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Required State License(s):
None
Further Information:
The term minister is not used by all faiths; however, the term minister denotes members of the clergy of religions and denominations.
To perform marriage ceremonies, a person should be an ordained minister, magistrate (a civil officer with power to administer and enforce law -- Justice of the Peace) or a judge.
An ordained minister of the gospel recognized by a church may perform marriages whether or not the church has filed a charter with the Corporation Division. To determine if a church has filed Articles of Incorporation to form an ecclesiastical corporation, call (517) 241-6470.
Marriage licenses are obtained at the county clerk's office.
For marriage statistics contact the Department of Health & Human Services, Vital Statistics at (517) 335-8094.
There is a tax guide available from the IRS, Publication 1828, "Tax Guide for Churches and Other Religious Organizations." It is available online at www.irs.gov.
Churches may be required to have a "Church Copyright License." For further information about this license, contact Christian Copyright Licensing International by calling (800) 234-2446.
Revised: 1/2020
