Marriage Celebrant’s Assessment

Welcome to your Marriage Celebrant Course Assessment.

This assessment task contains 25 multiple choice questions based on the Full Gospel Australia Marriage Manual, which can be downloaded from our website. Please familiarise yourself with the manual prior to attempting this quiz. This is an open-book assessment, meaning that you may consult the manual as you are attempting the questions.

The Marriage Manual can be downloaded by clicking this link.

The pass-mark for this assessment is 100% and must be completed by all new applicants for an ordained credential prior to ordination and by existing ordained ministers as part of their Professional Development. We trust you will enjoy this exercise and welcome any comments, criticisms or suggestions.

Your full name

Your email address

The government agency that oversees the laws of marriage is:

The Department of Public Prosecution

The Attorney General’s Department

The Department of Families

The Department of Immigration

The body of legislation that governs marriages in Australia is called:

The Department of Communities

The Wedding Planner

The Marriage Act of 1961

THe Marriage Act of 2000

Which Rites do you use to officiate a marriage as an ordained minister with Full Gospel Australia

The Rites of Christian Marriage

The Rites of Pentecostal Christians

The Rites of Full Gospel Australia

The Rites of the Full Gospel Churches of Australia

Any of these, it doesn't matter which Rites are used

Which of the following is NOT A REQUIREMENT of Ministers of Religion before they can solemnise a marriage:

A Minister of Religion must be registered with the Attorney General

A Minister of Religion must be familiar with the provisions of the marriage laws.

A Minister of Religion must pay a $300 p.a. fee to the Attorney General

A Minister of Religion must use the declared recognised denomination for the purpose of the Act and the designation (Reverend) shown on the letter confirming registration.

When filling in the Notice of Intended Marriage form, the celebrant must fill in any questions that cannot be answered with:

"Not known"

"NA"

"???"

A blank space

If a mistake is made whilst filling in the form, the required process is:

White Out and write over it

Completely black out the mistake and initial

Strike through with a single line and initial by all parties and the celebrant

Disregard mistakes as this is a preliminary document

Which of the following designations must be used to describe a single (i.e., unmarried) person in the “conjugal status” space?

Single

Spinster

Never married

Never validly married

When one of the couple has been previously married, the celebrant must:

Contact the ex-spouse to confirm the divorce

Sight the certificate of divorce or decree of death at least one day before the ceremony

Contact the Attorney General’s department for advice

Refer the divorcee to a counselor

How soon after the completion of the Notice of Intended Marriage form can a couple marry?

One month, unless an application for shortening has been applied for

Three months

One year

14 days

How long does a Notice of Intended Marriage last (i.e., once it has been filled in, how long is it valid)?

12 months

15 months

18 months

24 months

For Australian citizens, evidence of birth is supported by:

A current credit card statement

Two of the following: a rates notice, driver’s license, credit card and student ID with photo

The statement of two or three witnesses

An official certificate of birth or an official extract of an entry in an official register or an Australian passport

For people who are born overseas, the following evidence of birth is acceptable:

A foreign birth certificate or passport (as long as it shows the date and place of birth)

A letter from the party’s parents, signed by a Justice of the Peace and translated if necessary

School records

Dental records

Marriage celebrants are legally duty-bound to inform the parties of:

Their credentials to wed people in Australia

The celebrant's fee for the service

The obligations and consequences of marriage, a pamphlet called Happily Ever Before and After (and notate in the appropriate space in the Notice of Intended Marriage form that this has been done)

The expectation that they will have many children to the glory of God

“Prohibited relationships” (i.e., relationships that cannot legally marry) include:

A man marrying his brother’s wife’s sister

A man marrying his half sister

A woman marrying her first cousin

A woman marrying her sister’s husband’s brother

A marriage is not able to be solemnised when it is deemed “Non-consensual.” Absence of consent can be based on:

The bride’s parents’ refusal to let their 22-year-old daughter be wed

"Cold feet"

Duress or fraud, mistaken identity, mental incapacity to understand the nature and effect of the marriage ceremony

Disagreement of the best man

Marriageable age is:

16 for females

16 for both male and female

The qualifications of witnesses include:

Anyone who is available on the day.

2 people over the age of 18, provided by the couple

3 males who have known the groom for at least 10 years

2 random people, chosen by the celebrant

Conclusive evidence that the marriage was solemnised includes which three official documents?

An official certificate for registration purposes (Form 16, which has the declarations on the back), a second official certificate (a marriage registry book), and a certificate given to the couple (Form 15, which has security features built into it.)

Photos of the ceremony, video documentation, and an affidavit by the father of the bride

An article in the social column of the Sunday paper, wedding invitations, and a marriage certificate (Form 15)

A Notice of Intended Marriage form, Form 16, and the marriage registry book

Which of the following is NOT a record keeping obligation?

The celebrant must record the number of each Form 15 they are issued with, what happens to each certificate and the date on which it is used.

The celebrant must keep official copies of the parties’ birth certificates for six years

If a mistake is made and a certificate (form 15) has to be destroyed, you must record this information

If certificates are lost or stolen, you must report it immediately to the Attorney General’s office

Within 14 days of the ceremony, the celebrant must send which of the following documents to the registering authority?

Notice of Intended Marriage form, Form 16, and Form 15

Notice of Intended Marriage form, Form 16, a photocopy of the registry entry, and a photo of the service

Form 16

Notice of Intended Marriage form, Form 16, any orders under section 12 of the Act, and any statutory declarations, consents and dispensations with consents

Whose responsibility is it to notify the Attorney General of any change in the celebrant's status?

The denomination (Full Gospel Australia) must ensure that the Attorney-General's records are up-to-date at all times

Section 35 requires Ministers of Religion to notify the Attorney-General’s office within 30 days of any changes, including change of name, address, designation, and withdrawal from the ministry.

The Australian Electoral Commission alerts the Attorney-General's office of any changes in a Celebrant's status

There is no need to notify anyone of any change in a celebrant's status, it is their own private business

Another minister who is not a celebrant is chosen by the couple to marry them. They ask you to officiate the marriage. How can you help in this situation?

The authorised celebrant must be present as a part of the ceremonial group or in close proximity to it. You are responsible for ensuring the ceremony is carried out according to law and make your presence as the authorised celebrant known to the congregation. You must be available to intervene in a meaningful way and sign all the papers required by the Act.

Sign all the documents before the marriage and give them to the other minister to perform the ceremony and fill in the documents.

You must never officiate a marriage where you are not the minister who performs the ceremony.

Give the documents to the other minister and have them brought back to you for checking, signing and then sending to the Department of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

One of the couple who are being married does not speak English. What must you do?

Allow the other member of the couple to translate for the one who speaks another language

Translate through sign language as best you can and raise your voice to help them understand.

An interpreter must be present who is a person other than the marrying parties. The interpreter must supply a statutory declaration that he/she is able to interpret in the languages in question.

Don't worry about it. If the person is smiling and seems okay with what is happening, it must be all right.

Can a minister of religion require a fee for solemnising a marriage?

No. A minister of religion must not require a fee for service.

A fee may be required of people who are not regular congregational members

A fee may be required however, it belongs to the church organisation and not the minister

A minister of religion may require a fee for solemnising a marriage. However, a minister of religion of a recognised denomination may have his or her name removed from the register if a Registrar of Ministers of Religion is satisfied that the minister has been making a business of solemnising marriages for the purpose of profit or gain.

The couple to be married have already had a civil ceremony and now want a "Christian Wedding." What is the protocol?

The Christian ceremony takes precedence in the eyes of God, so continue as normal.

If the couple are already married, the celebrant must not prepare or issue a second certificate of marriage under the Act.

The couple are required to renounce their first marriage to each other before the ceremony and documents can be completed.

Contact the Attorney-General's office for advice on the matter

Where can an FGA ordained minister perform a marriage ceremony?

A marriage celebrant must only solomnise marriages in the State or Territory they are registered in. For example a celebrant registered in Queensland cannot solemnise a marriage in Tasmania.

Full Gospel Australia ordained ministers are able to solomnise a marriage wherever they like. The Lord reigns over all the earth, therefore His ministers can perform marriage ceremonies anywhere.

If the leadership of Full Gospel Australia give consent and the couple are also consenting, maintaining that the couple and witnesses are Australian Citizens, a marriage ceremony may be performed anywhere in the world.

A marriage ceremony may be solomnised any day, any time, any place in Australia or within Australian territorial waters.

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