Privacy policy.

Redeemer Christian Church (Redeemer) is a local congregation in the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia (CRCA), operating in Tasmania. The CRCA in South Tasmania (CRCST) has a separate privacy policy for wider church records and activities. This page supplements that policy for Redeemer’s website and online services; it does not replace it.

What information this website handles

You can browse most of our website without giving us information that identifies you. Depending on how you use it, information may include:

• your name and email address if you choose to sign up for our email newsletter;
• technical information generated when a page is requested, such as your IP address, browser and device details, the page requested, and the time of the request, which may be handled by our hosting provider for delivery, security and troubleshooting;
• public information about a Facebook live broadcast, such as its video link, title and status. Our server checks the public Redeemer Facebook Page during the Sunday broadcast window and stores a small status record so the website can show whether a service is live. That record is about the broadcast, not about website visitors; and
• information you choose to provide by contacting us directly or interacting with Redeemer on an external service.

How we collect and use information

We collect information you submit, such as newsletter signup details. Our website and hosting services may also process technical request information automatically. We use information to provide and maintain the website, send church news to people who subscribe, respond to enquiries, protect the site, and show current public broadcast information.

Newsletter subscriptions are handled by Mailchimp (Intuit). The signup form sends the name and email address you enter to Mailchimp, which manages subscription and unsubscribe requests. You can unsubscribe using the link in a newsletter or contact us for help.

We do not sell or rent personal information. We may disclose it to service providers where needed to operate the website, newsletter or communications described here, with your consent, or where required or authorised by law. This is consistent with the CRCST policy’s approach to service providers and disclosure.

Third-party services and links

Some features connect to services operated by other organisations. Loading a Facebook or YouTube video, or following a link to Facebook, sends a request to that service. Mailchimp processes newsletter subscriptions. Cloudflare provides website delivery and hosting services. Those providers may receive technical information, including your IP address, and may use cookies or similar technologies under their own privacy terms. Their handling is governed by their own policies. We do not currently enable Google Tag Manager or analytics scripts on this website.

The website’s Facebook live-status check is made by our server, not by your browser. We use Redeemer’s Page access credentials for that check; they are stored as a secret in the hosting environment and are not included in the page or sent to visitors. The website’s live status endpoint returns only public broadcast information.

Our hosting and service providers may process or store information in Australia or other countries where they or their service providers operate, to the extent permitted by applicable law. For details about a provider’s locations and safeguards, refer to that provider’s privacy information. The CRCST policy also describes overseas processing by some Network services, including Mailchimp.

Keeping information secure and for only as long as needed

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from loss, misuse and unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure. Access is limited to people and service providers who need the information for the purposes described above. We keep information only while it is needed for those purposes or for legal, financial reporting, safeguarding or other recordkeeping requirements. When it is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it, subject to provider-managed retention settings and legal requirements.

The CRCST policy also covers photographs and video footage taken at services, events and programmes, including how to raise a concern if you do not want to be identified. It applies to those wider church activities alongside this website policy.

How long information is kept

Mailchimp retains subscriber information while a subscription is active and handles unsubscribed records under its own service settings and policies. The website’s broadcast status record is refreshed as broadcasts are checked and is not a record of individual visitors. Hosting providers may retain technical logs according to their service settings. Redeemer does not set a separate retention period for those provider-managed records. Please contact us if you want to ask about a particular record.

Your choices and privacy requests

You may ask us what personal information we hold about you and request that inaccurate information be corrected. You can also ask us to delete information where we are able to do so, subject to legal, safety and church-record obligations. To make a request, contact Redeemer using the details on our Contact page. We may need to verify your identity before responding. In some cases, access may be limited to protect another person’s privacy or preserve confidentiality. If the information is held by Mailchimp, Facebook, YouTube or another provider, we may direct you to that provider or help you contact them.

If your concern relates to broader church, pastoral, membership, children’s or safety records, please also read the CRCST Privacy Policy 2024 (PDF) . That policy identifies the CRCST Network Office Manager as the privacy contact and describes its complaint process, including escalation to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). For a written Network privacy complaint or request, contact the Network Office Manager at office@crcsouthtas.org , PO Box 64, Kingston TAS 7051, or call (03) 6229 2268. The Network asks that complaints include written details so they can be investigated. You may also contact the OAIC if you are not satisfied with the organisation’s response.

Changes to this policy

We may update this page when our website or information practices change. The update date at the top of the page shows when it was last revised. The CRCST policy applies to its wider church records and may be updated separately.

Related policy: CRCST Privacy Policy 2024 (PDF)