Yes, any recognized religious organization has the authority to legally ordain ministers.

The Bill of Rights says: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

This means that, according to earthly law, the US Government doesn’t have the authority to decide what is required to be an ordained minister. Those requirements are up to the ordaining organization. Further, the government cannot say that one organization is more qualified or respectable than another.

It does if you have beliefs!

Thanks to the Bill of Rights, the government is not allowed to constitute what it means to be ordained. Therefore, that is up to each organization.

Unfortunately, this means that you can become ordained pretty much anywhere. There are multitudes of websites that will “sell” you a certificate and charge an annual renewal so you can keep your status.

However, true ordination comes with meaning. By becoming ordained, you are recognizing that you have a calling and an anointing on your life and you are actively choosing to live by walking in that calling and anointing.

Once you recognize and choose to live your calling in life, you partner with an organization that holds similar beliefs.

The organization will determine whether or not you are going to be an accurate representation of what they believe usually through a knowledge test.

If you guys are a match, the organization will grant you a certificate of ordination.

For this ordination to carry weight, the organization should be recognized as a church, nonprofit, 501(c)3, et cetera. They also must have public belief statements. You can find ours here.

In addition, most organizations will require a processing or application fee as well as an annual renewal fee to keep your ordination active. Organizations are also required to keep a list of people they’ve ordained along with the ordination status in case governments ever ask for proof.

If you are choosing to be ordained because you want to get something then you have the wrong mentality.

That’s like saying you will be generous so that you will get something in return. Or that you will do a favor for someone because then they will owe you.

If you have self-seeking motives then there are plenty of organizations that will sell you an ordination certificate. Not us.

However, for those of you who believe in Jesus and are called to follow Him, you already know your rewards. You will receive blessings here on earth as well as in heaven.

You will be able to perform official religious ceremonies. Often times you will have to register with the local county registrars office or clerks office in order to be authorized to perform these ceremonies. They’ll most likely have you fill out an application, pay a fee, provide proof of identity, and proof of ordination.

You may receive tax benefits. In some cases you may receive additional tax write-offs for certain expenses. You may also be able to receive certain amounts of tax-free payments in the form of allowances rather than income.

You may receive special access to certain areas. Ministers may be allowed in places like hospitals, prisons, jails, et cetera.

Of course, the largest benefit is that you will be learning more about Jesus and becoming better equipped to disciple others!

If you would like to be recognized as an ordained minister by Social Media Ministries then you will have to show us that what you believe is the same as what we believe.

Of course, we can have different opinions on certain things, but your core beliefs must align with our core beliefs. You can find them here.

To show us this, you will have to fill out an application along with a statement of your beliefs. This will be reviewed and then either approved or rejected.

You will need to pay a non-refundable $10 application fee. If approved, you will need to pay a $40 annual fee.

Once you are recognized as an ordained minister by Social Media Ministries you are an extension of our organization. Similar to wearing the uniform of a work employer. If you break rules wearing your work uniform they may fire you. In the same way, if you decide not to follow what God says in the Bible your ordination status may be revoked. Remember, once you are ordained, you are choosing to live a higher life. You are choosing to walk in light rather than darkness. Yes, we all still sin, but you are saying that you want to actively avoid sin and choose to live your life differently than before you were ordained.

You will need to stay connected to Social Media Ministries. Similar to Jesus’ analogy of staying connected to the vine. You are a branch, SMM is the tree. Stay connected. You can do this by watching our sermons. Be an active member of our congregation. Comment on posts, interact on social media, et cetera.

You will also need to keep your ordination up to date. That means that every year you will need to reaffirm that you still want to live a higher life. You’ll have to complete a renewal statement and pay a $40 annual renewal fee.