Terms of Service

By creating an account or using Belongward, you agree to these Terms and to our Community Guidelines. Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle information. If you don't agree, please don't use Belongward.

Belongward is operated by Belongward, a for-profit business. It is not a nonprofit or charity.

You need a valid email address or a supported Google or Apple sign-in to create an account. You must provide accurate information and may hold only accounts you are entitled to use.

Belongward is for adults age 18 and older. When you create an account you confirm that you are 18 or older. This is a self-affirmation; Belongward does not verify identity or age. We may close accounts we believe belong to someone under 18.

Keep your password private and tell us if you believe your account has been accessed without permission. You're responsible for activity on your account unless it results from our failure to protect it.

You can browse some public areas without verifying, but posting, responding, reacting, following, joining Circles, praying with others, reporting and applying to be a Guide all require a verified email address. Verification is confirmed by our sign-in system, not by anything you enter.

Your profile may include a display name, username, bio, general location, photos and the experiences you choose to share. You control each experience's privacy setting. Don't impersonate anyone or include information you don't have the right to share.

You're responsible for what you post, including posts, photos, alt text, responses, replies, Prayer requests and reports. Only share what you have the right to share and what you're comfortable with the selected audience seeing.

• Public — anyone, including people who aren't signed in, may be able to read the post and its public conversation, and it can be shared by link.
• Belongward — verified, signed-in members only.
• Circle Only — current members of the selected Circle only.
• Only Me — only you.
• Other people can copy or screenshot what they can see. Changing an audience or deleting a post later can't recall those copies.

Circles are official, topic-based groups run by Belongward. Joining lets you see and share Circle Only content in that Circle. We may create, change, pause or deactivate Circles; a deactivated Circle may remain readable to its members but closed to new activity.

You may ask for prayer with a Belongward or Circle Only audience, and may choose "Anonymous to Members". Anonymous hides your identity from other members — it does not hide it from Belongward. We keep the connection to your account for ownership, security, abuse prevention, reporting and moderation, and authorized team members may view it when needed for those purposes.

You can react with supportive reactions, respond, reply one level deep, and follow other members. Please use these kindly and in line with the Community Guidelines. We don't rank people or posts by popularity.

You can block a member or report content or members you believe break our Guidelines. Blocking stops you from seeing and interacting with each other while signed in; it can't stop anyone from reading content you post as Public while they are signed out. Reports are private, and we don't tell the reported person who reported them.

We may review reports, remove or hide content, issue warnings, restrict features, suspend accounts, and take other reasonable steps to keep Belongward safe. We don't promise that every report leads to action, that we monitor everything, or that we can prevent all harmful behaviour.

A warning is a notice. A restriction limits certain features, such as posting or responding, for a period of time. A suspension pauses community participation for a period of time. Some actions expire automatically; we may reverse or extend them.

• Break the Community Guidelines or the law.
• Harass, threaten, exploit, scam, spam or impersonate anyone.
• Post another person's private information without permission.
• Try to access accounts, data or areas you aren't authorized to use, or interfere with Belongward's security or operation.
• Scrape, bulk-collect or resell Belongward content or member information.
• Use Belongward, or Guide status, to pressure members into buying outside products or services.

The Belongward name, logo, design and software belong to Belongward. These Terms don't give you rights to use them other than to use Belongward as intended.

You keep ownership of the stories, photos, prayers, posts and responses you create. We don't claim ownership of them.

You give Belongward a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free permission to host, store, reproduce, display, process and distribute your content to the audience you select, and to operate, secure and improve Belongward. This permission ends when your content is deleted, except for copies we must keep for legal, safety or moderation reasons, and content others have already shared with the audience you chose.

Belongward Supporter is an optional recurring paid membership that helps fund the operation and growth of Belongward. The current price is $4.99 per month. Prices may change; we'll give notice before a change applies to your membership.

• Supporter payments are purchases of a membership. They are not donations, charitable contributions or tax-deductible, and they are not an investment and don't give ownership or equity.
• Supporter status doesn't give priority support, affect Guide approval, or boost how your content is shown.
• Belongward's free community experience does not require a membership.

Memberships renew monthly until canceled. Payments are processed by our payment provider; we don't see or store your full card number. You can cancel from Settings → Support Belongward (billing questions: support@joinbelongward.com); your membership stays active until the end of the paid period. Ending a membership doesn't delete your Belongward account. Refunds are handled according to applicable law and the payment provider's process.

Guides are independent members — for example lived-experience volunteers, mentors, coaches, faith or community leaders, advocates, or professionals — who have been reviewed by the Belongward team. Guides are not Belongward employees, and Guide status gives no staff or moderator powers.

Guide status doesn't mean someone is a doctor, therapist, attorney, financial adviser or other licensed professional unless their specific verified role says so. Even when a credential has been verified, Belongward does not guarantee quality, outcome or suitability, that a licence remains valid after review, or that a professional-client relationship exists. Guide support doesn't replace medical care, mental-health care, legal or financial advice, or emergency services. Guide help through Belongward is currently intended to be free.

Applying doesn't guarantee approval, and review can take time.

Belongward relies on outside providers for hosting, sign-in (including Google and Apple), email and payments. Your use of those providers may also be subject to their terms. Links to other sites, such as book listings, are provided for convenience; we don't control those sites.

Belongward is a peer and community support platform. It is not a healthcare provider, medical service or crisis centre, and does not diagnose or treat any condition. Content from members and Guides is not professional advice.

Belongward is not an emergency service. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services. Belongward is provided "as is" and "as available", to the extent the law allows.

To the extent the law allows, Belongward is not liable for indirect, incidental or consequential losses, or for content or conduct of members, Guides or third parties. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that can't be limited by law.

You may stop using Belongward at any time. We may suspend or close accounts that break these Terms or the Guidelines, or when needed to protect members or comply with law. Some information may be kept afterward as explained in the Privacy Policy.

Belongward is in an early beta and will change. We may update these Terms; the effective date and version at the top will change. For significant changes we'll let you know and may ask you to accept the new Terms before continuing.

The governing law and venue for these Terms will be stated here before public launch.

Questions about these Terms? Please email us at support@joinbelongward.com.