Universal Life Church

The Universal Life Church (ULC) is an American non-denominational religious organization founded in 1962 by Kirby J. Hensley. Its creed is "Do that which is right". The Universal Life Church advocates for religious freedom, offering legal ordination to become a minister free of charge to anyone who wishes to join. The ULC has ordained ministers from a wide range of backgrounds and beliefs, including atheists, Christians, Jews, Neopagans and Wiccans.

The ULC's popularity stems in part from rising interest in having friends or family officiate weddings; surveys reported that one-quarter to one-half of couples married in 2020 had a friend or family member officiate their wedding ceremony. This trend has attracted a range of celebrities to become ordained including Adele, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ian McKellen, Stevie Nicks, Conan O'Brien, and Steven Tyler.

Appellate courts in Virginia have held that they will not recognize marriages solemnized by ULC ministers, with litigation on the question ongoing as of 2025, while appellate courts in North Carolina have held that such marriages may be voidable. Courts in Indiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah have specifically held such marriages to be valid, while government officials in Alabama, South Carolina, and Washington have opined that the marriages are acceptable under each state's respective laws.