Privacy Policy

This privacy policy was last updated on October 21, 2024.

BeFree Community Church ("us", "we", or "our") operates https://www.befree.church (the "site"). This privacy policy informs you of our policies regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information we receive from site visitors. This privacy policy applies solely to information collected by this website.

We use your personal information only for providing and improving the site. By using our site, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

This privacy policy will notify you of the following:

  1. What personally-identifiable information is collected from you through the site, how it is used, and with whom it may be shared.

  2. What choices are available to you regarding the use of your data.

  3. The security procedures in place to protect the misuse of your information.

  4. How you can correct any inaccuracies in the information.

Information Collection, Use, and Sharing

We are the owners of the information collected on this site. We only have access to/collect information that you voluntarily give us. We will not sell, rent, trade, or give this information to anyone. We will not share your information with any third party outside of BeFree Community Church.

Like many site operators, we collect information that your browser sends whenever you visit our site. This log data may include information such as your computer's Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type, browser version, the type of device you used to visit our site, the pages of our site that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, and other statistics.

We use "cookies" on this site. A cookie is a piece of data stored on a site visitor's hard drive to help us improve your access to our site and identify repeat visitors to our site. Cookies also enable us to track the interests of our site visitors to enhance the experience on our site. Usage of a cookie is in no way linked to any personally identifiable information on our site. A small pop-up about cookies displays when you visit our site. You can disable cookies from your browser.

Our church locations use the MailChimp platform to maintain email lists and manage electronic communications with our local church bodies. Newsletter sign-up forms found in various places on the site record your email address and add it to the corresponding church’s MailChimp database. If you have asked to be added to our hard-copy church directory, your name and email address are added to or updated within MailChimp on an annual basis. We will use your information to send you weather-related notices about our worship gatherings, location-specific emails of varying frequencies, and our semi-annual church-wide newsletter. Read MailChimp’s privacy policy.

Our churches use the PushPay donation platform to accept electronic donations, gifts, tithes, and offerings. Should you use our PushPay portal on our site, you are redirected to the PushPay site, and your personal information is protected through their site encryption. We receive periodic notices from PushPay about donations received in order to reconcile our accounts and balance our budget. These notices are maintained on the PushPay site and are only accessible via administrative login to the PushPay site. Read PushPay’s privacy policy.

If you fill out a Contact Form found throughout the site, your information is automatically forwarded to a staff member for the corresponding BeFree location. Your personal information is also collected and/or stored within the administrative section of the website, and it is only accessible by individuals with administrative rights. If you have any concerns about information security, please contact the webmaster.

If you fill out a Registration Form for one of our Children Delighting in God (DIG) ministries, your child’s information is automatically forwarded to the Children’s Ministry Director for the corresponding BeFree location. Your personal information about your child is also collected and/or stored within the administrative section of the website, and it is only accessible by individuals with administrative rights. Your child’s information is also stored in a Google Drive document owned by the Children’s Ministry Director for record and emergency purposes. Note: DIG Registration Forms collect birth dates, medical and allergy information, emergency contact information, and image privacy preferences for minors; if you have any concerns about information security, please contact the Children’s Ministry Director at the corresponding BeFree location.

If you fill out Permission Slip for one of our Youth Group ministries, your child’s information is stored in a Google Drive document owned by the Youth Group Director for record and emergency purposes. Your personal information about your child is also collected and/or stored within the administrative section of the website, and it is only accessible by individuals with administrative rights. Note: Youth Group Permission Slips collect birth dates, medical and allergy information, emergency contact information, and image privacy preferences for minors; if you have any concerns about information security, please contact the Youth Group Director at the corresponding BeFree location.

If you fill out an electronic Communication Card, your information is automatically forwarded to a staff member for the corresponding BeFree location. Your personal information is also collected and/or stored within the administrative section of the website, and it is only accessible by individuals with administrative rights. Your information is stored in a Google Drive document owned by corresponding BeFree location for record and emergency purposes (i.e., updating the church directory). Note: Communication cards collect names and email addresses (as required by the form), and occasionally phone numbers, physical addresses, and/or basic demographic information (not required); if you have any concerns about information security, please contact the webmaster.

Occasionally, we ask for your name and contact information (usually an email address) through an RSVP form. This information is automatically forwarded to the event organizer. Your personal information is also collected and/or stored within the administrative section of the website, and it is only accessible by individuals with administrative rights. Your information is stored in a Google Drive document owned by the event organizer for record and contact purposes; if you have any concerns about information security, please contact the webmaster.

Your Access To and Control Over Information

You can do the following at any time by contacting the BeFree Community Church webmaster:

  1. See what data we have about you, if any.

  2. Change/correct any data we have about you.

  3. Opt out of our electronic communications.

  4. Have us delete any data we have about you.

  5. Express any concern you have about our use of your data.

Security

We take precautions to protect your information. When you submit information via the site, your information is protected both online and offline. Our site is encrypted with Secure Socket Layers (SSL)--you can verify this by looking for a lock icon in the address bar and looking for "https" at the beginning of the address of the site.

No method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your personal information. In the event that we experience a breach of security, we will promptly notify you if your personal information has been compromised, in accordance with applicable law.

Links

This website contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of other sites. We encourage our visitors to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of any other site that collects personally identifiable information.

Photos

Photos of our church members and attenders often appear throughout the site accompanying the information included on each page. Photos are frequently used to accompany posts on our social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) for each local church. For children under the age of 18 who are included in photography on the site, we have obtained written permission for photo usage via registration forms/permission slips for our children’s ministry programs, middle school youth groups, and high school youth groups. If you are concerned about the use of a photo on our site or on social media, or would like to have a photo removed, please contact a staff member at the corresponding BeFree location.

Changes To This Privacy Policy

This privacy policy is effective as of April 14, 2019, and will remain in effect except with respect to any changes in its provisions in the future, which will be in effect immediately after being posted on this page.

We reserve the right to update or change our privacy policy at any time and you should check this privacy policy periodically. Your continued use of our site after we post any modifications to the privacy policy on this page will constitute your acknowledgment of the modifications and your consent to abide and be bound by the modified privacy policy.

If we make any material changes to this privacy policy, we will notify you either through the email address you have provided us, or by placing a prominent notice on our website.

If you feel that we are not abiding by this privacy policy, you should contact the BeFree Community Church webmaster.