Privacy Policy

Encounter is a daily discipleship app built for and by a church student ministry. It is operated by [LEGAL ENTITY NAME] (“Encounter,” “we,” “us”). This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect from students, leaders, parents, and visitors, why we collect it, how we store and protect it, and the choices you have. Because Encounter is used primarily by minors in grades 7–12, protecting their information is the first thing we think about, not the last.

If you are a parent or guardian, please also read our Children's Privacy (COPPA) Notice, which covers the additional protections that apply to users under 13.

1. Information we collect

We collect only what we need to run a discipleship app well. Specifically:

• Account information — name, email address, and date of birth. We use date of birth to determine a user's grade level, to apply age-appropriate protections, and to know when a child is under 13 (which triggers our parental-consent process).
• Journal and reflection entries — the private writing a student creates in the app in response to Scripture, devotional prompts, and reflection questions.
• Ministry membership — which church, group, or “crew” a student belongs to, and who their assigned leaders are.
• Usage information — basic activity such as readings completed, streaks, and features used. This helps leaders encourage students and helps us understand what is working.
• Technical information — standard log data such as device type and the times the app is accessed, used to keep the service secure and working.

We do not collect location tracking, contacts, advertising identifiers, or any information we do not need for discipleship.

2. How we use information

• To create and run a student's account and save their reading progress and reflections.
• To connect students with the leaders in their ministry so those leaders can encourage them.
• To send relevant in-app and account messages (not marketing or advertising).
• To keep students safe — including the crisis-detection process described below.
• To maintain, secure, and improve the app.

We do not use journal or reflection content to train advertising models, and we do not build profiles of students for any purpose other than running the ministry features described here.

3. Crisis detection and safety

Encounter includes an automated safety feature that scans journal and reflection text for language that may indicate a student is in crisis or in danger of harm to themselves or others. We disclose this plainly because students deserve to know: this is not private surveillance, and it is not used to police behavior. Its only purpose is to make sure a real, caring adult can respond when a student may be hurting.

When the system flags concerning language, it can notify a designated ministry leader or administrator so they can follow up with appropriate care, and, where warranted, involve a parent or professional. Encounter is not a crisis service and is not a substitute for emergency help. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services or a crisis hotline right away.

4. Who can see your information

• The student can always see their own journal and reflection entries.
• Crew leaders see aggregate encouragement-oriented information about their group (such as who is engaging and who may need a check-in). They do not browse students' private journal entries, except where the safety process described above surfaces a specific concern.
• Administrators for the ministry can access information as needed to operate the program, respond to safety concerns, and manage accounts.
• Parents and guardians have the rights described in our Children's Privacy Notice, including the right to review and delete a child's information.

We do not share your information with anyone else except the service providers below, or where required by law or to protect someone's safety.

5. How and where your data is stored

Encounter's data is stored using Supabase, our database and authentication provider, which processes data on our behalf under its own security and privacy commitments. Information is protected in transit and at rest, and access is restricted to authorized people and systems. No method of storage is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable, ongoing steps to protect the information entrusted to us.

6. We never sell your data, and we never run ads

Encounter is free to churches and is sustained as a gift, not as an advertising business. We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information. We do not show advertising. We do not allow third-party ad tracking. A student's reflections are not a product.

7. Data retention

We keep account and journal information for as long as a user has an active account, so their history and progress remain available to them. When an account is deleted, the associated personal information is deleted or anonymized within a reasonable period, except where we are required to retain certain records by law. We may keep limited, de-identified usage statistics that cannot be tied back to an individual.

8. Your rights: deletion and data export

You can delete your account at any time from within the app, which removes your personal information as described above. You can also export your data, including your journal and reflection entries, so it is yours to keep. Parents and guardians of a child can request review, export, or deletion on the child's behalf as described in the Children's Privacy Notice. To make any request, contact us at [CONTACT EMAIL].

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the app evolves. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, notify users in the app.

10. Contact us

Questions about this policy or your information? Reach us at [CONTACT EMAIL] or by mail at [MAILING ADDRESS].