Privacy Policy

1. Privacy Policy

Église Chrétienne De La Grâce – Grace Christian Church (“GCC,” “we,” “our”) is a faith community located in 3515 Shadyside Rd, Marietta, GA 30008. We collect and use personal information to support ministry, care for our congregation, and operate our church website, mobile and online giving, and our church relationship management system (“CRM”).

2. What information we collect

We collect information you provide directly or that is generated by your use of our services:

Identity & contact: name, address, phone, email, age/date of birth, household/family relationships.
Church participation: membership status, ministry teams, class/attendance, volunteer interests, baptism/child dedication records, small-group participation.
Pastoral care: prayer requests and notes you choose to share with pastoral staff/approved ministers (may include sensitive information you voluntarily provide).
Giving & finance: donation history, pledge/recurring giving details, and the last four digits of your card/bank if shown on receipts. (We do not store full card numbers; payments are processed by our third-party processor.)
Minors (Children & Youth): parent/guardian contact information, age/grade, event registrations, medical/allergy notes you provide for event safety.
Media: photos/videos from services and events (see Section 9).
Technical/Cookies (website): IP address, device/browser type, pages viewed, referral URLs, and cookie identifiers (see Section 7).

3. How we use your information

We use personal data to:

Maintain membership and attendance records; plan ministries and events; coordinate volunteers.
Provide pastoral care, prayer, counseling, and benevolence assistance.
Process donations, issue receipts and acknowledgements, and comply with financial recordkeeping laws.
Send transactional emails or texts (e.g., receipts, schedule changes) and church communications you opt into.
Protect the security and integrity of our systems and premises.
Improve our website and digital tools.

Legal bases (where applicable, e.g., GDPR): your consent, contract (e.g., account creation), legal obligations (e.g., donation records), and our legitimate interests in church administration and member care.

4. When we share information

We may share data with:

Service providers under contract (e.g., church management software, payment processors, email/SMS providers, background-check vendors for volunteers, event registration platforms).
Leaders/volunteers who need limited access to fulfill a ministry role (e.g., class rosters).
Legal compliance: when required by law, court order, or to protect safety.
With your consent: e.g., publishing your testimony or photo.

We do not sell your personal information.

5. Donations & payments

Online and card transactions are processed by our third-party payment processor(s) (e.g., Stripe/PayPal/Your Provider). They handle card/bank details in accordance with PCI-DSS and their privacy policies. We receive confirmation of your gift and related details (amount, method type, last four digits) but do not store full payment credentials.

6. Data retention

Donations & finance: retained for the period required by applicable law (often 7 years or longer for audit/tax).
Membership/pastoral records: retained while you are active and for a reasonable period thereafter to maintain accurate church history and care.
Children/youth forms: retained only as long as necessary for safety, legal, and ministry
purposes. When no longer needed, data is securely deleted or anonymized

7. Cookies & online tracking

Our website and CRM may use cookies and similar technologies to remember preferences, keep you signed in, and measure site usage. You can manage cookies in your browser settings; some features may not work without them. We do not use cookies to build third-party advertising profiles.

8. Your choices & rights

Access/Correction/Deletion: You may request a copy of your data, ask us to correct it, or request deletion where permitted by law.
Email/Text preferences: You can unsubscribe from non-transactional messages at any time.
EEA/UK (GDPR) users: You may also have rights to restrict processing, data portability, and to object to certain processing, plus the right to lodge a complaint with your data protection authority.

Requests: contact church@ecgg.org

9. Photos, video & live stream

We may capture photos/videos during services and events for ministry communications (website, brochures, social media, live stream).
If you do not wish to appear, please inform a greeter or contact us, and we will make reasonable efforts to honor your preference and remove images we control.

10. Children’s privacy

We welcome children and youth under the care of parents/guardians. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children online without parental consent. Parents/guardians may review or request deletion of their child’s records (subject to legal retention requirements). Program areas follow our child safety policies

11. Security

We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal data (e.g., access controls, encryption in transit, staff/volunteer training). No system is 100% secure; please protect your passwords and notify us immediately of any suspected unauthorized use.

12. International users & data transfers

If you access our services from outside the United States, your data may be processed in the U.S. We implement legally recognized safeguards for cross-border transfers (e.g., Standard Contractual Clauses) where required.

13. Third-party links

Our website may include links to external sites (e.g., event registrations, payment portals). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites. Review their policies before providing information