Forum Guidelines
Welcome to the It Ain’t Over Forums. This is the place for longer, deeper, more in-depth discussions — the kind that doesn’t always fit in a quick post on the Community feed. Before you dive in, here’s what makes this space work well for everyone.
Why We’re Here
These Forums exist for real, honest conversation about Scripture, Discipleship, Doctrine, Theology, and life together as believers. Some threads will be lighthearted (yes, even the Automotive Forum). Others will touch real pain, hard questions, and disagreement. Both are welcome here — we just ask that every conversation be carried out with the same spirit: honest, respectful, and rooted in love for one another.
“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” — Ephesians 4:29 (NKJV)
The Heart of It
If you remember nothing else, remember this: speak to one another the way you’d want to be spoken to if you were the one asking the question, sharing the doubt, or carrying the hurt.
Guidelines for Every Space
- Disagree without dividing. Christians have wrestled with translation choices, doctrine, and interpretation for centuries — that’s not a problem, that’s iron sharpening iron. Challenge ideas freely. Never attack the person holding them.
- Stay on topic, but don’t be afraid to go deep. That’s what these Forums are for. If a conversation in one space naturally leads somewhere better suited to another (say, a tithing question surfaces in the middle of a Discipleship thread), it’s fine to start a new topic and link back.
- Cite it if you claim it. If you’re making a doctrinal or historical claim, back it up — Scripture reference, a credible source, or at least “this is my understanding and here’s why.” It keeps discussion honest and helps everyone learn together.
- No spam, no self-promotion, no outside recruiting. This isn’t the place to advertise a business, a personal ministry fundraiser, or another organization’s event without leadership approval first. If in doubt, ask.
- Keep it clean. No profanity, no crude content, no sexually explicit material — this applies to posts, replies, images, and links alike.
- Protect the vulnerable. Do not share anyone else’s personal information, private conversations, or identifying details without their consent — inside the Forums or about someone outside of it.
A Special Word on the Church Hurt Forum
This space exists because real pain deserves a real place to be spoken honestly — not minimized, not rushed past. A few things that matter here specifically:
- Share your own experience, not a public trial of a specific person, church, or ministry by name. Processing hurt is welcome. Turning a thread into an attack on a named individual or congregation is not — both for legal reasons and because it isn’t the spirit we want to carry.
- No one is required to have it figured out. Doubt, anger, grief, and questions belong here as much as resolution does.
- Moderators may step in gently if a thread needs redirecting toward healthier ground — not to silence the pain, but to protect the person sharing it and the community around them.
If what you’re carrying feels like more than a forum conversation can hold, please reach out to a member of our Leadership Team directly. We’d rather walk with you personally than have you carry it alone in a comment thread.
On Doctrine & Theology
Healthy, respectful disagreement is part of growing in the faith — this space is built for exactly that. Our Statement of Faith represents where It Ain’t Over Ministries stands as an organization, but individual members are free to wrestle with secondary and tertiary doctrinal questions in good faith. When a topic touches a matter our Statement of Faith speaks to directly, that document is the final word for anything taught or represented in IAOM’s name. You can see our Statement of Faith here.
Formatting Your Posts
Want to make a longer post easier to read — bold text, headers, bullet lists, block quotes for Scripture? The Forums composer supports Markdown formatting. We’ve put together a quick cheat sheet to help: Markdown Cheat Sheet (PDF)
Moderation
Our moderators are here to keep this space healthy, not to police every disagreement. Content that violates these Guidelines may be edited, removed, or moved to a more appropriate space. Repeated or serious violations may result in posting restrictions. If you ever see something that concerns you, please flag it or reach out to a moderator directly rather than escalating it in the thread itself.
One Last Thing
This is a family. Some of you have known each other for years; others are just getting started here. However long you’ve been part of It Ain’t Over Ministries, you belong in this conversation. We’re glad you’re here.