone has to be recognised by a church as an ordained minister and thats all.

The ULC and ULC Monastery both tell you to double check with the county clerk because no one can keep up with all the differences in every county or other legal jurisdiction. So as to avoid legal issues, this is why the site clearly says go ask those in charge of the secular law in your area.

As far as the religious side of marriage, the sacrament, you are fully aloud to do this as you see fit. No state can tell you otherwise per the 1st amendment of the US constitution.

These questions get asked frequently and though a great question the only answer for legal issues we can give is to talk to the county or court clerks that are responsible for the recording of marriages. This is why the question is not answered regularly as it was answered already.