Minister by e-mail

Laura Johnston

Southeast Missourian

The e-mails come almost daily to my in-box: "Our church will ordain anybody who asks," or "Be ordained today."

Usually I delete them, but a co-worker suggested it would make a great feature story. So I did some research.

Just how easy is it to get one of these online ordinations?

Simpler -- and cheaper -- than I thought. Mine cost less than $20, though I passed up the doctorate in religion and doctor of divinity combination special for only $195.

A Google search for online ordination gives you more than 250,000 results. There are sites that give you tips on how to start a church and get your 501c3 tax-exempt status and sites that offer ordination from their churches. Some ordinations are free, others range between $20 and $50, but advanced degrees and titles will cost extra.

At the Universal Life Church's Web site, they promise to ordain you within 72 hours. And once that ordination confirmation comes by e-mail, you're ordained for life.

So I filled out the form and sent in my request for ordination. This site didn't ask a single question about my faith, beliefs or much else. Basically, you plug in your name, address and e-mail and they'll send you a reply.

The Web site promises ordination "to all who request it, without price and without question of your faith."

A day after my request, I received a confirmation e-mail. The message said I was "entitled to all privileges and courtesies normally offered to members of the clergy." I was admonished to make sure that I complied with the laws of my area before performing any civil service, however.

That's perhaps the most interesting aspect of the online ordination process. After receiving my ordinations -- the second for $20 from the Progressive Universal Life Church -- I can perform a marriage ceremony.

Rights and privileges

Missouri law states that any clergy, active or retired, who is in good standing with a church or synagogue in the state can perform a marriage. It's not up to the state to check whether every minister is approved by his or her church.

And as an ordained minister, I'm entitled to perform baptisms, funerals, give sermons and complete other rites within the church. With a clergy sticker in my car window, I can also get the good parking spots at the hospitals.

And while the state might recognize the online ordinations as being legal, it's really the church or body of faith that confirms an ordination, said the Rev. Dr. Kerry Wynn, director of the Learning Enrichment Center at Southeast Missouri State University. He also teaches religion classes at the university.

Depending on the policy of the church, ordinations are conferred by various governing bodies or councils. Some denominations require candidates for ordination to undergo psychological examinations, spend time in study of the Bible and examine their own spiritual life. It's not as simple as ordination online.

No ecumenical body exists to verify an ordination, which is part of the conundrum with online ordinations and diploma mills, Wynn said.

He was ordained last year at First Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau, long after he completed his seminary training.

He had sought ordination in the Methodist church while living in Florida many years ago. The Methodist conference in Florida felt he was too committed to higher education, and they were seeking a person for church ministry work. Wynn didn't pursue the ordination process further.

Now he feels the ordination speaks about his personal spiritual journey.

"It reflects on my journey from seeing the university as the center of religious and theological study to seeing the church as the center," he said.

Ordination is confirmation by a community of faith that a person is called by God.

"Anybody can use the title 'reverend,'" he said. "We have this social perception that there are legal benefits with the title, but ordination is really a relationship and an act of the individual."

And while my congregation hasn't ordained me for a ministry, the certificate that now hangs at my desk does say I'm a minister.

And I'm available for weddings.

Laura Johnston is the features editor for the Southeast Missourian.