Community Guidelines

Our Community Covenant

FaithStory is more than a platform—it's a community of believers documenting God's faithfulness in their lives. These guidelines help us create a space where every testimony is honored, every voice is valued, and Christ is glorified.

1. Love One Another

• Treat every person as someone created in God's image and dearly loved by Him
• Respond to others' testimonies with encouragement, not criticism
• Celebrate the diversity of how God works in different lives
• Assume the best intentions in others' words and actions

2. Speak Truth with Grace

• Share your authentic story—God uses real struggles and real victories
• When giving feedback, be constructive and kind
• Avoid harsh criticism, sarcasm, or belittling language
• If you disagree, do so respectfully and privately when possible

3. Honor Confidentiality

• Respect the privacy of testimonies shared with you
• Never share others' personal stories without explicit permission
• When writing about others in your testimony, protect their dignity
• Use discretion with sensitive details—some things are between you and God

4. Pursue Unity

• Focus on what unites us: our faith in Jesus Christ
• Avoid divisive debates about secondary theological issues
• Welcome believers from different church traditions
• Build bridges, not walls

5. Protect the Vulnerable

• Be especially gentle with those sharing difficult testimonies
• Report any concerning behavior to our team immediately
• Never use the platform to manipulate or take advantage of others
• Stand against any form of abuse, harassment, or exploitation

6. Give Glory to God

• Remember that our testimonies exist to glorify God, not ourselves
• Follow Augustine's model: honest about our failings, grateful for God's grace
• Point readers to Christ, not to our own accomplishments
• Use your story to encourage others in their faith journey

What We Don't Allow

To maintain a safe and edifying community, the following are not permitted:

• Harassment or bullying of any kind
• Hate speech targeting any person or group
• Explicit content that is obscene or gratuitously violent
• False teaching that contradicts core Christian doctrine
• Spam or self-promotion unrelated to testimony sharing
• Plagiarism or claiming others' stories as your own
• Privacy violations sharing others' information without consent

Reporting Concerns

If you encounter content or behavior that violates these guidelines, please report it to us at community@faithstory.io. We take all reports seriously and handle them with discretion.

Consequences

We approach guideline violations with grace and a desire for restoration. Depending on the severity:

• First occurrence: A gentle reminder and conversation
• Repeated issues: Temporary restriction of community features
• Severe violations: Account suspension or termination

We always seek to restore rather than punish, following Jesus's model of redemption.