Privacy & Data Protection Policy

The Elevation Church is the data controller for personal information processed through the elevationng.church platform and related church systems used to serve our campuses and online community.

Privacy requests — please use:

1. In-app support / help channels on elevationng.church (support tickets), and/or
2. Email: admin@elevationng.org

We aim to respond within a reasonable time and, where UK/EU law applies, within the statutory period (generally one month, subject to lawful extensions).

This policy covers personal data processed in connection with membership, Greatness Track (GT / TECi), Greatness Community (GC), ushering & Sunday attendance, baptism, celebrations, support tickets, guest care / engagements, and staff / volunteer tools.

Public marketing pages on third-party sites (e.g. social media) may have their own policies; this document focuses on TEC’s platform and ministry systems.

Depending on how you engage with us, we may process:

• Identity & contact — name, email, phone number, campus / expression, preferred language or communication channel.
• Account & security — login credentials (stored securely), one-time codes (OTP), session / device information needed to keep accounts safe.
• Ministry & discipleship — membership and Greatness Track progress, class attendance, quiz results, GC assignment, baptism status, ushering / service attendance, celebration dates you share.
• Communications — emails, SMS/WhatsApp messages we send or receive for service notices, class reminders, pastoral follow-up, and support ticket content.
• Technical — IP address, browser/app type, approximate location signals used for service features, and logs needed for security and reliability.
• Special category / sensitive data — we generally do not seek health, ethnic origin, or similar special-category data through the platform. Where baptism or faith-related information is processed, we treat it with appropriate care as ministry data closely linked to religious practice.

We collect data when you register, update your profile, join a programme, check in at church, message support, or when leaders record attendance / pastoral workflow information as part of serving you.

• Provide membership, Greatness Track, and Greatness Community services you take part in
• Record attendance (classes, GC, Sunday / ushering) so we can care for people and run church operations
• Support baptism journeys and pastoral handoffs
• Send service-related messages (class reminders, account security, schedule changes)
• Run birthday / celebration pastoral touches where that feature is enabled
• Respond to support tickets and improve the platform
• Protect the security and integrity of our systems
• Meet legal, safeguarding, and accountability obligations of the church

Marketing vs service communications — service messages necessary for programmes you joined, security, or support are part of running the church platform. Optional marketing / promotional messages rely on consent where required, and you can opt out.

Under NDPR, we likewise process data lawfully, fairly, and for specified purposes, with appropriate security and respect for data subject rights. Where GDPR applies to people in the UK/EU, we honour GDPR rights and principles for those individuals even when systems are operated across borders.

Within TEC — pastors, HODs, GC leaders, ushers, and authorised staff see only what their role needs to serve you (role-based access).

Service providers (processors) — we use trusted providers to host and operate the platform. Depending on configuration, these may include website/frontend hosting (e.g. Netlify), API hosting, cloud storage (e.g. Amazon S3), transactional email, SMS, WhatsApp (Meta), Zoom for live classes, and Google Classroom where a campus links it. Processors may only use personal data on our instructions. We do not sell your personal data.

We may disclose information if required by law, to protect rights and safety, or in connection with a church restructuring — still under appropriate safeguards.

Because TEC serves Nigeria, the UK, the EU, and other campuses, your data may be stored or accessed in countries other than where you live. Where UK/EU GDPR requires it, we use appropriate safeguards for international transfers. Under NDPR, we take steps so that transfers remain consistent with Nigerian data protection requirements.

We keep personal data only as long as needed for the purposes above (and any legal retention requirements). Typical approaches include keeping active accounts while you remain engaged plus a wind-down period; programme progress and certificates for the life of the relationship and a reasonable pastoral archive; attendance for operational care and reporting; support tickets until resolved plus a limited quality period; and security logs for a short period unless investigating an incident.

Subject to applicable law (GDPR and/or NDPR), you may have the right to access, correction, deletion, restriction, objection, portability (where GDPR portability applies), and to withdraw consent where we rely on consent.

How to request — use in-app support tickets and/or email admin@elevationng.org. Please tell us which right you wish to exercise and enough detail to verify your identity. You may also lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (e.g. the UK ICO, an EU DPA, or Nigeria’s data protection authority) if you believe your rights have not been respected.

Our platform is primarily designed for adults and church members engaging in membership and discipleship pathways. We do not knowingly market to young children. Where teens / minors participate in church programmes, parental / guardian involvement should follow campus safeguarding practice, leaders must collect only what is needed, and extra care applies before enabling celebrations, messaging, or public displays of a minor’s data. If you believe we hold a child’s data inappropriately, contact us and we will review promptly.

Until a specific analytics tool is chosen and approved, assume essential-only unless a campus-facing notice says otherwise. Browser controls can block cookies; blocking essential cookies may prevent login or key features from working.

We use organisational and technical measures appropriate to a church platform — including access controls, encrypted transport (HTTPS), hardened hosting practices, and least-privilege roles for staff tools. No online system is perfect; please use a strong password and protect your OTP codes.

We may update this policy as our platform or the law changes. Material updates will be signalled on elevationng.church (for example via a notice or version date). Continued use after an update means you should read the revised text.