This procedure describes how to make an official complaint at i-church.
It is expected that the vast majority of complaints will be resolved by members under the complaints procedure outlined in the Code of Conduct for i-church members.
Complaints procedure
Sometimes feelings run high on discussion boards. Any user who is upset by a posted message is encouraged to in the first instance chill, drink tea, walk the dog or do whatever is needed to calm down. Do not post in anger. What is written cannot be taken back and stays in written form long after the moment has passed.
It is strongly recommended that members try to sort disagreements out by PM (private messaging) or in chat between themselves. Without body language it is easy to give offence which was not intended. The written word can be very stark. Try and sort out any disagreements like the adults you are remembering that the second commandment is to love your neighbor.
If this doesn’t reach a resolution to the problem then you should contact the forum's moderator who will discuss possible courses of action with the moderators' group and make a decision about the action, if any, to be taken. Public arguments about posts in the forums break the “Respect Rule” (see above) and will not be tolerated.
If you are unhappy with the outcome of the moderators’ group decision then you may contact the Lead Moderator who will make the final decision on the matter.
There is a grievance procedure that can be used if you are unhappy with the way that your complaint has been dealt with by the Lead Moderator.”
The following procedure should be used if:
- You are unhappy about the way that your complaint has been handled by the Lead Moderator.
- You wish to make an official complaint about a Special Interest Group Leader, Lead Moderator, or Council Member in their official capacity as an officer of i-church. Such complaints are a serious matter.
Process
Write a personal message to the Lay Chairman of council within 2 working days if possible as the more promptly the complaint is made, the easier it is to investigate. of the incident taking place with supporting evidence of your grievance. The Lay Chairman will follow up your grievance by:
- Setting up a small working group from council to investigate the grievance. This group (the composition of which is at the Lay Chairman’s absolute discretion) will review the evidence and report back to the Lay Chairman with their recommendations within 7 working days of the grievance being placed before the Lay Chairman.
- The Lay Chairman passes the working group’s recommendation back to the complainant within 7 working days of receiving it from the working group.
- Complaints about Moderators in their official role will be handled by the Lead Moderator under the complaints procedure outlined above and do not come under this grievance procedure.
Additional Information
You are very welcome to ask somebody else to help you make your complaint. This could be another member of i-church, a personal representative/spokesperson[A2] , or anybody else.
i-church Council Members have the right to suspend anybody from i-church during any investigation. However, this in no way suggests right or wrong on the part of the excluded individual, but is intended to give proper time to fully investigate the complaint.
Where a grievance is raised and, after investigation, is found to have been made maliciously, the Council may consider excluding that person from the website.
The moderator's group note all complaints for reporting purposes and if a pattern emerges that, in the opinion of the moderators and Lead Moderator, is indicative of a pattern of vexatious complaints then the Lead Moderator will investigate and this could lead to exclusion from i-church, although this would be seen as the last resort.