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Privacy Policy

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Effective date: September 14, 2026
 

St. Mark’s United Methodist Church is the commonly used name of St. Mark’s Charlotte United Methodist Church (“St. Mark’s,” “the Church,” “we,” “us,” or “our”).

We respect the privacy of our members, visitors, donors, volunteers, ministry participants, and website users. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, protect, and disclose information obtained through our website, online forms, and related digital services.

1. Scope of this policy

This Privacy Policy applies to information collected through:

  • stmarksclt.com;

  • Online forms, giving pages, and other services that St. Mark’s makes available through Breeze Church Management or other authorized providers;

  • Email and text communications administered by or for St. Mark’s; and

  • Other online forms or digital services that link to this Privacy Policy.

The St. Mark’s Child Development Center maintains a separate website and privacy policy. Information collected through the Child Development Center website is governed by the Child Development Center Privacy Policy, not this policy.

Some links on our website lead to services operated independently by other organizations. Those services may have their own privacy policies and practices.

 

2. Information we collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with St. Mark’s.

Information you provide

You may provide information such as:

  • Your name, email address, telephone number, mailing address, and other contact information;

  • Household, membership, attendance, or ministry participation information;

  • Communication preferences;

  • Prayer requests, questions, comments, or other information included in a message;

  • Volunteer interests, skills, availability, and service preferences;

  • Information connected with facility use, church bus use, reimbursements, check requests, or other church administration;

  • Information provided through guest, connection, ministry, event, or registration forms; and

  • Donation information, including your name, donation amount, date, fund or ministry designation, and giving history.

Our available forms may change over time. They currently include forms for prayer requests, calls to serve, check requests, guest and connection information, credit card usage, church bus use, and facility use. We may add, revise, or discontinue forms as church ministries and administrative needs change.

Please avoid including personal information that is not reasonably necessary for the purpose of a form. Do not submit sensitive information about another person unless you have permission to do so.

Online giving and payment information

St. Mark’s uses Breeze Church Management and its payment-processing services for online giving.

Breeze and its payment processor collect and process the payment card or bank information necessary to complete a contribution. St. Mark’s does not receive or store complete payment card numbers, security codes, or complete bank-account credentials through online giving.

Authorized church personnel can access donor names, contribution amounts, dates, fund designations, giving history, and related records. Access is limited to personnel who need the information for church financial administration, including designated staff, the Finance Chair, and the church treasurer.

Information collected automatically

When you visit our website, Wix and services connected to the website may automatically collect information such as:

  • Internet Protocol address;

  • Browser and device type;

  • Operating system;

  • Approximate location derived from an IP address;

  • Referring and exit pages;

  • Pages viewed and links selected;

  • Date and time of a visit;

  • Time spent on the website; and

  • Cookie identifiers and similar technical information.

This information helps operate, secure, analyze, and improve the website.

 

3. How we use information

St. Mark’s may use information to:

  • Respond to questions, prayer requests, and requests for pastoral care;

  • Welcome and communicate with guests, members, donors, volunteers, and ministry participants;

  • Administer worship, ministries, programs, events, facilities, transportation, and volunteer opportunities;

  • Process and acknowledge contributions;

  • Maintain contribution, membership, accounting, tax, and church-administration records;

  • Send church news, ministry information, announcements, and other requested communications;

  • Understand how visitors use our website;

  • Improve our website, communications, and ministries;

  • Protect the security and proper operation of our systems;

  • Prevent fraud or misuse;

  • Comply with legal, accounting, denominational, and administrative obligations; and

  • Carry out another purpose disclosed when information is collected.

Prayer requests and pastoral communications are handled with care. St. Mark’s will not intentionally publish or distribute a prayer request outside authorized church ministries without permission, except when disclosure is required by law or reasonably necessary to protect someone’s safety.

 

4. Donor and member confidentiality

St. Mark’s does not sell, rent, or trade donor, member, visitor, or volunteer information.

Contribution records are available only to authorized personnel who require access for financial administration, recordkeeping, reporting, and pastoral or stewardship responsibilities approved by the Church.

We do not make an individual’s giving history publicly available without that individual’s permission, except when disclosure is required by law.

 

5. Cookies, analytics, and similar technologies

Our website is hosted on Wix. Wix uses cookies and similar technologies for website security, operation, performance, and analytics. You can learn more through the Wix Privacy Policy.

We also use Google Analytics to understand website traffic and how visitors interact with the site. Google Analytics may collect information through cookies or similar technologies, including online identifiers, device information, approximate location, and website activity. Additional information is available in the Google Privacy Policy. Google also provides a Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

St. Mark’s uses Meta/Facebook services for social-media content, outreach, and measurement. Depending on the services and settings in use, Meta may receive information about a visitor’s browser, device, IP address, and interaction with our website or embedded content. Meta’s handling of that information is described in the Meta Privacy Policy.

You can restrict or delete cookies through your browser settings. Blocking cookies may affect the operation of certain website features. If a cookie-preference tool is displayed on our website, you may also use that tool to manage nonessential cookies.

We do not sell personal information collected through the website. However, analytics and social-media providers may receive online identifiers and activity information as described above and in their own privacy policies.

 

6. Email and text communications

St. Mark’s uses Breeze to distribute certain email and text communications.

You may unsubscribe from nonessential emails by using the unsubscribe instructions included in the message. Where available, you may opt out of text messages by following the instructions provided in the message, such as replying “STOP.”

Even after an unsubscribe request, we may send communications that are reasonably necessary for an existing registration, contribution, requested service, church administration, safety notice, or other nonpromotional purpose.

 

7. Service providers and limited disclosure

St. Mark’s may allow trusted service providers to process information when reasonably necessary to provide services on our behalf. These providers include website hosting, church-management, payment-processing, analytics, communications, security, and social-media services.

Examples include Wix, Breeze Church Management, payment processors associated with Breeze, Google, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Meta.

We may also disclose information:

  • To authorized church staff, officers, financial leaders, ministry leaders, or volunteers who reasonably need it to perform their responsibilities;

  • With your direction or permission;

  • To comply with a law, subpoena, court order, or other valid legal process;

  • To protect the rights, safety, property, or security of St. Mark’s or another person; or

  • To investigate suspected fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

Service providers may collect and process information under their own terms and privacy policies. St. Mark’s does not authorize its service providers to use Church-provided member, donor, or ministry information for their independent marketing.

 

8. Third-party websites and services

Our website may link to Breeze, the St. Mark’s Child Development Center, social-media platforms, video services, denominational organizations, and other websites that St. Mark’s does not operate.

A link does not mean that St. Mark’s controls the other organization’s privacy or security practices. Please review the privacy policy of any external service before providing personal information.

Information submitted through a St. Mark’s form hosted by Breeze is subject both to this policy concerning St. Mark’s use of the information and to the Breeze Privacy Policy concerning Breeze’s operation of its platform.

 

9. Children’s privacy

The St. Mark’s website is intended for a general audience and is not designed to collect personal information directly from children under 13.

When information about a child is needed for a church activity, registration, ministry, or pastoral purpose, it should be provided by the child’s parent or legal guardian.

If you believe a child has submitted personal information directly to us without appropriate parental involvement, please contact us. We will review the matter and take reasonable steps to delete or appropriately handle the information.

The separate St. Mark’s Child Development Center website is governed by its own privacy policy.

 

10. Worship livestreams and photography

St. Mark’s worship services and certain church events may be photographed, recorded, or livestreamed. An attendee’s image or voice may be captured incidentally, particularly in public worship or event spaces.

Attendees may also take and share their own photographs or recordings. St. Mark’s does not control photographs or recordings made independently by attendees.

Anyone with a concern about appearing in an official church photograph, recording, or livestream should contact the church office. We will make reasonable efforts to address the concern, although we may not be able to remove material already distributed, archived, or controlled by another person or platform.

 

11. Data retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and for applicable legal, accounting, tax, denominational, historical, pastoral, safety, and church-administration requirements.

Retention periods may vary. For example, contribution and accounting records may need to be retained longer than a general website inquiry.

When information is no longer reasonably needed, we may delete, anonymize, or securely dispose of it.

12. Data security

St. Mark’s uses reasonable administrative, organizational, and technical measures intended to protect personal information.

Access to personal information is limited according to church responsibilities and system permissions. Nevertheless, no website, electronic transmission, or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

If you believe personal information submitted to St. Mark’s has been accessed or used improperly, please contact the church office promptly.

13. Your choices and requests

You may contact St. Mark’s to:

  • Ask what personal information we maintain about you;

  • Request correction of inaccurate information;

  • Request deletion of information, subject to applicable legal, financial, historical, pastoral, safety, and administrative recordkeeping requirements;

  • Update your communication preferences; or

  • Ask a question about our privacy practices.

We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request. We may also decline or limit a request when necessary to comply with law, maintain required records, protect another person’s privacy or safety, or preserve legitimate church records.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as our website, ministries, forms, service providers, or legal obligations change.

The current version will be posted on this page with its effective date. Material changes may also be communicated through another reasonable method.

15. Contact us

Questions or requests concerning this Privacy Policy may be directed to:

St. Mark’s Charlotte United Methodist Church
Operating as St. Mark’s United Methodist Church
917 Clanton Road
Charlotte, NC 28217
Phone: 704-523-7483
Email: office@stmarksclt.com

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