Our purpose for having members-only sections of our website is to provide you with news, information, ideas, and resources to strengthen the ministry in your congregation. We strive to accomplish this purpose while maintaining a high regard for the confidentiality of the information we receive from you. Your trust in our ability to do that is of great importance to us. Therefore, we have developed this privacy policy so you will know how we handle the information we receive from you through the special access section of our website.
Stephen Ministries does not sell its mailing list or endorse third-party products. If someone contacts you about a product they say has been endorsed by, or developed in conjunction with, Stephen Ministries, please let us know about it immediately.
The first way that we protect your personal information is by asking only for the information that we really need to serve you more effectively. At times that will include one or more of the following:
your name
your home postal address
your credit card billing address
your shipping address
your personal email address
your daytime telephone and/or fax number
for purchases in our on-line store, your credit card information
the name of your congregation or organization
your congregation's or organization's denomination
your congregation's or organization's postal address
your congregation's or organization's email address and web address
your congregation's or organization's telephone and/or fax number
Your email address serves as your log-in name to the special access pages. With your permission, we will also use it as a means to communicate information to you about Stephen Ministries and our website. In addition to collecting your email address, we also track any agreements you make as part of the special access section of our website.
We do not receive any personal information about you that you may have given to your Internet service provider.
We use the personal and congregational information we receive from you to enable us to make follow-up contacts by telephone, mail, or email. We also use the information to determine the most appropriate material to send you and the most appropriate way to follow up. We reserve the right to retain all submitted information indefinitely.
We may share your personal information if ordered by a court of law or if you violate any of our requirements for the use of this website or of Stephen Ministries products. If you are a Stephen Leader or ChristCare Equipper, we may forward your name and the name and telephone number of your congregation to a congregation that expresses interest in enrolling in that ministry system or to an individual or congregation that plans to contact you for the purpose of establishing a Stephen Ministry or ChristCare Ministry.
We do not sell or rent your information to any other organization, except as described above. We do not have relationships with other organizations that require us to share mailing lists, telephone numbers, or email addresses.
So that we can serve you in the best possible way, it is important that the information we have about you is accurate. When the information about you is outdated or inaccurate, we ask that you contact us with the correct information.
When you shop in our online store, your credit card information is encrypted and sent for approval using the latest encryption technology. After a transaction is completed, we do not save or store your full credit card information. We save the last four digits of your credit card only, to aid us in serving you should there be a problem with your order.
All of our staff who have access to your personal information are thoroughly trained to give strict adherence to the procedures contained in this policy. Employees who violate our procedures are subject to a disciplinary process.
Stephen Ministries may occasionally amend this policy. If we make substantial changes in the way we use your personal information, we will notify you by posting an announcement on our website.