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Church of Faith Links Church of Faith Statement of Faith FAQ About Officiating Weddings
Legal Ruling Regarding
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Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.) Q. What is the difference between your ministry and ministries that will ordain you "online"... with a certificate I can print on my printer? A. When you leave your name and address on our website we immediately send you a brief application, important information about your ordination and other things we offer, and a copy of our newsletter. Once you have your application packet you can Mail In either by E-Mail or snail-mail. We offer two types of Ordination Certificates, We will send you an E-Mail ordination in the form of a .pdf file and this form of ordination is Free, although we do appreciate a donation to help defer the cost of processing and recordkeeping. The other option is we have three levels of premium ordination packages: (1) our Our Standard Ordination Package which includes an Ordination Certificate with Raised Gold Seal; a Letter of Good Standing; a CD with Handbook - Welcome to the Church of Faith Study Guide; 1- Blank Marriage Certificate; 1- Renewal of Vows Certificate; 1- Affirmation of Love Certificate. (2) our Deluxe Ordination Package which includes an Ordination Certificate with Raised Gold Seal; Letter of Good Standing; CD with Handbook - Welcome to the Church of Faith Study Guide with Blank Certificates in Word Format so you can customize them; 5- Blank Marriage Certificate; 5- Renewal of Vows Certificate; and 5- Affirmation of Love Certificate. or (3) our Ultimate Ordination Package which includes an Ordination Certificate with Raised Gold Seal; Letter of Good Standing; CD with Handbook - Welcome to the Church of Faith Study Guide with Blank Certificates in Word Format so you can customize them; Pastoral Counselor Certificate Program (in .pdf format by email); 5- Blank Marriage Certificate; 5- Renewal of Vows Certificate; 5- Affirmation of Love Certificate These ordination documents are printed on quality parchment paper, signed with original signatures, bearing the gold seal of our church and they are professionally done and look awesome! Although we have issued ordination certificates and have yet to have a problem with our Ordinations being recognized there has been news from other ministries that certificates that are printed directly off the internet, with no original signatures, are meeting with more and more problems in many states. The process of the emailed certificates takes just a few days but Our Ordination Package is sent out and you would receive it via USPS Priority Mail within just a few days.Q. Many online churches and ministries offer Clergy Packages, what do you offer.A. Although we appreciate the fact that other churches may offer all types of packages at current we only offer 4 services. 1- Ordination (with everything you need to become official in the form of a computer generated .pdf file). 2- Our Ordination Package(s) as defined above. 3- Honorary Degrees for example Doctor of Divinity (D.D.) 4- College Level Certificate Programs as well as College Degrees offered by our Church of Faith Bible College. Q. Do I have to renew my ordination each year and send another offering, or be financially obligated to Church of Faith, Church of Faith - Bible School, or Church of Faith Ministries in other ways?A. No, ordination is valid for life as long as your ministry or church remains only Christian. We DO NOT require yearly fees to maintain ordination. We also DO NOT ask you to be financially obligated to Church of Faith in any other way, unless it is by your choice. But, Your generous support is always welcome and you can freely make a donation at any time you would like although it is not required.Q. After sending in my application how long before I receive my ordination documents? A. Generally if you have chosen the online ordination your documents are on their way to you within 24 hours of our receipt of your request, but if you have chosen to go the Ordination Package the documents usually ship with 48 hours of our receipt of your request and the appropriate donation to help us defer the cost of production, recordkeeping, shipping and handling. Q. Is it possible to expedite my ordination application?A. Yes, if you have a specific pressing need for the expedited service such as a wedding that you wish to do, and time is of the essence, or you just wish to have your package quickly, we can Express Mail your package back to you if you wish to add the Express Mail postage to your application. Q. When I send for information do you put my name and address on a mailing list that you give out to other ministry's or sell? A. NEVER!! We NEVER NEVER give out or sell the names and addresses of the people that request information from us, or the people that we ordain This information is confidential and not shared in any way, although we do add your email address onto our weekly email of "The Message" which is distributed to those who choose to accept it, but we do have an opt out message so you can un-subscribe at any time. Q. Why do you make ordination so simple? A. It is the belief of the Church of Faith and Church of Faith Ministries that a request for ordination is Biblical, once a person has decided to follow Our Lord and the Christian Faith we believe as Jesus spoke in John 15:16 "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." We also believe that this is one of the best ways to serve (and spread) the Christian Faith.Q.
Does Church of Faith Bible School offer the Pastoral Counselor
certificate? A. Yes, we
do offer this popular program. Generally the Pastoral
Counselor takes a person to the Bible to allow the Bible to answer
questions about problems they may be having. Therefore, the Pastoral
Counselor is not considered a professional counselor. A professional
counselor would have received their professional counseling
degree in an academic institution that the state recognizes. Even
though
Pastoral Counseling is part of many churches and ministries you need to
understand that you should not accept an offering for that part of your
work. Accepting an offering for this service would make it appear that you are trying to be a
professional counselor and this may end you up in a whole heap of trouble
with the authorities. This program does not teach you to dispense advice
but teaches you areas where the Bible shows people how to deal with their
problems and it is not to be confused with Psychology or Psychiatry. We
can not emphasize enough that
you should not tell a person what to do about their problems but rather
lead them to the Bible and show them where the Bible addresses their
issues. The Pastoral counselor certificate is meant to keep you within the
religious confines of this responsibility. Q.
I am not quite sure what God has called me to do, I just know that he has
called. There are so many different kinds of Christian ministries and religious
work. Can you give
me an idea of the different types of church and ministry work? A.
Yes, you are
right. There are so many different ways to serve God in the
ministry. Of course the most obvious is a church with
a traditional minister or pastor. But, then there are other types of ministries
that might better suit your calling, maybe a
hospital or nursing home ministry, Christian relief ministry, evangelist
ministry, Christian film ministry, home fellowship ministry, informational
ministry, the ever popular marriage minister, or marriage officiant
ministry, a Christian music ministry, prison ministry, radio and T.V.
ministry, Bible study ministry, one on one ministry, tract ministry, and
more. As a Church of Faith ordained minister you could deal with all
these and then some, but it is usually recommended that you pick one or
two to start off and then as your following grows so does the works of
your ministry. Q.
Although there are all kinds of Christian titles to choose from when being
ordained. Which one should I pick? A. Generally it's best to pick a title that is closest to the type of Christian work you wish to do. CLICK HERE and go to our Christian title page that will explain the various titles. This should give you a better idea of what is best for you. Q. Once I become ordained will my new ministry be recognized by the government or not? A. In the United States there is separation of church and state. No part of the government has the authority to recognize one denomination over another, or a newly established denomination over an established one. (see the laws, and court decision at our Mail Order Ordinations page Click Here). You and the ministry that ordained you decide if you can be a church or ministry, not the government. Q. Is it hard to perform wedding ceremonies in my state and what are the requirements of a minister before he or she can perform wedding ceremonies? A. Most states make it pretty simple for an ordained clergy to perform weddings. Although a few require that you file a copy of your certificate of ordination, or license to preach, first, and others may even require that you file a copy of a Letter of Good Standing, both of these items are included in our Ordination Package. If you would like information about doing weddings in your state, feel free to give us a call, (781) 721-1955, or check out our resource online at Wedding Officiant Requirements we look forward to working with you to start your new wedding ministry.Doing weddings is a wonderful experience, one that we enjoy. For those of you wishing to do weddings we recommend our handbook entitled "Weddings, the Officiants Guide" which we have prepared for the newly ordained minister or anyone wishing to start a wedding officiant business. Q. What if I still have questions after being ordained can I contact you? A. Absolutely. although we are not always in our office you can contact us by phone at 781-721-1955 or by E-Mail at RevCarlWelliver@aol.com . We are always pleased to hear from our ministers, both new and old. You can feel free to contact us at any time. We are happy to offer advice. Q. What makes your ordination program different from others such as Universal Life Church or The First International Church of the Web? A. Here at the Church of Faith although we are non-denominational we are Christian Faith based church, and only ordain Christian clergy. Q. What authority do you give to the people you ordain? A. We give you full authority to form a congregation of the Church of Faith (Click Here) or we give you all the authority necessary to establish your new church or ministry. We empower you with the authority of ordination, so you may ordain others as you grow your church, and the authority to perform all Christian services including the rites of marriage and baptism. You will have the same legal authority as any clergy of any other denomination. Q. Do I need to be Ordained or Licensed or both? A. Ordination by Church of Faith and its ministries gives you the full authority to do all Christian services, you can take your ministry in whatever Christian direction you feel appropriate. We incorporate the words "ordained and licensed" on our ordination certificate as both words basically mean the same thing. Some people feel that the term "licensed minister" means that the government somehow is involved in issuing a license to be ordained. This is not the case as the government is not involved in the ordination or licensing of clergy, nor should they be as protected by the United States Constitution (Click Here). Q. Does the Church of Faith offer the honorary Doctor of Divinity certificate? A. Yes, we do offer the honorary Doctor of Divinity certificate to honor you for your life experience and Christian service. We also offer the Pastoral Counselor certificate. Information about these certificates can be found at the Church Store.Q. Does the Church of Faith offer a Certificate of Good Standing to show we are in good standing with you? A. Yes, we do offer the Certificate of Good Standing. Information about that certificate is sent along with your ordination documents. If you feel it is of benefit to you after receiving your package you may apply at any time. Copyright © 2008,
2009 Rev. Carl Welliver - Web Minister. |
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