How to Become an Ordained Priest Online

Anyone over age 13 can become an ordained priest online.

A priest is ordained to carry out the sacred rites of a church, most commonly an Anglican, Orthodox or Catholic church. Priests officiate weddings, perform funeral ceremonies and act as intermediaries between humans and God. Traditionally, ordination requires years of study and a commitment to a particular faith. However, today, anyone can receive ordination as a priest online. "Priest," as it relates to online ordination, is a broad term referring to a religious minister. Online ordination is not available for priests of the Orthodox, Anglican or Catholic faiths.

Instructions

1. Locate an organization online that offers priest ordination. Examples include Open Ordination, Spiritual Humanism and Esoteric Theological Seminary. You can also find organizations that provide ordination through a search engine query, such as "become an ordained priest."

2. Complete the organization's ordination application online. This typically requires little more than your name, address, email address and date of birth, although some organizations request information regarding your reason for seeking ordination. Most organizations will not ordain anyone under the age of 13.

3. Choose "priest" as your desired title if required. Most online organizations that provide ordination allow you to choose any title you desire, although some require an additional fee for this service.

4. Submit the application online. A member of the organization will typically review your application before requiring payment of ordination fees; however, some online organizations offer instant ordination.

5. Pay the required fees to receive ordination after a member of the organization has reviewed your application. Ordination fees typically range between $15 and $150, at time of publication. Most organizations offer several packages you can choose to obtain blank marriage certificates, photo identification cards and other extras along with your ordination certificate.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not become ordained as a priest online if you specifically intend to pursue a career of service in the Catholic, Orthodox or Anglican churches. Online organizations are not typically affiliated with these churches.

• Avoid conducting marriage ceremonies until you review your state's laws. Some states have restrictions on who can legally officiate wedding ceremonies. For example, you cannot legally conduct a marriage in Nevada unless the organization that provided your ordination maintains a physical presence in Nevada. Your state may also require completion of additional paperwork before you can perform a marriage ceremony.

References

• Northern Way: Marriage Ceremony Officiating Requirements By State
• Open Ordination: Rose Ministeries
• Spiritual Humanism
• Northern Way: Esoteric Theological Seminary