Looking for info on the new TN law going into effect on July 1, 2019 regarding who is allowed to solemnize marriages?
I will do anything it takes to be in my integrity for my clients and to ensure them that they are getting a quality, caring Minister they can trust to be in compliance with all laws and statutes. Due to a very small grey area in the new law, I had a few hoops to cross to ensure that I could continue to provide you with the same assurance I always have that you are working with an officiant in full compliance with any statues.
Here is the story in a nutshell:
I am in full compliance with TN law, as I have a Master of Divinity, and was ordained by the church affiliated with the University I attended after a
comprehensive degree program and Master's Thesis. However, just like
Harvard has distance learning (online) classes, my school was online, so
the one sentence addition to the law, "Persons receiving online ordinations may not solemnize marriages," did cause me a bit of concern.
Both my school/church and myself have talked to the Tennessee State Governor's office, the Senator who sponsored the bill, and my State Representative, and all of them said that I'm legitimate, and that the new law was not meant to exclude people like me. They have both said that they will probably need to change the wording when they're in session next Jan-April to allow for people like me so that there is no grey area with the new one-sentence addition to the law.
However, that didn't help me for the rest of 2019 to assure people that it is safe to work with me, as Tennessee does not require Ministers/Officiants to register with the state, so even though they all said I was perfectly legitimate, they were unable to provide me anything in writing to back that up. So I needed to take matters into my own hands in order to feel completely certain in telling people that I am 100% legal under the new law.
As divine timing would have it, my school/church (which is in Northern California) was hosting a free weekend spiritual retreat June 22-23 in Philadelphia, which I attended--and though all of the lawmakers said I was legit, during the retreat, I was officially re-ordained in-person in order to give my couples full peace of mind.
I am blessed and honored to be allowed to continue to love on all of you beautiful people, just as I have since 2008.
