By Paul Eduarko Richardson
Accra, Aug. 25, GNA – A church can be registered as a company limited by guarantee.
However, registration does not licence the church as a place for celebrating marriages.
After registering the church, you must also gazette it before you can use it for the celebration of marriages.
To gazette the church, you have to first apply to your metropolitan, municipal or district Assembly.
After applying, the Assembly will inspect the premises and forward its report to the Ghana Publishing Company for the church to be gazetted.
The Ghana Publishing Company would then issue a publication to indicate that the church has been gazetted.
When a church is gazetted, it means the place has been licenced for the celebration of marriages.
Under the Marriages Act 1884-1985 (CAP. 127), for a marriage to be valid, it must be celebrated in a gazetted church and officiated by a gazetted minister.
This Law applies specifically to ordinance marriage.
Celebrating a marriage in a church that has not been gazetted renders the marriage invalid.
GNA