Privacy Policy
Effective Date: March 24, 2025
This Privacy Policy explains how Greater Tabernacle MB Church (“we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, protects, and discloses personal information when you visit and interact with our website, mygtcc.org. As a church, we are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly.
By using our website, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.
1. Information We Collect
We collect information in several ways through our website:
- Information You Provide Directly:
- Contact Us Form: If you use our “Contact Us” form, we collect the information you provide, which typically includes your name, email address, and phone number, along with the content of your message. This information is used solely to respond to your inquiry.
- Newsletter Signup: If you sign up for our newsletter via the form on our website, we collect your email address [and potentially your name, if requested on the form] to add you to our Mailchimp mailing list for sending church updates and newsletters.
- Information Collected via Links to Third-Party Services: When you click on links on our website for specific purposes like making a donation or managing your membership, you will be directed to external, third-party platforms. These platforms have their own privacy policies, and they collect information directly from you.
- Donations (via ChurchTrac/Stripe): Our website links to donation forms hosted by ChurchTrac. When you make a donation through these forms, ChurchTrac collects your donor information (such as name, email, phone number, donation amount). Payment processing (like credit card details) is handled securely by Stripe, a payment processor integrated with ChurchTrac. Please note that Greater Tabernacle MB Church does not store or have direct access to your sensitive credit card or full bank account information; this is strictly handled by Stripe.
- Membership Management (via ChurchTrac): Our website links to ChurchTrac for membership applications or logging into member portals. ChurchTrac collects information necessary for church membership records (which may include contact details, family information, etc.).
- Mailchimp (for ChurchTrac Members): Please note that basic contact information (like name and email) for church members managed in ChurchTrac may be transferred to Mailchimp for sending member-specific communications, separate from the general newsletter list signed up via the website.
- Information Collected Automatically:
- Website Usage Data (Google Analytics): Our website uses Google Analytics to help us understand how visitors interact with our site. Google Analytics collects non-personally identifiable information such as your IP address (anonymized), browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages viewed, and the dates/times of visits. This data is used in aggregate form to analyze website traffic and improve our website’s performance and content.
- Cookies: We use cookies (small text files placed on your device) to help our website function correctly, remember your preferences, and for Google Analytics. You can typically manage cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling some cookies may affect website functionality.
- Information Collected Offline Leading to Online Entry:
- Children’s Information: For information regarding children under the age of 13, we do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children online without verifiable parental consent. Information about children under 13 is typically collected from parents or legal guardians offline through physical consent forms or registration cards. Based on this offline consent, this information may then be entered into our secure Church Management Software (ChurchTrac) for the purpose of managing church programs, Sunday School attendance, and other relevant activities related to the child’s participation in church life, based on the consent provided by the parent/guardian.
2. How We Use Your Information
The personal information we collect is used solely for internal church purposes, including:
- Responding to your inquiries submitted via the Contact Us form.
- Sending you church newsletters, announcements, and updates if you have subscribed.
- Processing your donations and issuing donation receipts for tax purposes (via ChurchTrac/Stripe).
- Managing church membership records and facilitating internal church communications related to membership (via ChurchTrac/Mailchimp).
- Analyzing website usage to improve our website and online services (via Google Analytics).
- Managing participation in church programs and ministries, especially where children are involved (based on information entered into ChurchTrac from offline consent).
- Supporting general church operations and administration.
We do not sell, rent, trade, or share your personal information with third parties for their marketing purposes.
3. Sharing Your Information
We share your information only with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our website and conducting church activities, and only to the extent necessary for them to perform their services:
- ChurchTrac: For managing donations, membership, and church operations.
- Mailchimp: For sending newsletters and church communications.
- Stripe: For securely processing online donations through ChurchTrac.
- Google Analytics: For website traffic analysis.
These third parties are required to protect your information and use it only for the purposes for which they were engaged.
We may also disclose your information if required by law, court order, or other governmental authority, or if we believe that such disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Greater Tabernacle MB Church, our members, or others.
4. Links to Other Websites (Third-Party Links)
Our website contains links to external websites and services, most notably ChurchTrac for donations and membership. Please be aware that when you click on these links, you are leaving our site, and we are not responsible for the privacy practices of these other sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any third-party website you visit, especially those where you provide personal information.
5. Data Security
We take reasonable steps to protect the personal information collected through our website and via linked services. We rely on the security measures implemented by our trusted third-party service providers (like ChurchTrac, Mailchimp, and Stripe) for data stored on their systems. Internally, we limit access to your personal information to those staff and volunteers who have a legitimate need to access it for church operations. However, no online transmission or electronic storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
6. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (e.g., retaining donation records for tax purposes).
7. Your Rights
Depending on your location and applicable laws, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, including the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you (though much of this is held by third parties like ChurchTrac/Mailchimp).
- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
- Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal and operational limitations, such as donation records or active membership).
- Opt-out of receiving newsletters and marketing communications (you can do this by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in newsletter emails).
To exercise any of these rights regarding information we directly control (like Contact Us submissions or potentially Mailchimp list removals beyond the Mailchimp unsubscribe link), or to inquire about your data held by our third parties, please contact us using the information below.
8. Children’s Privacy
As stated above, we do not knowingly collect personal information online directly from children under the age of 13 without verifiable parental consent. Information about children under 13 is collected offline with parental consent first, and then entered into our secure Church Management Software (ChurchTrac) based on that prior consent for church operational purposes. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child under 13 has provided us with personal information online without your consent, please contact us immediately so we can take appropriate action.
9. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. When we make changes, we will revise the “Effective Date” at the top of this policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.
10. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us:
Greater Tabernacle MB Church
1240 S Indiana Ave.
Chicago, IL, United States, Illinois
Email: info@mygtcc.org
Phone: 773-928-7737