Terms and conditions

Before this page is published. This is template wording, not legal advice, and it has not been reviewed for any particular church. Have qualified counsel read and adapt it, replace every placeholder written in [CAPITALS AND BRACKETS], confirm that it describes what your church actually does, and delete this paragraph.

Agreement

This website is operated by [CHURCH NAME], [POSTAL ADDRESS]. By using it you accept these terms. If you do not accept them, please do not use the site.

Our privacy policy explains how we handle personal information and forms part of these terms.

Using this website

You are welcome to read, share and link to anything published here. You agree not to:

• use the site unlawfully, or to harass, threaten, defame or impersonate anyone;
• submit anything obscene, hateful, or that discloses someone else's private circumstances without their agreement;
• attempt to gain access to accounts, records or parts of the system that are not yours;
• interfere with the site's operation, probe it for weaknesses without our written permission, or submit automated traffic through its forms;
• copy or reuse content in a way that suggests the church endorses something it does not.

We may remove content or withdraw access if these terms are broken.

What you send us

You keep ownership of anything you submit. By sending it you give us permission to store it and to use it for the purpose you sent it for — answering a message, praying for a request, or adding you to a mailing list.

You confirm that what you send is yours to send, and that where it concerns another person you have their agreement.

A prayer request is only published if you say it may be, and only after review. You may withdraw that permission at any time by contacting us. Reviewing a request is not a promise to publish it, and we may decline to publish anything.

Prayer and pastoral messages are not an emergency service

This website is not monitored continuously. Messages and prayer requests may not be seen for some time, and sending one does not create a pastoral, counselling or professional relationship.

If you or someone else is in danger, do not use this website. Contact [EMERGENCY NUMBER FOR YOUR COUNTRY] or [LOCAL CRISIS LINE AND NUMBER].

Nothing on this site is legal, medical, financial or psychological advice. Where you need such advice, please consult a qualified professional.

Accounts

Accounts on this site are issued to church staff and volunteers for church purposes only. If you hold one, keep your password to yourself, use a second authentication step where offered, and tell us at once if you think someone else has used your account. You are responsible for what is done through it.

Giving

Giving is handled by [GIVING PROVIDER] on its own website, under its own terms. When you follow a giving link you leave this website. We do not accept or store card or bank details here.

Gifts are made to [CHURCH NAME] and are used at its discretion in support of its purposes, unless a specific fund is stated and we have agreed to it. Refunds and receipts are dealt with under [DESCRIBE THE CHURCH POLICY ON REFUNDS AND GIVING RECEIPTS].

The online store

The store is a separate application with its own terms, its own accounts and its own records. Orders, payments, delivery, returns and customer support are governed by those terms and not by these. Nothing purchased there is a donation, and a donation is not a purchase.

Content and intellectual property

Unless stated otherwise, the text, images, recordings and design on this site belong to [CHURCH NAME] or are used with permission. You may quote and share for personal, educational or congregational use with attribution. Commercial use requires our written permission.

Some material may belong to others — hymns, translations, licensed music and photographs among them — and may carry its own restrictions. Copyright concerns should go to [COPYRIGHT CONTACT EMAIL].

Accuracy, availability and other websites

We take care over what we publish, but service times, events and details change. Please confirm anything you intend to rely on. We do not promise that the site will always be available or free of error, and we may change or withdraw any part of it.

Links to other websites are offered for convenience. We do not control them and are not responsible for their content, their accuracy or their treatment of your information.

Liability

To the fullest extent the law allows, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss arising from your use of this website. Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that may not lawfully be limited.

Changes and governing law

We may revise these terms. The current version is always the one on this page, and the date below tells you when it last changed. Continuing to use the site means you accept the revision.

These terms are governed by the laws of [JURISDICTION], and the courts of [JURISDICTION] have exclusive jurisdiction.

Contact

Questions about these terms: [GENERAL CONTACT EMAIL], or write to us at [POSTAL ADDRESS].

Effective [DATE THESE TERMS TAKE EFFECT]. Last reviewed [DATE OF LAST REVIEW].