Walking Together

Guidelines for Meaningful Fellowship

Welcome & Purpose

Welcome to Lutheran Network, and thanks for joining us! Our community thrives on meaningful fellowship and Christ-centered dialogue. We want everyone to get the most out of this community, so we ask that you please read through the following expectations for involvement. Together, we can build a space that honors our Lord and serves His people.

"Let all things be done decently and in order." - 1 Corinthians 14:40

Our Common Confession

As confessional Lutherans, we hold to the Holy Scriptures as the inspired and infallible Word of God—our sole authority for faith and life. Everything we believe, teach, and confess flows from this divine foundation. We also affirm the Lutheran Confessions contained in the Book of Concord (1580) as the true and faithful exposition of Scripture. These confessions include the three ancient creeds (Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian), the Augsburg Confession, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles, the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, Luther's Small and Large Catechisms, and the Formula of Concord.

These confessional writings unite us around the central truth of the Gospel: that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. They guide our understanding of the Sacraments, the Church, and Christian life, distinguishing Lutheran teaching from other traditions while maintaining the catholic (universal) Christian faith. By affirming these beliefs, we stand together in the heritage passed down through generations of faithful Christians who have treasured God's Word and its clear proclamation.

Forum Structure

Channels & Communities

It is important to note that there are three levels of privatization within the Lutheran Network forum. Discussions posted to any channel shown in the left sidebar can be read by all members of the forum. Discussions posted to an open community group can be read and engaged with by other members of that community group. Any Lutheran Network member can join those groups. Discussions posted to dedicated communities can only be read by others who have accepted an invitation to that community group. Learn more about creating and accessing communities.

User Groups

Are you an ordained pastor within a church body recognized by the International Lutheran Council? Let us know at support@lutheran.network as we'd like to add you to the Pastor group. To ensure the integrity of our pastoral user group, we may ask that you provide reference from two other pastors already present in that group. Please note that the Lutheran Network is not recognized by or affiliated in any way with the ILC.

Discussion Guidelines

Starting a Conversation

Want to start a new discussion? Great! Please keep the following points in mind:

  • Quickly search the forum for a few keywords related to your topic. It could be that such a discussion has already begun.
  • Give it a good title! You'll connect with more people if your title makes it clear what you want to talk about.
  • Choose the right channel or community. This will increase the likelihood others will benefit from your post.
  • Don't post new discussions repeatedly about the same topic.
  • Remember, you don't need to sign your posts. We've got your profile to let us know who you are.
Participating in Discussions

Thank you for taking the time to participate in a discussion! To encourage meaningful conversation, consider the following when replying:

  • Always remember that the intent of this forum is to build relationship and partnership.
  • Remain civil and constructive. This is a place to share knowledge and interests through conversation. Be kind, patient, and respectful towards everyone, including people outside of the Lutheran Network community.
  • Don't reply to a title. Read the original post, and at least scan the rest of the conversation first.
  • Ask yourself if your reply would add to the discussion. If it doesn't, give it some more thought before posting.
  • Avoid making one-word posts just to agree with someone; you can use reactions for that.
  • If your reply is likely to divert the course of the discussion, consider starting a new discussion instead.
  • Criticizing ideas by means of reasoned arguments is an important part of healthy discussion; however, do not let your convictions devolve into personal attacks.
  • Assume good faith. When there is disagreement, try to understand why, always assuming good intentions.

Moderation Policy

As stewards of this community, our moderation team is committed to maintaining an environment that reflects our Christian values and promotes edifying discussion. We may exercise moderation privileges to:

  • Edit or remove content that doesn't align with our community standards
  • Take necessary action on accounts that repeatedly violate guidelines
  • Ensure discussions remain focused and constructive
  • Protect the community from spam or harmful content

If we need to exercise moderation privileges, we may edit or delete any content that we deem unfit for the community goals. We also retain the right to suspend accounts and communities. Any such action will first be discerningly considered amongst a small group of moderators and subject to pastoral advisement.

Technical Help

Our forum uses markdown formatting to help you create well-structured posts. If you're unfamiliar with markdown, we encourage you to explore our basic markdown guide to get started.

Need assistance? Our support team is here to help:

A Final Word

New to the community? Introduce yourself.

Remember, we're all here to support one another in our common faith and varied work. These guidelines exist not primarily as restrictions, but as a framework for building meaningful connections in our digital gathering space.