Privacy Policy

Who we are & what this covers

Journey Church in Bend, Oregon operates this website. In this policy, “Journey,” “we,” and “our” mean Journey Church. This policy covers the website displaying this notice, including its preview address, site search, and forms hosted here. It does not describe every record the church maintains offline or replace the notices of outside services you choose to use.

Questions or privacy requests can be sent to contact@journeyinbend.com, by phone at 541-647-2944, or by mail to Journey Church, 61303 S Hwy 97, Suite 120, Bend, OR 97702. Please mark written requests “Website privacy.”

Information we collect

The information collected depends on the feature you use. You can browse most of this website without giving us your name or contact details.

• Information you provide: names, email addresses, telephone numbers, and, where requested, mailing addresses, ages, birth dates, gender, family details, and your answers to form questions. This includes requests for prayer, pastoral meetings, restoration, care, baptism, child dedication, connection, and internships.
• Sensitive information you choose to share: faith stories and religious beliefs, prayer concerns, care needs, health information, and information about children or other people. Please limit your answers to what is needed for your request. Do not send passwords, Social Security numbers, payment-card details, or medical records through these forms.
• Technical information: our hosting and infrastructure providers may process IP addresses, browser and device information, requested pages, timestamps, referring information, and error or security logs. Form protection uses a hashed network identifier to limit repeated submissions.
• Search requests: Ask Journey sends your question to our server to search published website content and teaching. Search terms appear in the request URL and may be recorded in browser history or infrastructure logs. Please do not put confidential prayer, health, or family details in site search.

How we use information

We use information to process your request, contact you about it, coordinate the ministry or activity you requested, maintain appropriate records, operate search and other website features, troubleshoot problems, prevent spam or misuse, and meet applicable legal obligations.

Our forms ask for your agreement to store and use the details you submit for the stated purpose. Submitting a ministry request does not subscribe you to unrelated marketing. The footer email-signup feature is currently a preview: it does not send or save an email address.

Private form submissions are not published on this website or included in its search index. The current Ask Journey feature searches existing content; it does not send your question or private form answers to a generative-AI provider. Some published sermon summaries, study materials, and transcripts have been prepared with automated tools and editorial review.

Who may receive information

Information submitted here is intended for authorized Journey staff, ministry personnel, and website administrators who need it to handle the request or maintain the system. Website submissions are stored in a private Neon database, with the website and server functions hosted by Vercel. These providers process information to deliver their services.

We may disclose information when required by law, court order, or a lawful request; to address suspected abuse, fraud, or threats to safety; or to establish or defend legal rights. We may also share information at your direction or with your permission. A website submission is not a promise of absolute confidentiality or a guarantee of a legally privileged pastoral relationship.

This website does not sell personal information, provide it to advertisers for targeted advertising, or use it for automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects. Native form submissions are not automatically forwarded to Church Center. If you follow an outside registration or giving link and submit information there, that service receives it directly.

Cookies, saved preferences & outside media

We offer optional Google Analytics to understand visits, content use, link clicks, search usefulness, website performance, and whether forms work. Analytics loads only after you choose Allow analytics. It can use cookies and browser or device information. We do not send form answers, contact details, prayer requests, or the questions you type to Google Analytics, and we do not enable advertising personalization or Google Signals. You can change your choice using Analytics preferences. The Kingdom Conference schedule can save your selected sessions in your browser’s local storage. Clearing site data removes those saved choices. This storage is for the schedule feature, not advertising.

YouTube thumbnails and embedded players can connect to Google when a page loads, before you play a video. We use YouTube’s privacy-enhanced player. The provider receives technical connection information, and playing a video may involve cookies or similar technologies. Maps load from OpenFreeMap as you approach the map on a page; the map provider receives the connection information needed to serve it. The map does not request your device’s precise location.

You can manage cookies and local storage through your browser, block third-party content, or choose not to play embedded videos. Some features may not work with those restrictions. The website does not change its own processing in response to a Do Not Track signal. We do not conduct the sale or targeted advertising activities addressed by Global Privacy Control; third-party services have their own practices and controls.

Links to giving, registrations, Google Maps, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, social networks, and partner organizations take you to independently operated services. Their notices govern information you provide to them. Payment information entered through an outside giving or registration service is not collected by our native website forms.

Children & family information

This is a general-audience church website. Information about children’s ministries is intended to help families. Children under 13 should not submit personal information themselves; a parent or legal guardian should complete a request involving their child. Older minors should involve a parent or guardian when a form calls for permission or family information.

For child dedication, an adult provides the child’s and family’s details and confirms that they are the parent or guardian. We use those details to prepare for the dedication and contact the family. The submission itself is not published or put into site search.

Parents and guardians can contact us to request access to, correction of, or removal of information about their child. If you believe a child has submitted information without appropriate permission, please tell us so we can review and address it. You may also contact us about a photograph or recording on the site that raises a privacy concern.

Storage, retention & security

We use HTTPS and server-side database access controls, validation, and abuse protections. Private form information is not part of the public website files. Access is limited to the people and service providers needed to administer the site and requests. No internet transmission or storage system is completely secure.

Retention depends on the request, follow-up, ministry recordkeeping needs, security, and legal obligations. Website submissions do not currently have an automatic deletion date. Contact us if you want a record corrected or deleted; some information may need to be retained for legal, safety, or recordkeeping reasons. Where we cannot fulfill a request, we will explain the reason. Backup copies may remain until the provider’s normal backup cycle replaces them.

Journey is based in the United States. Information may be processed in the United States or other locations used by our service providers, where privacy laws may differ from those where you live. This notice does not waive any protections applicable law provides.

Your choices & privacy requests

Contact us to ask what website information we hold about you, request a copy, correct it, request deletion, or withdraw permission for future consent-based use. Include enough detail to identify the request, such as the form used and approximate submission date. Do not send identity documents or sensitive details unless we ask for a necessary, secure verification method. We may need to verify your identity or authority before releasing or changing records.

Depending on where you live and which laws apply, you may have additional rights to data portability, information about recipients, restriction or objection to processing, or an appeal. For requests covered by the Oregon Consumer Privacy Act, we will respond within 45 days; a permitted extension of up to 45 additional days will be explained. To appeal a denial, contact us with “Privacy appeal” in the subject. Covered Oregon appeals receive a written response within 45 days, including complaint information if denied. We will not unlawfully discriminate against you for exercising applicable rights.

You can also raise a concern with the privacy regulator or attorney general responsible for your location. These rights are subject to applicable law and exceptions; this notice does not claim that every privacy statute applies to every website visitor.

Changes to this policy

We will update this notice when our website practices change and revise the effective date above. Where required, we will provide additional notice or obtain consent before using information for a materially different purpose. Please contact Journey with any questions about this policy.