Forum Behavioral Covenant
CLF Military Ministry Website

Purpose:

A behavioral covenant is an agreement, between members of any organization, on how they choose to relate to one another. While this is important to any organization, it is very important to any internet based organization, as the ability to communicate is limited to the written word, and members rarely have true personal relationships with one another.

As we gather together in this space hosted by the Church of the Larger Fellowship, we Unitarian Universalists who are affiliated with the military commit to the following standards of online behavior, in our effort to build community across distance and experience.

As Members, we commit to:

Posting always from a perspective of respect, love, and fellowship.

Support our fellow members, not seek to tear them down.

Try not to take offense, and to always seek clarification when we feel offense. Often, no offense is intended.

To give others the benefit of the doubt, and allow moderators to facilitate when we cannot.

Agree that anyone who registers for this forum and agrees to this covenant has a right to participate here. If we have concerns about a member that cannot be resolved through private contact with that member, we will take the issue to a moderator or administrator.

Agree to seek arbitration from a moderator or administrator before leaving the forum. Mistakes are made by all humans, and we will have the patience for them to be addressed.

Not conduct personal attacks upon individuals, and discuss issues in a positive, supportive manner. Criticism should always be constructive, not destructive.

Give moderators the necessary time to work through the moderation process when a problem or conflict occurrs.

Accept responsibility for my own beliefs, but allow others the freedom to decide upon theirs, and the classifications they are comfortable with for those beliefs.

Ask a moderator for clarification of why an action has been taken before contacting the administrator about that action.

Welcome new members, and to have patience with them as they learn to be a member of this new kind of internet community.


As Moderators, we agree to:

Address all concerns brought to us by members in a timely and complete manner, explaining what actions we take and the reasoning behind them.

Take what actions on the forum that our conscience calls us to, and fully explain those actions to all parties concerned.

Begin any process of moderation with private consultation with the member whose participation is being moderated.

To use our reason and conscience in all cases of arbitration between members, seeking an equitable solution that maintains the supportive fellowship environment of the forum.

Always inform an individual when their post has been modified for content (beyond mere formatting problems) and why that content was inappropriate. Posts should only be modified when their content consists of a personal attack, violates this covenant, is wholly inappropriate, or is blatantly disruptive. Posts can be modified for format concerns without notification.

Always strive to be positive in contacts with members due to moderation concerns. When you can no longer be positive, that is a sign that further action beyond moderation might be necessary.

Support the actions of fellow moderators. When moderators disagree, we agree to take those concerns up in private. If the issue can not be resolved between the moderators, we agree to seek consutation from an administrator.

Admit our mistakes when they occur, and do our best to rectify them.

As the Forum Administrator(s), we agree to:

Abide by all the guidelines set forth for our moderators in this Forum Behavioral Covenant.

Fully and completely back the actions of our moderators, and to address concerns about those actions in a positive way

Move quickly to remove or suspend anyone whom we determine to be participating in the CLF Military Ministry website with intentions other than building community among military affiliated Unitairan Universalist, such as spammers and those seeking to malign Unitairan Universalism or Liberal Faith. 

Admit when a mistake has been made, and apologize to those members the mistake affects. Accept constructive criticism from Members and Moderators.

When time is not essential, seek the input from members and moderators for all major decisions regarding this forum.

Protect, at all times, the Spiritual, Friendly, Supportive, Respectful, Reasonable, and Equal nature of the CLF Military Ministries Forum.

We, the members, moderators, and administrators of the CLF Military Ministries Forum accept this covenant, and agree to do our best to abide by it, in order to help build community among Unitarian Universalists affiliated with the military.

Participation in the CLF Military Ministries Forum is contingent upon agreement with this Behavioral Covenant.

in private messages.

Realize that when a moderator brings a concern to the Administrator, it is because they feel they can no longer handle the problem.

Conduct all requests for arbitration with reason, respect, and equity, seeking a solution that maintains the respectful fellowship of the CLF Military Ministry Forum.

Inform members and moderators of action taken that concerns them, and the reasons for that action.

When a moderator calls for emergency action against a poster for grave violation of this covenant, act quickly to deal with that member. Such action should only be taken in the case of serious disruption of the forum.

Respond quickly to all requests and concerns of all members.