Privacy Policy for Grand Rapids Church of Christ

Effective Date: February, 2025

Grand Rapids Church of Christ (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals who interact with our church, both online and offline. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and share your personal information. We are committed to complying with applicable data privacy laws.

1. Information We Collect:
We collect information about you when you interact with our church, including:

• Personal Information: This may include your name, contact information (address, phone number, email address), date of birth, family information, and other information you voluntarily provide.
• Donation Information: When you make a donation through our website using Tithely, we collect information about the donation, including the amount, date, and designation (e.g., general fund, benevolence, missions). Tithely’s privacy policy also governs the collection and use of your payment information. We do not directly store your credit card or bank account details.
• Website Usage Information: We may collect information about your use of our website, such as your IP address, browser type,¹ pages visited, and referring website. We may use cookies or other tracking technologies to collect this information. (See our Cookie Policy below for more details.)
• Information from Other Sources: We may receive information about you from other sources, such as church directories, community organizations, or referrals.

2. How We Use Your Information:
We use your information for the following purposes:

• Church Administration: To manage church membership, maintain records, communicate with you, and administer church programs and activities.
• Donation Processing: To process your donations, provide donation receipts, and maintain financial records. This includes sharing necessary information with Tithely for processing.
• Communication: To send you newsletters, event announcements, and other information about our church. You may opt out of receiving these communications at any time.
• Pastoral Care: To provide pastoral care and support.
• Website Improvement: To improve our website and tailor it to your needs.
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws and regulations.

3. Sharing Your Information:
We will not sell or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information with² the following parties:

• Tithely: We share your donation information with Tithely for the purpose of processing your donations. We encourage you to review Tithely’s privacy policy to understand how they handle your data.
• Service Providers: We may share your information with third-party service providers who assist us with church administration, communication, or website maintenance. We ensure that these providers are contractually obligated to protect your privacy.
• Legal Authorities: We may disclose your information to legal authorities if required by law or legal process.
• Church Leadership: Certain information, such as contact details and donation history (excluding payment details), may be accessible to church leadership for administrative and pastoral purposes. Access is granted on a need-to-know basis and is subject to strict confidentiality.

4. Data Security:
We take reasonable measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. However, no data transmission over the Internet or electronic storage³ is 100% secure.

5. Data Retention:
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected,⁴ or as required by law.

6. Your Choices:

• Access and Correction: You have the right to access and correct your personal information. Please contact us if you would like to review or update your information.⁵
• Communication Preferences: You can opt out of receiving communications from us at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in our emails or by contacting us directly.⁶
• Cookie Preferences: You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings.⁷ (See our Cookie Policy below.)

7. Children’s Privacy:
Our website and services are not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from⁸ children under 13. If you become aware that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us.⁹

8. Changes to this Privacy Policy:
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.¹⁰ We will post any changes on our website and encourage you to review¹¹ the policy periodically.

9. Contact Us:
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Grand Rapids Church of Christ
616-229-0922
webmaster@grandrapidschurch.org

Cookie Policy:
Our website may use cookies and other tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience and personalize content.¹² Cookies are small text files¹³ that are placed on your device. We may use both session cookies (which expire when you close your browser) and persistent cookies (which remain on your device for a longer period).¹⁴

• Types of Cookies: We may use essential cookies (necessary for the website to function), analytics cookies (to understand how you use the website), and functionality cookies (to remember your preferences).
• Managing Cookies: You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to accept or reject cookies.¹⁵ However, disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website.

Tithely Privacy Policy:
Please note that Tithely, our online donation platform, has its own privacy policy, which governs the collection, use, and sharing of your payment information. We encourage you to review Tithely’s privacy policy here. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of Tithely.

This Privacy Policy is effective as of February, 2025.