1. Introduction

GRACEHOUSE ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information with care and respect. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect information when you visit our website (www.gracehouse.church) or interact with our ministry.

By using our website or services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. Your continued use of our website following the posting of changes to this policy will be deemed your acceptance of those changes.

Please note: This Privacy Policy is provided for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. If you have specific legal questions regarding your rights or our practices, we encourage you to consult with a qualified attorney.

2. Information We Collect

Information You Provide Directly

We collect information you voluntarily provide when you interact with our church, including:

Registration and Sign-Up Forms: Name, email address, phone number, mailing address, and other contact information when you register for events, classes, or programs.

Prayer Requests: Information you share when submitting prayer requests, which may include personal circumstances, health information, or other sensitive details. We treat all prayer request information as confidential and sensitive.

Online Donations: Name, contact information, and payment details when you make contributions through our online giving platform.

Children's Ministry Information: Names and number of children in your family, along with any relevant information (such as allergies or medical conditions) for our check-in and child safety systems. This information is collected from parents or guardians, not directly from children.

Email Communications: Email address and name when you subscribe to our newsletter or email updates.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically through cookies and similar technologies. This includes information such as your IP address (anonymized), browser type, device information, pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring websites.

3. How We Collect Information

We collect information through the following methods:

Website forms (registration, contact, prayer request forms)

Church Center (Planning Center) platform for event registrations and check-ins

Online donation platform (OnlineGiving.org)

Email newsletter sign-up forms

Cookies and analytics tools on our website

In-person interactions at church events and services

Consent: By voluntarily submitting information through our forms, subscribing to our emails, or making a donation, you consent to our collection and use of that information as described in this Privacy Policy. You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us.

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience and help us understand how visitors use our site.

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. They help websites remember your preferences and understand how you interact with the site.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our website. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information such as how often users visit our site, what pages they visit, and what other sites they used prior to coming to our site. We use this information solely to improve our website and your experience.

Google Analytics collects only the IP address assigned to you on the date you visit our site, rather than your name or other identifying information. We do not combine the information collected through Google Analytics with other personally identifiable information.

For more information about how Google uses data when you use our website, please visit: 

https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites

You may opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, available at: 

https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

Managing Cookies

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can set your browser to refuse cookies or alert you when cookies are being sent. Please note that if you disable cookies, some features of our website may not function properly.

5. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To facilitate church ministries, events, and programs

To process donations and provide contribution statements for tax purposes

To communicate with you about church activities, events, and updates

To respond to prayer requests in accordance with your preferences

To ensure the safety and security of children in our care

To improve our website and understand how visitors use it

To comply with legal obligations

Legal Basis for Processing: We process your personal information based on: (a) your consent, which you provide when you submit a form, sign up for emails, or make a donation; (b) our legitimate interests in operating our ministry, communicating with our congregation, and ensuring child safety; and (c) compliance with legal obligations, such as maintaining donation records for tax purposes.

6. Sharing and Disclosure of Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

Service Providers: We use trusted third-party services to support our ministry operations (described in Section 7). These providers only have access to the information necessary to perform their services and are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.

Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, court order, subpoena, or governmental regulation, or if we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

With Your Consent: We may share information when you have given us explicit permission to do so.

7. Third-Party Services

We use the following trusted third-party services to support our ministry operations. These services may collect and process your information according to their own privacy policies, which we encourage you to review:

Planning Center (Church Center)

We use Planning Center for event registrations, check-ins, and member management. Information you provide through Church Center is processed in accordance with Planning Center's privacy policy: https://planningcenter.com/privacy

OnlineGiving.org

Online donations are processed through OnlineGiving.org. Your payment information is transmitted securely using industry-standard encryption and is not stored on our church systems. OnlineGiving.org maintains PCI-DSS compliance for payment security. We retain donation records (excluding full payment card numbers) for tax purposes and to provide annual giving statements.

Mailchimp

We use Mailchimp to send email communications. When you subscribe to our emails, Mailchimp collects your email address, name, and engagement data (such as whether you open emails or click links). Mailchimp uses cookies and similar technologies to track email engagement. For more information, see Mailchimp's privacy statement: https://www.intuit.com/privacy/statement/

You may unsubscribe from our emails at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link included in every email or by contacting us directly.

8. International Data Transfers

Some of our third-party service providers (such as Mailchimp and Google) may process and store data on servers located outside of the United States. By using our website and services, you understand and consent to the transfer of your information to these providers. These providers maintain appropriate safeguards to protect your data in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

9. Prayer Requests

We understand that prayer requests often contain sensitive and personal information, including health information and details about difficult personal circumstances. We treat all prayer request information as confidential and handle it with the utmost care.

Default Handling: Unless you provide explicit consent for your request to be shared more broadly, prayer requests will be kept confidential and shared only with our pastoral staff and designated prayer team members who are committed to maintaining confidentiality.

Confidential Requests: If you would like your prayer request to remain completely confidential (shared only with pastoral staff), please indicate this when submitting your request.

We will never share specific health information or other sensitive details publicly without your express written permission.

10. Children's Information

The safety of children in our care is a top priority. We collect information about children through our check-in system to ensure their security during church programs.

Information Collected: This information, which is provided by parents or guardians (not collected directly from children), may include children's names, ages, allergies, medical conditions, and authorized pickup persons.

Use and Access: This information is used solely for child safety purposes and is accessible only to authorized children's ministry staff and volunteers who have completed background checks.

Parental Rights: Parents and guardians may request to review, update, or delete their children's information at any time by contacting us using the information in Section 19.

Website Directed to Adults: Our website is not directed at children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13 through our website. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information directly from a child under 13, please contact us immediately so we can delete it.

11. Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or disclosure. These measures include:

Secure data storage with access limited to authorized personnel

Use of encryption for data transmission where appropriate

Regular review of our data collection and storage practices

Use of third-party service providers that maintain industry-standard security measures

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

12. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, comply with legal obligations, and support legitimate church operations:

Donation Records: Retained for a minimum of seven (7) years for tax and legal compliance purposes.

Membership Records: Retained as long as you remain connected with our church, or as required for historical and archival purposes.

Event Registration Data: Retained for a reasonable period after the event for follow-up and planning purposes, then deleted or anonymized.

Email Subscriber Information: Retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion.

13. Your Rights and Choices

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Right to Access: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.

Right to Correction: You may request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete information.

Right to Deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions (such as legal retention requirements for donation records).

Right to Opt-Out of Communications: You may unsubscribe from email communications at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in our emails or by contacting us.

Right to Withdraw Consent: You may withdraw consent for specific uses of your information (such as sharing prayer requests) at any time.

How to Exercise Your Rights: To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in Section 19. We will respond to your request within thirty (30) days. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

14. Information for California Residents

If you are a California resident, you may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA).

Do Not Sell My Personal Information: We do not sell your personal information to third parties, as defined under the CCPA.

Categories of Information Collected: In the preceding 12 months, we may have collected the following categories of personal information: identifiers (name, email, address, phone number), financial information (donation payment details processed by our third-party provider), and internet activity information (via Google Analytics).

Do Not Track Signals: Our website does not currently respond to "Do Not Track" browser signals. However, you may opt out of Google Analytics tracking as described in Section 4.

California residents may exercise their rights to access, delete, or opt-out by contacting us using the information in Section 19.

15. Data Breach Notification

In accordance with Indiana Code 24-4.9 (Indiana's Data Breach Notification Law), if we discover a security breach affecting your personal information (such as Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, or financial account information with access codes), we will notify affected Indiana residents without unreasonable delay and no later than forty-five (45) days after discovery of the breach.

16. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, services, or applications that are not operated by us. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third-party sites. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of every site you visit.

17. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy and any disputes arising from or relating to it shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Indiana, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

18. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy and post the revised policy on our website.

For significant changes that materially affect how we use your personal information, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you (such as by posting a notice on our website or sending an email to subscribers). Your continued use of our website following the posting of changes constitutes your acceptance of such changes.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

19. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, our data practices, or if you wish to exercise your rights regarding your personal information, please contact us at:

GRACEHOUSE

Email: info[at]gracehouse.church

Mailing Address: PO BOX 7577 Greenwood, IN 46142

Phone: (317) 535-5640

We will respond to all inquiries and requests within thirty (30) days.