Threads and forum channels both help keep longer conversations organized. A thread branches off a single message; a forum channel is a whole channel built around titled posts.
Starting a thread is an admin action — a church-wide chat admin in a standalone channel, a group admin in a group chat, or a plan admin in a service-plan chat. Any member can reply in a thread.
Threads
A thread is a focused side-conversation that keeps a channel tidy. A thread can begin two ways:
From a message - branch a discussion off a specific message (one thread per message).
Channel-level - a standalone thread that isn't tied to any single message.
When a member replies in a thread, they automatically start following it. Threads open in a side pane and show the latest reply and an unread count. A thread auto-archives after 24 hours with no activity and drops out of the sidebar — it isn't deleted.
Forum channels
A forum channel is a board of titled posts instead of a flowing timeline. Each post opens as its own discussion thread.
Creating a post
A post needs a title and a body, and can carry up to 5 tags and an image. In a normal forum, any member can post; in an "only admins can post" forum, only moderators can. The author can mark a post private.
Sorting and filtering posts
Forums offer two sorts: Recent activity (the default) and Date posted (newest first). Pinned posts always sit at the top in either mode. You can also filter by tag, by author and date, or search the title and body.
Tip: Tag filtering is "any of" — selecting two tags shows posts that have either tag, not only posts that have both.
Tags
Each forum has its own set of tags. Only forum moderators create, edit, delete, reorder, or merge them. A tag has a name (1–20 characters), an optional color and emoji, and can be marked moderator-only — visible to everyone, but only moderators can apply it.
Moderating posts
Moderators have three actions on a post:
Pin - keep the post at the top of the list.
Lock - only moderators can post after that.
Close - make the post read-only until it's reopened.
Deleting a post hides it (it's archived, not permanently removed).
Tip: Forums have no "answered" or "resolved" status. The closest options are Close (read-only) or Pin.