This Privacy Policy describes how The Safer Church L.L.C. ("The Safer Church," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and protects information when you visit our website at www.thesaferchurch.com or use our application at *.thesaferchurch.app (collectively, the "Services").
The Safer Church is a platform that helps church safety teams manage schedules, communicate, and stay coordinated. We take the privacy of our users — and the congregations they serve — seriously.
1. Information We Collect
Information you provide to us
When you or your organization creates an account and uses The Safer Church, we collect:
- Account information: name, email address, mobile phone number, church or organization name, role (director, team lead, team member), and password.
- Team and scheduling data: shift assignments, availability, team memberships, and roster details entered by you or your organization's administrators.
- Communications: messages you send through our messaging features, and bulletins or announcements posted in the Situation Room.
- Support requests: any information you provide when you contact us for support or feedback.
Information collected automatically
When you use the Services, we may automatically collect:
- Log and device data: IP address, browser type, device identifiers, operating system, referring URLs, and pages viewed.
- Usage data: actions you take within the app, such as login events, message sends, and schedule changes. We use this data to operate, secure, and improve the Services.
- Audit logs: security-relevant events (logins, permission changes, sensitive actions) are logged for accountability and incident response.
Marketing website
Our marketing website (www.thesaferchurch.com) is a static site and does not set tracking cookies or use third-party analytics. Basic server request logs may be retained by our hosting provider.
2. How We Use Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Provide, operate, and maintain the Services.
- Authenticate users and enforce access controls.
- Deliver scheduling notifications, team messages, and safety-related communications via email and SMS.
- Respond to support requests and communicate with you about your account.
- Detect, investigate, and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents.
- Comply with legal obligations.
- Improve and develop new features.
3. Email Communications
We use email to send two categories of messages:
- Transactional emails related to your use of the Services: account verification, password resets, shift assignments, schedule changes, team messages, security alerts, and similar operational notifications. These are part of the Services and cannot be opted out of while you maintain an active account, because they are necessary for the platform to function.
- Informational and promotional emails such as product updates, newsletters, and announcements. These are optional. You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of any such email, or by contacting us at info@thesaferchurch.com.
We do not sell, rent, or share your email address with third parties for their marketing purposes.
4. SMS / Text Message Communications
With your consent, The Safer Church sends SMS text messages to the mobile phone number associated with your account. These messages support the core functions of the platform: notifying team members about shifts, enabling leaders to communicate with their teams, and delivering urgent safety bulletins.
Consent and opt-in
SMS messaging is opt-in only. By providing your mobile phone number and agreeing to receive text messages when you register or update your notification preferences, you consent to receive SMS messages from The Safer Church. We do not send SMS messages to any individual who has not expressly opted in.
Types of messages
- Shift assignments, reminders, and schedule changes.
- Team messages and announcements sent by your organization's leaders.
- Safety bulletins and situational awareness alerts.
- Account verification codes (e.g., multi-factor authentication).
Message frequency
Message frequency varies based on your role, your team's activity, and how your organization uses the platform. Expect message frequency to be variable.
How to stop or get help
You can manage SMS messaging at any time:
- Reply STOP to any message to unsubscribe from SMS messages. You will receive a single confirmation message and will not receive further SMS messages.
- Reply HELP to any message to receive information about how to contact us for support.
- You may also adjust your notification preferences within the app, or contact us at info@thesaferchurch.com.
If you reply STOP, you will no longer receive SMS notifications through the platform, which may affect your ability to receive time-sensitive team communications. Critical account messages may still be delivered by email.
5. How We Share Information
We share information only in the following circumstances:
- Within your organization: team members, leaders, and directors within your church or organization will see the information necessary for their role (for example, schedules, team rosters, and messages).
- Service providers: we use trusted subprocessors to operate the Services (for example, cloud hosting, database hosting, email delivery, and SMS delivery). These providers are contractually required to safeguard your information and may only use it to provide services to us.
- Legal and safety: we may disclose information if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, enforce our terms, protect the rights, property, or safety of our users or others, or respond to an emergency.
- Business transfers: if The Safer Church is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will provide notice before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
We do not sell your personal information. We do not share your personal information (including mobile phone numbers and SMS opt-in data) with third parties for their own marketing purposes.
6. Data Security
The Safer Church was designed and built by a cyber security professional. We apply industry-standard safeguards to protect your information, including:
- Encryption of data in transit (TLS) and at rest.
- Role-based access controls and least-privilege principles.
- Multi-factor authentication for account access.
- Security audit logging and monitoring.
- Regular security reviews of our code, infrastructure, and third-party providers.
No system is perfectly secure. If we become aware of a security incident affecting your information, we will notify you as required by applicable law.
7. Data Retention
We retain your information for as long as your account is active, or as needed to provide the Services, comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. When your account is deleted, we will delete or anonymize personal information within a reasonable period, except where retention is required by law (for example, certain audit logs may be retained longer for security and compliance purposes).
8. Children's Privacy
The Safer Church is intended for use by adults (age 18 and older) who serve on church safety teams. The Services are not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us at info@thesaferchurch.com and we will take steps to delete it.
We recognize that congregations include minors. The Services are tools used by adult safety team members and do not collect or store information about children who attend a congregation, except to the extent a team member records an incident or situational note as part of their safety role. Organizations using The Safer Church are responsible for how they collect and use such information in accordance with their own policies and applicable law.
9. Your Rights and Choices
Depending on where you live, you may have rights regarding your personal information, including:
- Access to the personal information we hold about you.
- Correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
- Objection to, or restriction of, certain processing.
- Withdrawal of consent at any time (for example, unsubscribing from SMS or email).
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@thesaferchurch.com. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law.
California residents
If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and related laws provide you with additional rights regarding your personal information, including the right to know what personal information we collect, the right to request deletion, the right to correct inaccurate information, and the right not to be discriminated against for exercising your rights. The Safer Church does not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined under California law.
10. International Users
The Safer Church is operated from the United States. If you access the Services from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. When we make material changes, we will notify you by updating the "Effective date" at the top of this page and, where appropriate, by email or in-app notice. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
12. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our handling of your information, please contact us:
- Email: info@thesaferchurch.com
- Mailing address:
The Safer Church L.L.C.
4539 N 22nd St Ste R
Phoenix, AZ 85016-4639