What should a Church Website Privacy Policy contain?

**Please note: this help article does not substitute for legal advice, and the Church Fuel team is not offering legal advice for your church privacy policy. When creating a privacy policy, it is important to consult with a legal team and design a policy custom to your church. Church Fuel assumes no liability by offering these suggestions below.

A church privacy policy should include at least five sections:

1 ) The Introduction

This is your opportunity to explain the purpose of your website. If you’re not sure what your purpose is, try to answer the question, “What am I trying to accomplish with this site?”

Then, explain that the privacy policy exists to help people understand how the church uses their information. It’s a good idea to include a line that says, “using this website implies acceptance of the privacy policy."

2) Collected Information

This section helps people understand what is being collected and how you are using it. Be crystal clear about every piece of information you collect, even if it seems obvious.

3) Means of Collection

In this section, explain the procedure you use to gather information about people. For example:

Do you use forms?
Are there fields to provide personal information?
Is information collected through cookies?
How do you use this information?

4) Information Storage

Now, tell people exactly where their information is being stored. This demonstrates that their personal information is secure in your hands. As far as information storage goes, there are different regulations depending on your location.

5) Contact information

Lastly, you need to provide information on how the user can contact you. This needs to be a clear and direct form of communication, such as an email address. Make sure it’s an address where people will receive a quick response if they contact you with questions.

Optional sections

Definitions

You may want to include a section that defines some key terms, such as:

personal data
cookies
data controller
data processor
GDPR
SSL
personal identification
etc.

Data Collection Laws

You can provide a section that explains the laws regarding data collection for the area where you live. For example, for countries that are members of the EU, you can explain how the EU Cookie Laws apply to your site. Be sure to check your understanding of these laws with a lawyer.

User-Controlled Options

If you have a page that allows people to opt-in or out of a specific form of data collection, link to it! Make this super easy to find, because trying to opt-out is one of the main reasons people will read your privacy policy.