Vessel

Privacy Policy

Effective October 5, 2026

The short version. Vessel makes apps that churches use to care for their people and plan their services. A church's information belongs to that church. We use it only to run the apps for them. We do not sell it, we do not show ads, and we do not track you across other companies' apps and websites.

Who this covers

This policy covers the Vessel apps and pages: Vessel Ministry, Vessel Services, Vessel Check-Ins, Vessel Screens, Vessel Sermon Writer, the Vessel web app (app.vesselworship.org), the Vessel website (vesselworship.org), and the public pages churches share through Vessel, such as sign-up forms and links (go.vesselworship.org). "Vessel", "we" and "us" mean the business that operates these apps.

Churches are in charge of their own information. When a church uses Vessel, the church decides what to record about its members, families, volunteers and guests, and who on its staff can see it. We handle that information on the church's behalf and on its instructions. If you have a question about what your church has recorded about you, your church is the best first place to ask; we will help them answer.

Sermon Writer accounts belong to the individual writer. For those, we are responsible for the information directly.

What we collect

Information you or your church give us

Account details: your name, email address, mobile number if you add one, and what you need to sign in (a password, stored only in scrambled form, or one-time codes sent to your email).
Church directory: what a church records about its people and households, such as names, contact details, addresses, birthdays and anniversaries, membership details, group membership, notes and photos.
Children and check-in: a child's name, birthday or grade, room, guardians and people allowed to pick them up, pickup codes, check-in and check-out times, and allergy or care notes a parent or the church provides so volunteers can keep the child safe.
Serving and services: teams and positions, schedules, availability, confirmations and declines, service plans, songs and files.
Attendance: headcounts and group or service attendance a church records.
Giving records: gifts a church records or receives (amount, date, fund, method and the giver), and giving statements. Card and bank details for online payments are handled by our payment processor; we do not store full card or bank account numbers.
Forms and sign-ups: the answers you submit on a church's form, and files you attach.
Prayer requests: what you submit and whether you asked for it to be shared with the church or kept to pastors and leaders.
Messages: emails and text messages a church sends through Vessel, your replies to the church's text line, and your email and text preferences (including opt-outs).
Sermons: in Sermon Writer, the series, sermons, notes and pictures you write and add, and any notes page you choose to share.
Screens: the slides, images and videos a church uploads for its displays.
Subscription details: for paid plans, your plan and its status. Payment details are handled by our payment processor.

Information collected automatically

Device and app information: the app version, device type and operating system, and a notification token if you turn on notifications.
Security and service logs: the date and time of requests, IP address and basic browser or app details, used to keep the service secure, stop abuse (for example, limiting repeated form submissions) and fix problems.
Cookies and on-device storage: the web app uses cookies only to keep you signed in and remember simple preferences. The apps keep a copy of your church's or your own information on your device so they work quickly and offline. We do not use advertising cookies.

We do not use third-party advertising or analytics tools that track you across other apps and websites.

How we use it

To provide the apps: showing the right information to the right people in your church, scheduling, check-in, recording gifts and attendance, running forms, and syncing your work between your devices.
To send messages your church asks us to send (such as schedules, reminders, receipts, statements and notices), and messages about your account (such as sign-in codes).
To answer questions sent to a church's text line. If a church turns on its text assistant, incoming texts and the information the church has provided for answers are processed by an AI service provider to draft replies. We do not allow that provider to use the content to train its models.
To keep the service safe and reliable: preventing fraud and abuse, troubleshooting, and keeping backups.
To provide support when you or your church ask for help.
To comply with the law.

We do not sell personal information. We do not use it for advertising. We do not use the content of your church's records or your sermons to train AI models.

Your church. People in your church see information according to the roles and permissions the church sets. For example, check-in volunteers see what they need for the children in their room, and only people a church authorizes can see giving records.
Service providers. Companies that help us run Vessel, under contracts that limit them to that purpose: cloud hosting and database services, email delivery, text messaging, payment processing, push notifications (through Apple and Google), an AI service for the optional text assistant, and protection against automated abuse on public forms. A current list is available on request.
What you make public. If your church publishes a public page (such as a sign-up form or a prayer wall), or you share a sermon notes page, what is placed there can be seen by anyone with the link. Churches choose whether names are shown.
Legal reasons. If the law requires it, or to protect someone's safety or our rights. Where we can, we will tell the church or person concerned first.
A change of ownership. If Vessel is reorganized or sold, information may move to the new operator, who must continue to honor this policy.

Children

Vessel's apps are made for churches and adults. Children do not create Vessel accounts. Information about children (for check-in, family records, or volunteering as a minor with a parent's involvement) is entered by a parent or guardian or by the church, and is used only so the church can care for and keep track of the child. Allergy and care notes are shown to the volunteers and staff who need them and can be printed on a child's name tag if the church chooses. If you believe a child's information was provided without a parent's or guardian's permission, contact the church or contact us and we will help remove it.

How long we keep it

We keep a church's information for as long as the church uses Vessel, and delete it or return it when the church asks or closes its account. A church can remove or archive individual records at any time. Sermon Writer content is kept until you delete it or close your account. Backups and security logs are kept for a limited time and then deleted on a rolling schedule. Some records may be kept longer where the law requires it (for example, records of payments).

Your choices and rights

See or correct your information. Many details can be viewed and updated in the apps. For anything else, ask your church, or contact us.
Email and texts. Use the unsubscribe link in an email, reply STOP to a text, or change your preferences in the app. You may still receive messages needed for your account, such as sign-in codes.
Notifications. Turn them on or off in your device settings.
Delete your information. See Deleting your account.
Where you live matters. Depending on your state or country, you may have additional rights, such as asking for a copy of your information or objecting to certain uses. We honor those requests wherever you live. We do not discriminate against anyone for making a request.

Deleting your account

To delete your Vessel sign-in or your Sermon Writer account and its content, email support@vesselworship.org from the email address on the account with the subject "Delete my Vessel account". We will confirm the request and complete it within 30 days.

Records a church keeps about you (for example, your family's directory entry or a record of gifts the church must keep) belong to that church. We will pass your request to the church and carry out its instructions.

Security

Information is encrypted in transit. Access inside a church is limited by roles and permissions, and sensitive areas such as giving and children's care notes are limited further. Our own access is limited to what is needed to run and support the service. No system is perfectly secure; if we learn of a breach affecting your information, we will notify the church or you as the law requires.

Vessel is operated from the United States, and information is stored and processed there.

Text messages

If you give a church your mobile number, the church may text you through Vessel about church matters. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP at any time to stop texts from that church's number, or HELP for help. Mobile numbers and text-message consent are not shared with third parties for their own marketing.

Changes to this policy

If we make changes, we will post the new policy here and update the date at the top. If a change is significant, we will let churches and Sermon Writer account holders know by email or in the apps.

Contact

Questions or requests about privacy: support@vesselworship.org.