Sound.Church Privacy Policy
Effective Date: September 17, 2026
Sound.Church is a 508(c)(1)(a) religious organization located in Owatonna, Minnesota. We exist to amplify Jesus and create space for authentic encounters with Christ. We welcome people from every background and seek to serve our church family and community with generosity, integrity, and care—especially protecting children and other vulnerable people.
This Privacy Policy explains how Sound.Church collects, uses, shares, protects, and retains personal information through sound.church, the Sound.Church mobile app, online forms, ministry programs, events, and related services.
1. Information We Collect
Information You Provide
We may collect information that you voluntarily provide, including:
Name, address, telephone number, and contact information;
Connection-card information and requests for follow-up;
Prayer requests and related information;
Event, class, group, and ministry registrations;
Kids ministry check-in information and authorized pickup information;
Volunteer interest, ministry involvement, and service-team information;
Information submitted through forms, surveys, applications, or inquiries;
Information provided in connection with the Sound.Church school ministry;
Donation and giving information;
Account information used to access portions of our website or mobile app; and
Any other information you choose to provide to us.
Prayer requests and other information may contain sensitive personal or family information. Please share only information that you are comfortable providing for ministry or administrative purposes.
Information Collected Automatically
When you use our website or mobile app, we may automatically collect information such as:
Internet protocol address;
Browser type and device type;
Operating system;
General location information;
Pages, screens, features, or content viewed;
Dates and times of access;
Referring website or application;
App performance and diagnostic information;
General usage and interaction information; and
Information collected through cookies, pixels, software development kits, and similar technologies.
We use this information to operate, secure, maintain, and improve our website and mobile app; understand how people use our digital resources; measure performance; and provide a better experience.
You may be able to control cookies and similar technologies through your browser or device settings. Disabling certain technologies may affect the availability or functionality of some website or app features.
Information We Receive from Third Parties
We may receive information from third parties that support Sound.Church, including:
Giving and payment processors;
Church-management and registration platforms;
Communications and notification platforms;
Event, scheduling, and volunteer-management services;
App and website hosting providers;
Analytics and technology providers;
Publicly available sources; and
Other service providers that process information on our behalf.
The information we receive depends on the service, your interaction with that service, and the permissions or choices you make.
2. How We Use Information
Sound.Church may use personal information to:
Welcome and connect people with the church;
Respond to questions, requests, and inquiries;
Provide pastoral care and ministry follow-up;
Receive, organize, and respond to prayer requests;
Register people for events, groups, classes, and ministries;
Administer Kids, Youth, Young Adult, Men’s, Women’s, Life Recovery, and service-team ministries;
Operate and administer the school ministry;
Manage authorized children’s check-in and pickup procedures;
Coordinate volunteers and ministry participation;
Process and acknowledge donations and other financial transactions;
Provide website, mobile app, media, and digital resources;
Send requested updates, reminders, ministry information, and administrative communications;
Maintain church records and internal administration;
Protect children, vulnerable people, church members, guests, staff, and volunteers;
Detect, prevent, and respond to fraud, misuse, security incidents, and other harmful activity;
Comply with legal obligations and protect our rights; and
Support the mission, ministries, operations, and community of Sound.Church.
We seek to collect and use information in ways that are relevant to the purpose for which it was provided and reasonably necessary for church ministry or operations.
3. How We Share Information
We do not sell personal information.
We may share personal information in the following circumstances:
Service Providers
We may share information with vendors and service providers that help us operate Sound.Church, including providers of:
Website and mobile-app hosting;
Church-management systems;
Event and group registration;
Giving and payment processing;
Data storage and backup;
Analytics and security;
Communications and notifications;
Scheduling and volunteer management; and
Technical, administrative, and professional services.
These providers may use information only as needed to provide services to Sound.Church or as otherwise permitted by their agreements with us.
Ministry and Church Operations
We may share information with authorized pastors, ministry leaders, staff, volunteers, or other representatives when reasonably necessary to provide ministry care, administer a program, respond to a request, or protect a person’s safety. Access to sensitive information should be limited to people who need it for a legitimate ministry or operational purpose.
We do not promise that every prayer request, connection-card submission, registration, or ministry communication will remain confidential. If you need a confidential pastoral conversation, please communicate that request clearly when contacting us.
Legal, Safety, and Protection Purposes
We may disclose information when we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to:
Comply with a subpoena, court order, law, or legal process;
Protect the rights, property, or safety of Sound.Church or others;
Investigate suspected fraud, abuse, neglect, misconduct, or unlawful activity;
Respond to an emergency;
Protect children or vulnerable people; or
Enforce applicable agreements or policies.
Organizational Changes
If Sound.Church undergoes a reorganization, transfer of assets, merger, or similar organizational change, personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to applicable law and any required notices.
4. Digital Giving and Payment Information
Online giving and other financial transactions are processed through third-party payment processors. Sound.Church generally does not receive or store complete payment-card numbers, bank-account credentials, or similar payment credentials.
We may receive transaction-related information such as:
Donor name and contact information;
Donation amount and date;
Designation or fund;
Transaction status;
Limited payment information;
Recurring-giving details; and
Records needed for accounting, acknowledgment, and legal purposes.
Third-party payment processors maintain their own privacy policies and security practices. We encourage you to review those policies when using their services.
5. Children’s Privacy
Sound.Church values children and is committed to protecting them.
Kids Ministry and Check-In
Kids ministry check-in may require information such as a child’s name, age or grade, parent or guardian contact information, authorized pickup information, allergy or medical information voluntarily provided for safety, and check-in or attendance records.
We use this information to:
Identify children and authorized parents or guardians;
Operate check-in and pickup procedures;
Communicate with parents or guardians;
Support emergency response and child safety;
Administer attendance and ministry operations; and
Provide appropriate care.
Parents and guardians should provide only accurate information and should notify Sound.Church when information changes.
School Ministry
The Sound.Church school ministry may collect information from parents, guardians, students, applicants, and authorized representatives for enrollment, administration, communication, educational services, safety, records, and legal or regulatory purposes.
School-related information may be subject to additional notices, agreements, procedures, or legal requirements. Where required, we will obtain appropriate authorization or consent before collecting or using a child’s information.
Online Services Used by Children
Our website and mobile app are not intended to encourage children to provide personal information without the involvement of a parent or guardian. Parents and guardians should supervise children’s use of online services and contact us if they believe a child has provided personal information inappropriately.
Where applicable law requires parental notice, consent, access, correction, or deletion regarding a child’s information, Sound.Church will take reasonable steps to comply with those requirements. We seek to collect only information reasonably necessary for the relevant ministry, school, safety, or administrative purpose.
6. Data Security
Sound.Church uses reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure.
These safeguards may include:
Access controls;
Role-based permissions;
Password and account protections;
Secure transmission where supported;
Vendor and platform security controls;
Backup and recovery procedures;
Staff and volunteer practices; and
Procedures for responding to suspected security incidents.
No method of transmission, storage, or electronic communication is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security. If we determine that a security incident requires notice under applicable law, we will provide notice as required.
7. Data Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including ministry, administrative, financial, legal, safety, recordkeeping, and security purposes.
Retention periods vary depending on the type and sensitivity of the information. We may retain certain information longer when needed to:
Maintain church or ministry records;
Complete financial and tax reporting;
Document donations and transactions;
Protect children and vulnerable people;
Resolve disputes;
Investigate incidents or misconduct;
Comply with legal obligations;
Enforce agreements or policies; or
Preserve backup, archival, or security records.
When information is no longer reasonably necessary, we may delete, anonymize, destroy, or securely archive it. Deletion from active systems may not immediately remove information from backups or records that must be retained for legitimate purposes.
8. Your Choices and Rights
Depending on applicable law and the nature of our relationship with you, you may request to:
Access personal information we maintain about you;
Correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
Request deletion of personal information;
Receive information about how your personal information is used;
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
Opt out of nonessential communications; or
Ask questions about our privacy practices.
Some information may not be deleted or changed when we must retain it for legal, financial, safety, security, recordkeeping, or other legitimate purposes. We may need to verify your identity before completing a request. We may also decline requests that would compromise another person’s privacy or safety.
To make a privacy request or ask a question, contact us at hello@sound.church. Please describe your request clearly and provide enough information for us to understand and respond to it.
9. Third-Party Links and Services
Our website, mobile app, media resources, event pages, and other communications may contain links to websites, applications, platforms, or services operated by third parties.
Those third parties may collect, use, and share information according to their own policies. Sound.Church does not control and is not responsible for the privacy, security, content, or practices of third-party services. We encourage you to review the applicable policies before providing information or completing a transaction through a third-party service.
10. Media, Events, and Public Information
Sound.Church may photograph, record, or livestream worship gatherings, events, classes, and ministry activities. Images, audio, video, names, or other information may be used in church communications, ministry resources, websites, social media, or other public materials.
If you do not want to be included in a particular recording or public use, please notify an event leader or contact us at hello@sound.church. We will make reasonable efforts to honor such requests, but we cannot guarantee removal from materials already distributed or from recordings that include large groups or public gatherings.
11. Updates to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our ministries, website, mobile app, service providers, legal obligations, or information practices.
When we make changes, we will post the updated Policy on sound.church and update the Effective Date shown at the top of the Policy. Your continued use of our website, mobile app, or related services after an updated Policy is posted means that you acknowledge the updated Policy.
12. Contact Sound.Church
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise a privacy choice or right, or need to report a concern about the handling of personal information, contact:
Sound.Church
hello@sound.church
Text Messaging
We will not share your opt-in to an SMS campaign with any third party for purposes unrelated to providing you with the services of that campaign. All categories of information described in this policy exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties. We will not share your mobile information with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. We may share your Personal Data, including your SMS opt-in or consent status, with third parties that help us provide our messaging services, including but not limited to platform providers, phone companies, and other vendors who assist us in the delivery of text messages.
By opting in to receive text messages from Sound.Church, you agree to receive account-related and customer-care messages (for example: responses to your inquiries, scheduling, and follow-ups) at the phone number you provided. Message frequency may vary. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP at any time to unsubscribe; after you send STOP, we will confirm your opt-out and send no further messages. Reply HELP for help, or contact us at hello@sound.church. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.