Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 25 September 2025

1. Our Commitment to Your Privacy

Church of Christ is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. We are a community built on trust, and that extends to the personal data you share with us.

This policy explains when and why we collect personal information about people who visit our website, how we use it, the conditions under which we may disclose it to others, and how we keep it secure. It also explains your rights in relation to your personal data.

By using our website, you are agreeing to be bound by this Policy.

Any questions regarding this Policy and our privacy practices should be sent by email to [Email Address for Data Protection Enquiries] or by writing to us at [Church Address]. You can also telephone us at [Church Phone Number].

2. Who We Are

We are Church of Christ, a church based in Sheffield, England. Our registered charity number is [If Applicable].

In the context of data protection law, Church of Christ is the Data Controller. This means we are responsible for deciding how we hold and use personal information about you.

3. What Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following information about you:

Information You Give Us Directly:
- Contact Forms: Your name, email address, phone number, and the content of your message when you contact us for general enquiries or prayer requests.
- Event & Group Sign-Ups: Your name, contact details, and any other information required for event registration (e.g., dietary requirements, emergency contact).
- Giving & Donations: When you make a donation, we collect your name, contact details, and payment information. Financial transactions are processed by a third-party payment processor (e.g., Stripe, PayPal), and we do not store your full card details. If you complete a Gift Aid declaration, we will collect the necessary information to process this with HMRC.
- Newsletter Subscription: Your name and email address when you sign up for our mailing list.
- Children’s & Youth Work Registration: When registering a child for an activity, we will collect the child’s name, date of birth, and any relevant medical/allergy information, along with the parent/guardian's name and contact details for consent and emergency purposes.
Information We Collect Automatically:
- Technical Information: Like most websites, we may collect your IP address, browser type and version, time zone setting, and operating system.
- Usage Information: Information about how you use our website, such as which pages you visit and for how long. This is typically collected using cookies.
Photography and Videography:
- We may take photographs or record videos during our services and events for use on our website, social media, and in other promotional materials. Signs will be displayed to inform you when this is happening. If you do not wish to be photographed or recorded, please make yourself known to the event organiser or camera operator.

4. How and Why We Use Your Information (Our Legal Basis for Processing)

Under UK GDPR, we must have a valid legal basis for using your personal data. We use the information we collect in the following ways:

Purpose of ProcessingType of DataLegal Basis for Processing

To respond to your enquiries or prayer requests.Name, contact details, message content.Legitimate Interest (to respond to you) or Consent (for sensitive data like prayer requests, where you explicitly agree).

To process your donations and Gift Aid claims.Name, address, financial details, Gift Aid status.Legal Obligation (for Gift Aid) and Legitimate Interest (to manage our finances).

To manage event, activity, and group registrations.Name, contact details, dietary/medical info.Legitimate Interest (to administer the event effectively and ensure your safety).

To send you newsletters and church communications.Name, email address.Consent (You must explicitly opt-in to receive these communications).

To administer our children's and youth work safely.Child & Parent/Guardian details, medical/allergy info.Legitimate Interest (to ensure child safety) and Consent (explicit parental consent).

To operate and improve our website.Technical and usage data.Legitimate Interest (to ensure our website functions correctly and to improve user experience).

To publicise the life of the church.Images and videos.Legitimate Interest (to promote the church). We will always seek specific consent for featuring individuals prominently.

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5. Who Has Access to Your Information?

We will not sell or rent your information to third parties. We will not share your information with third parties for marketing purposes.

We may pass your information to our trusted third-party service providers for the purposes of completing tasks and providing services to you on our behalf. These may include:

Payment Processors: For securely handling online donations (e.g., Stripe, GoCardless).
Email/Mailing List Providers: For sending our newsletters (e.g., Mailchimp).
Church Management Software: For managing our church directory, rotas, and event sign-ups (e.g., ChurchSuite, Planning Center).
Website Hosting & Analytics Providers: (e.g., Google Analytics).

We disclose only the personal information that is necessary to deliver the service and we have a contract in place that requires them to keep your information secure and not to use it for their own direct marketing purposes.

6. Your Rights

Under UK data protection law, you have several important rights. These are:

Right to be Informed: The right to be informed about how we collect and use your personal data.
Right of Access: The right to request a copy of the information that we hold about you.
Right to Rectification: The right to correct data that we hold about you that is inaccurate or incomplete.
Right to Erasure (the "right to be forgotten"): In certain circumstances, you can ask for the data we hold about you to be erased from our records.
Right to Restrict Processing: The right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data.
Right to Data Portability: The right to have the data we hold about you transferred to another organisation.
Right to Object: The right to object to certain types of processing, such as direct marketing.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in Section 2.

7. Data Security and Retention

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. We have put in place suitable physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect. For example, our website uses SSL encryption (HTTPS) to protect data transmitted to and from the site.

We will hold your personal information on our systems for as long as is necessary for the relevant activity, or as long as is set out in any relevant contract you hold with us. For example:

Gift Aid declarations must be kept for 6 years after the most recent donation.
We will keep mailing list data until you choose to unsubscribe.

8. Use of 'Cookies'

Like many other websites, our website uses cookies. 'Cookies' are small pieces of information sent by an organisation to your computer and stored on your hard drive to allow that website to recognise you when you visit. They collect statistical data about your browsing actions and patterns and do not identify you as an individual.

You can switch off cookies by setting your browser preferences. For more information, please see our [Link to a Separate Cookie Policy, if you have one].

9. Children's Privacy (16 and Under)

We are concerned to protect the privacy of children aged 16 or under. If you are aged 16 or under, please get your parent/guardian's permission beforehand whenever you provide us with personal information. We will not knowingly collect personal data from children without explicit parental consent.

10. Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to other websites run by other organisations. This privacy policy applies only to our website‚ so we encourage you to read the privacy statements on the other websites you visit.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page will always be current. We encourage you to review this page periodically for any changes.

12. How to Make a Complaint

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, please contact us first so we can resolve the issue. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK's supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Information Commissioner's Office Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF Helpline: 0303 123 1113 Website: https://www.ico.org.uk