Officiating Rites of Passage

1. Purpose

This guidance explains how Foothills provides officiating for life's important moments—weddings, memorials, child dedications, and other ceremonies. We do this because we believe in walking alongside people through transitions, celebrations, and grief.

As a member benefit, we offer these services at no cost when certain conditions are met.

This guidance respects both our commitment to accessibility and the real limits of our ministers' time and capacity, as well as provides guidelines for the use of our facilities for Rites of Passage more generally in accordance with our values.

2. Organizational Guidance

Who Can Officiate Services on Foothills Campus

Rites of Passage on our campus must be led by Foothills ministers or by individuals on our approved officiants list.
Approval of officiants is done to insure alignment with our religious practice and values.

Memorial Services

For Members:

Members can have a memorial service officiated by a Foothills minister at no cost if the service is in Fort Collins.
This access is coordinated with the schedules and availability of ministers. Members or families should contact the minister(s) as early as possible to discuss dates and logistics.
If the requested minister is unavailable, the congregation will make reasonable efforts to connect the family with another Foothills minister or an approved officiant.

For People Who Participate Regularly (Not Yet Members):

If someone has been actively involved at Foothills for over a year, they can request a memorial service.
The minister will decide whether to officiate based on the person's connection to our community and the minister's availability.
There's no fee when this service is provided.

Location:

No-cost services are for memorials held in Fort Collins.
Services outside Fort Collins can be discussed case-by-case.

Private Services

Foothills ministers may choose to provide memorial officiation or other rites of passage services to members of the broader public outside of these provisions.
Such private arrangements are arranged independently between the minister and the individual/family, typically for a fee set by the minister.
These private arrangements are separate from the ministers' congregational role and do not obligate the congregation.

Weddings

We make every effort to provide Foothills members access to a Foothills minister (called or hired) to officiate, based on scheduling and workload capacity.
We do not provide access to a Foothills minister for someone who is not a member. Instead, non-members will be given access to the approved officiant list, comprised primarily of affiliated community ministers.

Bylaws and Policies

This guidance interprets or implements the following:

Organizational Guidances & SOPs

This guidance is related to or informs the following documents:

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