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AFP Forums
Official Rules of Participation

 

Introduction
Ex Pentecostal Forums is a free service of Association of Former Pentecostals, and an interactive community for former members of Pentecostal and Charismatic congregations. It is a internet community that aims to serve this population through fellowship, discussion, and support. These forums are "safe havens" for former Pentecostals/Charismatics to discuss personal, religious and spiritual matters without religious condemnation or intolerance for leaving their former religious practice.

Please read the "forum-specific" rules before posting on the forum of your choice. Violators of these rules may find their messages moderated, but also may find themselves banned from participating (all disciplinary actions will be weighed against the severity of the offense, but are at the discretion of the moderators/administrators).

All posts are in the opinion of the individual poster, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the forums, of ex-pentecostals.org, or of the Leadership Team. The Leadership Team of these forums and ex-pentecostals.org are not responsible for the remarks of individual posters, though attempts will be made to ensure compliance with our rules.

As it may be obvious, our forums serve a specific purpose, and as such -- rules are necessary. Those who hope to find a forum for unregulated speech about any and all topics, or a place to spam for their own services are hereby invited to take their participation elsewhere.

All rules are subject to change without notice.
 

I. New Member Rules

  1. All new members must read and agree with the following participation rules in order to participate in Ex Pentecostal forums. Any posting by a new member will be interpreted by the Leadership Team as agreement with these rules.
    2.
  2. New members are recommended to "Sign In" in the General Discussion forum to introduce themselves and their goals with our community.

II. General Participation Rules

The following rules apply to all forums without exception (except where listed):

  1. MINORS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 ARE PROHIBITED FROM READING OR POSTING IN OUR FORUMS WITHOUT PERMISSION AND/OR SUPERVISION OF THEIR PARENTS. These forums often detail abuses or manipulation that are often inappropriate for the consumption of minors without adult supervision or permission.Do not use explicit profanity, or language that details sexual activity.Do not make slanderous or libelous remarks, Do not engage in copyright or trademark infringement. If quoting a previously published work, only quote essential elements to make your point, surrounded by quotation marks, and with the name of the publication and author listed. Any other "quotation" (such as "copying and pasting" an entire article) is generally outside of "fair use" laws and is considered copyright infringement, unless you have obtained permission from the necessary sources.Do not label any religious organization or individual congregation as a "cult."Spam is prohibited. Personal or business links are allowable in the signature line "within reason" (and at the moderator team's discretion), but posts that are essentially "advertisements" for businesses, services, or outside websites are strictly prohibited. Violators will be banned on the first offense. EXCEPTION: Established posters may recommend outside websites, but not for personal gain.Members should adhere to the topic restrictions of the specific forums. (Ex: social chat should be done in "General Discussion," while talking about religious abuse should be kept in "Azusa Street Survivors."No debate or divisive speech of any kind is permitted on any forum of Ex-Pentecostals.org. This includes (but is not limited to) speech concerning politics, social discord, US foreign policy, abortion, and homosexuality. The only exception to this rule is if such a topic is used in describing personal history ("My pastor encouraged us to vote Republican . . ."), but never as topics themselves.Do not make posts that are judgmental or intolerant of other's spiritual or lifestyle choices.Do not defend the unique Pentecostal beliefs, practices, or doctrines of salvation or lifestyle.Do not condemn others to hell, or to eternal punishment.Do not promulgate one religion, denomination, or faith system as the "one, true faith."
  2. Do not air overtly negative complaints about the forums, the website, or moderator decisions on the forums. Discuss problems privately through email with the administrators/moderators, or add constructive suggestions in the "Suggestion Box."

III. Forum Specific Rules

  1. General Discussion Forum
         This forum is a general "discussion" forum for general fellowship and conversation that is non-religious in nature, or that would be considered "off-topic" in the other forums. It also serves as the "sign-in" place for new members, and the "announcement" forum for changes to the community and to the website.
  2. Support Forums
    The support forums of Ex Pentecostal Forums are considered "safe havens" for former Pentecostals and Charismatics, and are communities where these former adherents can seek out fellowship and support for issues pertaining to their former faith and their current spiritual journey.
    Support groups include the following:
            Azusa Street Survivors - Azusa Street Survivors is the oldest, most continuous forum associated with this website and its services (founded 11/2001 on Yahoo!Groups). It serves as a support forum for all those who've left (or are leaving) Pentecostalism and all of its denominations and incantations (i.e., the Charismatic Movement).

IV. Forum Leadership

The Leadership Team of Ex Pentecostal Forums is made up of individuals dedicated to the promotion, improvement, and continuity of our community. They are an all-volunteer force, with no remuneration for the time they willing spend to improve our community.

  1. Objectives
    All members of the Leadership Team are dedicated to:

  1. Creating ways to effectively market the services of Ex Pentecostal Forums,

  2. Being responsive to member needs through improvements of service,

  3. Leading and creating conversation topics on assigned forums, and

  4. Protecting the integrity of the forums through enforcement of the Official Rules of Participation.

  1. Job Descriptions

1. Owner

  1. The Owner of Ex Pentecostals Forum shall be responsible for the vision, leadership, and continued service of these forums.
  2. He shall take an active role in all objectives, and serve in the role of all leadership positions including, but not limited to, the role of Administrator, Moderator, and Forum Host.
  3. As Head of the Leadership Team, he shall provide direction for the Team, and ensure that every member is in compliance with the Official Rules of Participation.
  4. He shall be responsible for continuous operations of the forum.

2. Administrator

  1. Administrators shall be responsible for "Customer Service," ensuring that forums operate with ease, and remain relevant to the membership.
  2. They shall be responsible for the "themes" of the forums; not only in content, but in form and design.
  3. They are de-facto moderators for all forums within Ex Pentecostal Forums, especially those without assigned moderators. Administrators can also assign themselves as "official" moderators for specific forums.
  4. They are de-facto Forum Hosts for all forums within Ex Pentecostal Forums.
  5. Administrators shall report to the Owner any absences he/she will take from the forums in excess of three days within a reasonable amount of time.
  6. Administrators may ban repeat offenders or spammers with or without notice.
  7. Administrators will "cc" the Owner of any disciplinary action taken, and must obtain Owner consent to ban members who have not spammed, or committed multiple offenses.

          3. Moderator

  1. A Moderator is responsible for rules enforcement within the forum he/she is assigned. He/She is charged with immediate enforcement (editing/deleting) of messages posted that are out of compliance with the Official Rules of Participation.
  2. The Moderator is the de-facto Forum Host within the forum he/she is assigned to moderate, unless a Forum Host has been assigned.
  3. Moderators will report to an Owner/Administrator any absences he/she will take in excess of three days within a reasonable amount of time.
  4. Moderators must "cc" the Owner for all editing or deleting of messages, and of any warnings (private or public) sent to an offending member.

         4. Forum Host

  1. Forum Hosts are charged with leading and creating conversation within their assigned forum.
  2. Forum Hosts must warn offenders within their assigned forum of Rules violations, and "cc" these warnings to the forum Moderator, or to the Owner/Administrators of Ex Pentecostal Forums.
  3. Forum Hosts must notify the moderator of their assigned forum (or the Owner in absence of a moderator) of absences longer than a week in length within a reasonable amount of time.
  1. Volunteering
    All members in good standing are encouraged to "take ownership" of Ex Pentecostal Forums by volunteering for moderator or forum host positions! Current Pentecostals are not allowed to participate in leadership positions.

V. Member's Rights
Members in Good Standing of Ex Pentecostal Forums shall have the right to:

  1. Participate in all forums without restriction as long as they are in compliance with all Official Rules of Participation,
  2. Petition the Leadership Team for changes in the forums and services of this site,
  3. Appeal any disciplinary decision to the Owner,
  4. Not ever be required to donate monies to Ex Pentecostal Forums or ex-pentecostals.org in order to participate in these forums,
  5. Be considered a "Member in Good Standing" as long as he or she does not "spam" the forums, does not have messages edited by the Leadership Team more than three times within a 30 day period, and is not on a moderated status.

VI. Donating
All members of Ex Pentecostal Forums are encouraged (but not required) to donate any amount to continue the Premium status of these forums. For a relatively small amount of money, Ex Pentecostal Forums are able to maintain an "ad-free" environment for our members. The Forums "premium" status can be renewed on a six-month or 1 year basis, depending on the amount of funds in the "Community Chest" of the Forums. Yuku.com has the "Community Chest" configured to where all funds donated can ONLY be used for Forum services, and can never be withdrawn by Owners, Administrators, or Moderators for any purpose. Donations can be made by most credit cards, PayPal, or by check/money order through the US Postal Service. Donations can be in any amount, but at least $1. Payment through US Mail must be in US funds.

These rules shall be in effect as of April 11, 2004

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