Terms of Service

1. Agreement to Terms

By accessing or using ChurchConnect ("Service", "Platform", "we", "us", or "our"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, you may not access or use the Service.

2. Description of Service

ChurchConnect provides church management software including but not limited to:

• Member and contact management
• Event management and registration
• Communication tools (email and SMS)
• Financial tracking and reporting
• Facility booking and scheduling
• WordPress integration
• Association partnership programs

3. User Accounts and Registration

3.1 Account Types

ChurchConnect offers the following account types:

• Free Account: Basic features with limited functionality
• Ministry Pro ($29/month): Full-featured church management
• Association Standard ($50/month): Referral program with credit earnings
• Association Bulk ($15/church/month): Discounted bulk licensing for member churches

3.2 Account Responsibilities

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account. You agree to immediately notify us of any unauthorized use of your account.

4. Association Bulk Licensing Terms

4.1 Minimum Requirements

Association Bulk licensing is designed for legitimate associations serving multiple member churches. To qualify:

• You must be a registered association, denomination, or church network
• You must have a minimum of 5 active member churches in your roster
• You must provide ChurchConnect access as a legitimate member benefit
• You may not use bulk licensing solely to obtain discounted service for a single church or yourself

4.2 Declaration-Based Billing

Association Bulk accounts are billed based on your declared church roster count, regardless of activation status:

• You declare the number of churches you will provide service to
• Billing is calculated at $15/church/month based on declared count
• You may add or remove churches; billing adjusts in the following billing cycle
• You are responsible for payment even if churches do not activate their accounts

4.3 Prohibited Uses

The following uses of Association Bulk licensing are strictly prohibited:

• Single Church Discount Abuse: Creating an association account solely to obtain discounted service for one church
• Personal Use: Using bulk licensing to obtain free service for yourself or your church
• Reselling: Reselling ChurchConnect access at a markup to churches
• Fake Roster: Submitting false or inflated church rosters to appear legitimate
• Unauthorized Sharing: Sharing access with non-member churches

4.4 Verification and Audits

We reserve the right to:

• Verify the legitimacy of your association and member churches
• Request documentation proving your association status and membership roster
• Audit account usage to ensure compliance with these terms
• Contact listed churches to verify their association membership

4.5 Consequences of Violations

If we determine that you have violated these Association Bulk licensing terms:

• Back-Billing: We may back-bill you for the difference between bulk pricing and standard Ministry Pro pricing for all affected churches
• Plan Conversion: Your account may be converted to individual church accounts at the standard $29/month rate
• Account Suspension: We may suspend or terminate your account without refund
• Legal Action: We reserve the right to pursue legal action for fraudulent activity

4.6 Good Faith Usage

We expect all associations to act in good faith. The bulk licensing program exists to help legitimate associations serve their member churches. We understand honest mistakes and will work with you to resolve any issues. However, intentional abuse or fraud will result in immediate action as described above.

5. Payment and Billing

5.1 Subscription Fees

All paid subscriptions are billed monthly in advance. Fees are non-refundable except as required by law or as specifically stated in these terms.

5.2 Price Changes

We reserve the right to change our pricing at any time. Price changes will be communicated at least 30 days in advance and will not affect your current billing cycle.

5.3 Payment Processing

All payments are processed securely through Stripe. We do not store your credit card information. By providing payment information, you authorize us to charge your payment method for all fees incurred.

5.4 Failed Payments

If a payment fails, we will attempt to process it again. After multiple failed attempts, your account may be suspended or downgraded to a free account until payment is received.

6. Data Ownership and Use

6.1 Your Data

You retain all ownership rights to the data you upload to ChurchConnect. We do not claim ownership of your member information, events, communications, or any other content you create.

6.2 Our Use of Data

We use your data only to:

• Provide and improve the Service
• Send you service-related communications
• Comply with legal obligations
• Generate anonymized analytics (no personally identifiable information)

6.3 Data Security Commitment

We are committed to protecting your data:

• We will never sell, rent, or exploit your information for profit
• We use industry-standard encryption and security measures
• We store data securely on Supabase infrastructure
• We limit employee access to data on a need-to-know basis
• We regularly update security protocols and conduct security audits

6.4 Data Export

You may export your data at any time through the platform. Upon account termination, you have 30 days to export your data before it is permanently deleted.

7. User Responsibilities

7.1 Accurate Information

You are responsible for ensuring that all information you enter into the system is accurate and up-to-date. This includes member contact information, financial records, and association roster data.

7.2 Compliance with Laws

You agree to use ChurchConnect in compliance with all applicable laws, including but not limited to CAN-SPAM Act (email), TCPA (SMS), GDPR (if applicable), and tax reporting requirements.

7.3 Proper Communication Practices

When using our communication tools:

• Obtain proper consent before sending communications
• Include unsubscribe options in bulk emails
• Honor opt-out requests promptly
• Do not send spam or unsolicited marketing

8. Limitation of Liability

8.1 Service Provided "As Is"

ChurchConnect is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not guarantee that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or completely secure.

8.2 No Liability for Damages

To the fullest extent permitted by law, ChurchConnect and its owners, employees, and partners shall not be liable for:

• Any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
• Loss of profits, revenue, data, or business opportunities
• Errors or mistakes made by users when entering or managing data
• Technical problems, system failures, or data loss (though we maintain backups)
• Unauthorized access to your account due to compromised credentials
• Third-party services or integrations (Stripe, email providers, etc.)
• Actions or omissions of other users

8.3 User Error and Responsibility

You acknowledge that you are responsible for how you use the Service. We are not liable for mistakes, errors, or problems arising from your use of the platform, including but not limited to incorrect data entry, miscommunications, scheduling conflicts, or financial miscalculations.

8.4 Maximum Liability Cap

In no event shall our total liability to you exceed the amount you paid us in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim.

9. Our Commitment to You

While we limit our legal liability, our mission is to help you succeed:

• We will do everything we can to help you use ChurchConnect effectively
• Our highest priority is helping you serve your church community well
• We provide responsive customer support to resolve issues quickly
• We continuously improve the platform based on user feedback
• We maintain robust security and backup systems to protect your data
• We are committed to fair and transparent business practices

10. Termination

10.1 Your Right to Cancel

You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings or by contacting support. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period.

10.2 Our Right to Terminate

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account if:

• You violate these Terms of Service
• You abuse the association bulk licensing program
• Your payment fails repeatedly
• You engage in fraudulent or illegal activity
• Your use of the Service poses a security risk

11. Intellectual Property

ChurchConnect, including all software, designs, logos, and content, is owned by us and protected by copyright and trademark laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or reverse engineer any part of the Service without our written permission.

12. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms of Service from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes via email or through the platform. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the new terms.

13. Governing Law

These Terms of Service shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States, without regard to conflict of law principles.

14. Contact Information

If you have questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us: