Privacy Policy
Effective Date: July 1, 2026 | NextLevel Shepherd
At NextLevel Shepherd, we believe that trust is foundational — especially in ministry. We are committed to protecting the privacy of the churches we serve and the congregations they care for. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the firm commitments we make about what we will never do with it.
1. Information We Collect
We collect information in two primary categories: information you provide to us directly, and information we collect automatically when you use our service.
1.1 Information You Provide Directly
- Church & Organization Information: Church name, denomination, physical address, city, state, and ZIP code.
- Administrator Information: Lead pastor's name, church administrator's name, email address, and phone number.
- Billing Information: Payment card details, billing address. Note: We do not store your full payment card number. All payment processing is handled by Stripe, Inc., which maintains PCI-DSS compliance. We only store a tokenized reference to your payment method.
- Congregation Contact Data: Names, phone numbers, and email addresses of church members and visitors that you import or collect through the NextLevel Shepherd platform. This data belongs to your church — you are the controller, and we are the processor.
- Communications Content: SMS messages, email content, notes, and communication records you create within the platform.
- Onboarding Information: Service times, attendance ranges, plan selection, and setup preferences you submit during onboarding.
1.2 Information We Collect Automatically
- Usage Data: Pages visited within the platform, features used, session duration, and interaction patterns — used to improve the product.
- Device & Browser Information: Browser type, operating system, IP address, and device identifiers, collected for security and service delivery purposes.
- Log Data: Server logs recording system activity, error reports, and performance data.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to deliver and improve our service. Specifically, we use it to:
- Create and activate your NextLevel Shepherd account
- Send you login credentials and onboarding instructions
- Configure your church's automation workflows and communication templates
- Process your subscription payments through Stripe
- Send you service-related communications (e.g., billing receipts, technical notices, feature updates)
- Provide customer support and respond to your requests
- Diagnose and fix technical issues with the platform
- Improve and develop new features based on how the service is used
- Comply with legal obligations
We may send you occasional product updates and educational content relevant to church communication and ministry growth. You may opt out of these marketing communications at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email or by contacting us at [email protected].
3. What We Will Never Do
Our Firm Commitments to You and Your Congregation
- We will never sell your data. We do not sell, rent, lease, or trade your personal information or your congregation's contact data to any third party, ever.
- We will never use your congregation's data for advertising. The names, phone numbers, and email addresses of your church members and visitors will never be used for any advertising, retargeting, or marketing purpose — by us or by any third party — without your explicit written consent.
- We will never share your data without your permission, except as required to deliver the service (e.g., processing payments through Stripe) or as required by law.
- We will never use congregation data to train AI models or share it with AI platforms without your knowledge and consent.
- We will never send unsolicited communications to your congregation members on our own behalf.
What We Do Protect
- Your church's identity and contact information
- Your congregation's personal contact records
- Your billing and payment details
- All communication records and message content within the platform
4. Cookies & Analytics
Our marketing website (nextlevelshepherd.com) and platform may use cookies and similar tracking technologies. These are used for:
- Essential cookies: Required for the platform to function (e.g., keeping you logged in, remembering session state).
- Analytics cookies: We use basic, privacy-respecting analytics tools to understand how visitors interact with our website and which features are most used within the platform. We use this data in aggregate to improve the product. We do not use analytics to track individuals across sites or build advertising profiles.
- Preference cookies: These remember your settings and preferences within the platform.
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the NextLevel Shepherd platform.
We do not participate in behavioral ad networks and do not place advertising cookies on your device.
5. Data Security
We take the security of your data seriously and implement industry-standard safeguards to protect it:
- Encryption in transit: All data transmitted between your browser and our platform is encrypted using TLS (Transport Layer Security), the same standard used by banks and healthcare platforms.
- Encryption at rest: Stored data is encrypted at rest using AES-256 encryption.
- Infrastructure security: Our platform is built on Glakh Global Solutions' enterprise-grade infrastructure, which includes redundant data centers, access controls, intrusion detection, and regular security audits.
- Access controls: Access to customer data within our organization is limited to personnel who need it to perform their job functions and is governed by role-based permissions.
- Payment security: Payment card processing is handled exclusively by Stripe, which is a PCI Level 1 certified service provider. We never store raw card numbers.
While we implement robust security measures, no system is 100% immune to all threats. We encourage you to use a strong, unique password for your NextLevel Shepherd account and to contact us immediately if you suspect any unauthorized access.
In the event of a data breach affecting your account, we will notify you within 72 hours of discovery, as required by applicable law, and will provide guidance on protective steps.
6. TCPA & CAN-SPAM Compliance
NextLevel Shepherd provides tools to help churches communicate with their congregations compliantly. We are committed to responsible communication practices.
TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act):
- Our platform includes consent collection tools (e.g., opt-in forms and check-in workflows) to help you obtain and document proper consent before sending automated text messages.
- Your church, as the sender of communications, is legally responsible for obtaining and maintaining valid consent from recipients before sending SMS messages.
- NextLevel Shepherd provides guidance on best practices, but cannot provide legal advice. We recommend consulting with an attorney familiar with TCPA compliance.
CAN-SPAM Act:
- All email templates within our platform are designed to include required elements such as unsubscribe links and sender identification.
- We process unsubscribe requests automatically when recipients click unsubscribe links in emails sent through our platform.
- You are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the "From" name and address in your email communications.
7. Third-Party Services
To deliver our service, we work with a small number of trusted third-party providers. These providers are vetted for security and are only given access to the data necessary to perform their specific function:
- Glakh Global Solutions: Our underlying SaaS infrastructure provider. Your platform data is stored and processed within Glakh Global Solutions' secure environment. Glakh Global Solutions maintains its own privacy and security practices.
- Stripe, Inc.: Our payment processing provider. Stripe handles all billing transactions and is PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant.
- Twilio / Mailgun: SMS and email delivery infrastructure used to transmit communications sent through the platform.
- Analytics: We may use a privacy-respecting analytics tool to understand website and platform usage in aggregate.
We do not sell data to these providers, and they are contractually prohibited from using your data for any purpose other than providing services to NextLevel Shepherd on your behalf.
8. Data Retention
We retain your data for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide you with the service.
- Active accounts: All account data is retained for the duration of your active subscription.
- After cancellation: Following account cancellation, your data is retained for up to 30 days to allow for data export and to resolve any final billing matters.
- Data export: You may request a full export of your church's data at any time — including contact records, communication history, and notes — by emailing [email protected].
- Deletion: Upon request following cancellation, your data will be permanently deleted from our active systems within 30 days. Certain anonymized data may be retained for legal and accounting purposes as required by law.
- Billing records: Financial transaction records are retained for a minimum of 7 years as required by applicable tax and accounting regulations.
9. Your Rights
Regardless of your location, NextLevel Shepherd respects your rights over your personal information:
- Access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Correction: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Deletion: You have the right to request deletion of your personal data, subject to our legal obligations to retain certain records.
- Portability: You may request an export of your data in a commonly used format.
- Opt-out: You may opt out of marketing communications at any time without affecting your service.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.
Disclaimer: This Privacy Policy is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. NextLevel Shepherd recommends that you consult with a qualified attorney to ensure your church's communication practices fully comply with all applicable federal, state, and local privacy laws.