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Terms of Service

Last updated: [EFFECTIVE DATE]

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Draft — pending review by legal counsel before launch. This document is a working draft written in plain English. Bracketed items (for example [LEGAL ENTITY NAME]) are placeholders that must be filled in, and the whole agreement must be reviewed by an attorney before Encounter is offered publicly.

Welcome to Encounter, a daily discipleship app operated by [LEGAL ENTITY NAME] (“Encounter,” “we,” “us”). By creating an account or using the app, you agree to these Terms of Service. Please read them alongside our Privacy Policy and Children's Privacy Notice, which are part of this agreement.

1. Who can use Encounter

Encounter is designed for students in grades 7–12, the leaders who disciple them, parents and guardians, and church staff. Because most users are minors, special rules apply:

  • Users under 13 require verifiable parental consent before their account is activated, as described in our Children's Privacy Notice.
  • By creating an account, you confirm the information you provide (including date of birth) is accurate, and that you have the authority to agree to these terms — or that a parent or guardian has agreed on your behalf.

2. The app is free

Encounter is provided free of charge to churches and their students. There are no per-seat fees and no advertising. We may change features over time, and we will try to give reasonable notice of significant changes.

3. Your account

You are responsible for keeping your login credentials secure and for activity under your account. Let us know promptly if you believe your account has been accessed without permission. We may suspend or close accounts that violate these terms or that put other users at risk.

4. Acceptable use

Encounter is a space for discipleship and encouragement. You agree not to:

  • Harass, bully, threaten, or harm another person.
  • Post content that is hateful, sexually explicit, violent, or otherwise inappropriate for a youth ministry.
  • Impersonate someone else or misrepresent your age or identity.
  • Attempt to access data, accounts, or systems you are not authorized to access.
  • Disrupt, overload, or attempt to break the security of the service.

We include reporting and moderation tools, and we may remove content or restrict accounts to keep the community safe.

5. Your content

Journal entries, reflections, and other content you create remain yours. By using the app, you grant us a limited license to store and display that content as needed to operate Encounter's features for you and your ministry (for example, saving your reflections and showing your engagement to your leaders). We describe who can see your content in the Privacy Policy.

6. Safety and crisis detection

Encounter includes an automated feature that scans reflection and journal text for signs of crisis and may alert a ministry leader so a caring adult can respond. This is described in detail in our Privacy Policy. Encounter is not an emergency or counseling service. If you or someone else is in danger, contact local emergency services or a crisis hotline immediately.

7. Scripture and third-party content

The app displays Scripture and devotional content provided by us or by third-party providers. That content is subject to its own copyrights and license terms, and is provided for personal, non-commercial devotional use.

8. Deleting your account

You may delete your account at any time from within the app, and you may export your data first. See the Privacy Policy for what happens to your information when you delete your account.

9. Disclaimers and limitation of liability

Encounter is provided “as is,” without warranties of any kind, to the fullest extent permitted by law. We work hard to keep the service safe and available, but we do not guarantee it will always be uninterrupted or error-free. To the maximum extent permitted by law, [LEGAL ENTITY NAME] is not liable for indirect or consequential damages arising from your use of the app. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable law. [This section in particular should be tailored by legal counsel.]

10. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms 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. Continuing to use Encounter after changes take effect means you accept the updated terms.

11. Contact us

Questions about these terms? Reach us at [CONTACT EMAIL] or by mail at [MAILING ADDRESS].