Universal Life Church

Universal Life Church
Leader Andre Hensley
Region Worldwide
Founder Kirby J. Hensley
Origin May 2, 1962
Modesto, California
Members 18,000,000+[1]
Official website ulchq.com

The Universal Life Church (ULC) is a church founded on a simple doctrine, "Do that which is right," and states that every person has the natural right (and the responsibility) to peacefully determine what is right.[2] Universal Life Church is an advocate of religious freedom and offers legal ordination to become a minister free of charge.[3] The ordination process states that anyone can become a minister by filling out a form that includes a legal name and valid address to be entered into the church records. Ordained ministers are eligible to receive an ordination credential which is a legal document.

History

The Universal Life Church was founded under the name "Life Church" in 1959 by the Reverend Kirby J. Hensley, who first held services for the church out of his garage.[4] Disappointed with the Pentecostal church, Hensley decided to venture on his own to find his religion. After five years of studying various religions, Hensley concluded that "the proper religion may differ for each person, and everyone is entitled to choose one's own religion. No one should be criticized or condemned for wanting to practice the beliefs of one's choice." Hensley incorporated the Universal Life Church with Co-Founder and (then) Vice President Lewis Ashmore in Modesto, California on May 2, 1962.[4] Hensley served as minister of the congregation and was President of the Board of Directors until his death on March 19, 1999. His wife, Lida, was subsequently elected president of the church and held the position until her death on December 31, 2006.[5]

On January 14, 2007, the ULC Board of Directors elected Hensley's son, Andre Hensley as the church President. Hensley previously held the position of office manager of Modesto Headquarters.[6]

As of early 2009, ULC Headquarters (ULCHQ) was sending out between 8,500 and 10,000 ordination certificates each month. Between 1962 and 2008, it sent out almost 18 million worldwide.[7]

Universal Life Church International Headquarters holds services every Sunday at 10am in an historic church building in Modesto, California.

Legality

Under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, ordained ministers recorded in Modesto Headquarters' church records shall be recognized as legal and valid in all 50 U.S. States. Since its inception, the Universal Life Church faced legal conflicts over such issues as the validity of ordinations and the tax-exempt status as a church.

In 1964, the case of Universal Life Church Inc. vs. United States of America, it was ruled that the Court would not "praise or condemn a religion, however excellent or fanatical or preposterous it may seem. Were the Court to do so, it would impinge on the guarantees of the First Amendment..."[8] All subsequent legal cases have ruled in favor of Universal Life Church as a legal and valid church establishment. The US military chaplain's hand book lists Universal Life Church as a recognized church.[9]

ULC ministers are authorized to officiate weddings, commitment ceremonies, funerals, baptisms, naming ceremonies, hold services and all other sacraments and rites regularly performed by ordained clergy as part of the belief system the minister represents. Ministers in the ULC are also authorized to ordain others as ministers. Ministers are welcome to create their own congregations.

Beliefs

Their one creed (or doctrine) is stated as: "Do that which is right."[10] The ULC's stated beliefs are:[11]

  • Objective: Eternal Progression.
  • Goal: A Fuller Life for Everyone.
  • Slogan: To Live and Help Live.
  • Maxim: "We Are One."

Any person may associate themselves with the Church and apply for ordination as a minister upon agreement with its doctrine. The Universal Life Church does not issue ministerial certificates to individuals who are currently incarcerated, but any other person may be ordained as a minister.[12]

Ministers of the church come from all walks of life and may serve under any religion or no religion or as may even serve as humanist ministers or non-religious officiants.

Official Branch Associates of Headquarters

Universal Life Church International Headquarters has two entities it names as branch associates. Recognized branch associates are authorized to handle official church-related business such as accepting online ordinations. Associate websites route data to ULC Headquarters to be reviewed and entered into the church records.

Universal Life Church Online

Universal Life Church Online (ULC Online) is an official church hub for ULC ministers to acquire their legal documents and ministry supplies, and is authorized by Modesto Headquarters to handle official church-related business. It is based in Folsom, California and is maintained by Senior Pastor Kevin Andrews and Senior Chaplain Violet A. Lucas. The site accepts ordination applications, offers ministry supplies, hosts a prayer board, and a page to submit confessions. It also hosts the worldwide directory of ULC Ministers and the worldwide directory of ULC Congregations. In 2001, ULC Online began hosting a discussion forum which serves as a centralized location for all ULC Ministers to congregate. Registered members of the ULC Online Forum have access to information about legal procedures for officiating weddings and other legal information related to ministry. ULC Online is the distributor of the official newsletter for the Universal Life Church.

Universal Life Church Seminary

Universal Life Church Seminary[13] is an educational branch for ULC ministers named by ULC Headquarters as an associate. The site was founded in 2004 by Reverend Amy Long and is based in Elk Grove, California. The ULC Seminary was founded to provide education to ULC ministers of all faiths worldwide. The site offers courses to ULC Ministers and issues honorary degrees upon completion and examination. Reverend Amy Long also produced educational videos to assist ULC Ministers with officiating weddings and other ceremonies and posted them on YouTube. In 2016, Amy Long announced a working relationship between the ULC Seminary and Kevin Andrews at ULC Online.[14] In early 2017 Amy began the process of transitioning ULC Seminary's operations and maintenance to ULC Online and announced an update on her YouTube channel to inform her membership about new pursuits and the changeover.[15] The site is now maintained by Kevin Andrews and Violet Lucas.

Official Statements

In May of 2011, Andre Hensley at Modesto Headquarters responded to an inquiry to clarify which ULC sites are considered official. His quote was posted in an article and specifically named the only two recognized branch associates of the founding church.[16] Hensley states the official associates of Headquarters are the two established sites co-maintained by Kevin Andrews and Violet Lucas.

The following statement was posted at the ULC Online Forum in mid 2017:[17]

Authority to solemnize marriage

A large number of people seeking ULC ordination do so in order to be able to legally officiate at weddings[3] or perform other spiritual rites. This aspect of the ULC has provided relief to interfaith couples or same-sex couples experiencing difficulty in getting their union performed in a religious atmosphere. Some people living in remote areas also use their status as ordained ULC ministers to meet the marriage officiant needs of their communities. Thus far, the only state in which the highest court has recognized the power of a minister of the Universal Life Church to solemnize marriages is Mississippi.[18] Some states allow anyone to solemnize a marriage.[19] In states in which Universal Life Church ministers are not authorized to solemnize marriages, the solemnization of a marriage by a minister of the Universal Life Church (who is not otherwise authorized) may result in the validity of the marriage being questioned.[20]

United States

In the United States, the requirements for entering into marriage are determined by state law. Courts in New York, North Carolina, and Virginia have ruled that, under applicable state law, ULC ministers are not authorized to solemnize marriages and a marriage at which a ULC minister officiated therefore is not valid.[21] North Carolina law subsequently was amended to validate marriages performed by ministers of the Universal Life Church prior to July 3, 1981,[22] and marriages solemnized by a ULC minister after that date are voidable, although equitable estoppel may prevent the parties themselves from challenging the marriage.[23] A more recent New York court ruling, from a different appellate court, ruled that it is a factual question whether the ULC is a "church" whose ministers have authority under New York law to solemnize a marriage;[24] on remand, the plaintiff offered no evidence, and the New York Supreme Court, which in New York is a trial court, accepted the defendant's evidence that the ULC fits the statutory definition of a "church" and the parties' marriage, performed by one of its authorized ministers, was valid.[25] However, that holding is not binding on other courts. A New York County trial judge stated in 2014 that marriages performed by ULC ministers in New York State are potentially invalid or at the very least in jeopardy.[26] The Supreme Court of Mississippi has ruled that Mississippi has a less restrictive statute and recognizes ULC ministers as able to perform valid marriages in that state.[18] Lower courts in Pennsylvania have split on the issue.[27] In the opinion of the Tennessee Attorney General, persons ordained by the ULC are not qualified under Tennessee law to solemnize a marriage.[28]

International

In Canada, ULC ministers are currently not authorized to solemnize marriage in any province or territory. In countries where ULC ministers have no authority to solemnize lawful marriage, ministers must meet other requirements which might include registering as a notary public, justice of the peace or marriage commissioner.

Litigation

The IRS sued starting in the 1970s, saying the ULC was not actually a religious group. The lawsuits were settled in 2000 with the church paying $1.5 million in back taxes.[29]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Adherents.com".
  2. ↑ "Doctrine of Religious Freedom". www.ulc.net.
  3. 1 2 Samuel Freedman (26 June 2015). "Couples Personalizing Role of Religion in Wedding Ceremonies".
  4. 1 2 Ashmore, Lewis (1977), The Modesto messiah: The famous mail-order minister, Universal Press, ISBN 0-918950-01-5
  5. ↑ "Universal Life Church Founder and Current President".
  6. ↑ "Welcome to the official website for Universal Life Church, International Headquarters". Archived from the original on December 6, 2011.
  7. ↑ Sue Nowicki (March 6, 2009). "Universal Life Goes On". Modesto Bee.
  8. ↑ "United States District Court, E.D. California. Universal Life Church, Inc., Plaintiff, v. United States of America, Defendant. Civ. No S-1954" (PDF). United States District Court For the Easter District of California. March 1, 1974.
  9. ↑ "RELIGIOUS REQUIREMENTS AND PRACTICES table of contents chaplain CH". Archived from the original on June 3, 2001.
  10. ↑ "A textbook about the Universal Life Church", Modesto, CA: Universal Life Church, 1992, rev. 2005, p. 8
  11. ↑ "Welcome to the official website for Universal Life Church". Universal Life Church. Archived from the original on December 6, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Universal Life Church, founded 1959 in Modesto - Official Site - Become Ordained".
  13. ↑ "UNIVERSAL LIFE CHURCH - ULC - Get Ordained".
  14. ↑ Long, Amy. "Who are we?". ulcseminary.org. Retrieved 2017-08-02.
  15. ↑ Long, Amy (May 8, 2017). "ULC Seminary Update". ULC Seminary on YouTube.
  16. ↑ "An Official Statement from the ULC About the Various Websites". Minister is a Verb. May 25, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Universal Life Church Associate Information". ULC Online Forum.
  18. 1 2 In re Blackwell, 531 So. 2d 1193 (Miss. 1988).
  19. ↑ Center for Inquiry v. Marion Circuit Court Clerk, No. 12-3751 (7th Cir. July 14, 2014).
  20. ↑ Oswald v. Oswald, 2013 N.Y. Slip Op. 02811 (N.Y. App. Div. 2013); Ranieri v. Ranieri, 539 N.Y.S.2d 382 (N.Y. App. Div. 1989); State v. Lynch, 272 S.E.2d 349 (N.C. 1980); Cramer v. Commonwealth, 202 S.E.2d 911 (Va. 1974); Robert E. Rains, Marriage in the Time of Internet Ministers: I Now Pronounce You Married, But Who Am I To Do So?, 64 U. Miami L. Rev. 809, 830 - 34 (2010).
  21. ↑ Ranieri v. Ranieri, 539 N.Y.S.2d 382 (N.Y. App. Div. 1989); State v. Lynch, 272 S.E.2d 349 (N.C. 1980); Cramer v. Commonwealth, 202 S.E.2d 911 (Va. 1974).
  22. ↑ Chapter 51, N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 51-1.1 (2007).
  23. ↑ Duncan v. Duncan, 754 S.E.2d 451 (N.C. Ct. App. 2014).
  24. ↑ Oswald v. Oswald, 2013 N.Y. Slip Op. 02811 (N.Y. App. Div. 2013).
  25. ↑ Oswald v. Oswald, RJI No. 57-1-2011-0389 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. June 9, 2016).
  26. ↑ Ponorovskaya v. Stecklow, 2014 NY Slip Op 24140 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2014).
  27. ↑ Robert E. Rains, Marriage in the Time of Internet Ministers: I Now Pronounce You Married, But Who Am I To Do So?, 64 U. Miami L. Rev. 809, 830 - 34 (2010).
  28. ↑ Tenn. Op. Att'y Gen. 15-14 (Feb. 6, 2015).
  29. ↑ Sankin, Andrew (3 April 2015). "Inside the Universal Life Church, the internet's one true religion". The Week. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
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