Acceptable Use Policy

Last updated: 18.10.2026. Version: 1.1.

1. What this is

These are the rules for using Pastors Network. They sit alongside our Terms of Use and apply to everyone with an account.

2. Who may use it

You must be 18 or over, and connected with a church or Christian ministry in the United Kingdom. If you use Pastors Network for your church’s work, you must have your church’s agreement to do so. Do not let anyone else use your account, and never let anyone under 18 use it.

3. What it is for

Pastors Network is for churches to support one another and run church life well. You may use it to:

  • keep your church’s and your own profile;
  • post and accept pulpit dates and arrange swaps;
  • find and recommend preachers and guest speakers;
  • keep a calendar and share events;
  • ask for help and offer it;
  • keep your church’s members list, pastoral visits, prayer points, compliance records, processes, serving rotas, building checks and documents;
  • lend and borrow books, and join BookBuy lists;
  • keep your own notes.

4. What you must not do

Do not:

  • post anything unlawful, threatening, abusive, obscene or untrue about another person;
  • post anything that harasses or demeans anyone because of a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 (age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation);
  • pretend to be someone else, or give a false picture of your church or your role;
  • send unwanted bulk messages;
  • collect other users’ details for anything other than the purpose the platform shows them for;
  • try to get into another person’s account, or into parts of the platform you have not been given;
  • upload harmful software or anything meant to damage the platform;
  • use the platform for business unconnected with church ministry;
  • share your login.

5. Looking after other people’s information

Much of what is on Pastors Network is about other people. Treat it with care.

  • Use church records only for your church. Members, visits, prayer points, compliance records and processes are for your church’s pastoral care and running, and for nothing else.
  • Do not take church records outside your church team without a good reason and the right to do so. This includes printouts, downloads and screenshots.
  • Keep sensitive details out of anything another church sees. Ask for Help requests, pulpit dates, recommendations and shared events are seen by other churches. Do not name a member or describe their health, family or private circumstances in them. Describe the need, not the person.
  • Compliance is for clearances and training, not concerns. Record that a check exists and when it expires. Never record a safeguarding concern or allegation on Pastors Network. A concern goes through your church’s own safeguarding route.
  • Do not upload images of DBS certificates. Record the details (level, reference number and dates) only, and do not copy anything else from the certificate into the notes.
  • Invite only people you know. When you invite someone to join, or add a guest speaker, invite only people who know you and would expect to hear from you.

6. Content

What you post must be:

  • accurate, especially your church’s details and your own experience;
  • respectful of other people, churches and traditions;
  • relevant to the tool you are using;
  • lawful, including under data protection law. Your church is responsible for the information it keeps about its people. See our Privacy Policy and Data Processing Agreement.

You keep the rights in what you post. You must have the right to post it.

7. Links to other websites

Pastors Network may link to other websites, such as a church’s own site or a map. We are not responsible for them. Check their own privacy policies.

8. Reporting a problem

If you see something wrong:

9. If these rules are broken

We may:

  • give a warning;
  • suspend the account for a time;
  • close the account;
  • report the matter to the police if a crime may have been committed.

We will try to contact you before we act. We may act at once, without warning, if someone is at risk, if the content is unlawful, if a child or adult at risk may be in danger, or if personal information is being misused.

10. The law that applies

This policy is governed by the law of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales deal with any dispute.

11. Changes

We may change this policy. We will change the date at the top. If a change matters, we will email registered users or show a notice on the platform before it takes effect.