Privacy
Privacy, in plain language
Churches trust us with the names, families, and prayers of the people they love. Here is how we care for that trust.
Last updated October 1, 2026
Draft, pending legal review. This page describes how TechLight works today in plain language. It will be finalized after review by counsel.
The short version
- Your church owns its information. We hold it so your church can care for its people, and for no other reason.
- Prayer requests are encrypted and visible only to your elders. Not church admins, not secretaries, and not TechLight staff.
- We never sell or rent information, and we do not use it for advertising.
- We never store giving data for individual people.
- We use only essential cookies, like the one that keeps staff signed in. No advertising or tracking cookies.
Who we are
TechLight.org (“TechLight,” “we,” “us”) provides online tools that help churches care for their members through prayer, a member directory, and scheduling time with elders. Churches sign up for TechLight and decide who in their church uses it.
For member information, your church is in charge. It decides what to collect and who on its staff can see it, and we process that information on the church’s behalf. If you are a church member with a question about your information, your church is usually the best place to start. You are always welcome to write to us as well.
Information we hold
For church staff and leaders
Name, email address, roles in the church (such as elder, secretary, or admin), and sign-in records like the time and IP address of a sign-in. If you sign in with Microsoft 365, we receive your name and email from Microsoft. If an elder connects a Microsoft 365 calendar, we store an encrypted access token so TechLight can check availability and create meeting invitations.
For church members
- Directory details your church provides, such as names, households, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, birthdays, anniversaries, membership status, and photos.
- Prayer responses members share with their elders. These are encrypted at rest and visible only to elders.
- Requests to meet with the elders, including name, email, optional phone, and an optional note about the topic. The note is encrypted and visible only to elders.
From Planning Center
If your church connects Planning Center, we import people, households, and photos so your directory stays current. We only read the information needed for these features.
Technical information
Like most websites, our servers record basic technical details such as IP address and browser type. We use them to keep TechLight secure, for example to limit repeated sign-in attempts.
How we use information
- To provide TechLight to your church, including showing elders their prayer view and keeping the directory accurate.
- To send email on your church’s behalf, such as prayer invitations, reminders, sign-in links, and meeting confirmations.
- To keep TechLight secure and to prevent abuse.
- To provide support when your church asks for help.
We do not sell or rent information, use it for advertising, or share it with other churches.
Who can see what
- Elders can see the member directory, prayer requests, their notes, and meeting requests.
- Secretaries and church admins can manage the member directory and photos. They cannot see prayer requests, elder notes, or meeting topics unless they are also elders.
- Deacons can view the member directory.
- TechLight staff can help with your church’s setup and directory when you ask for support. Our own admin tools have no access to prayer requests, elder notes, or meeting topics, and we will never try to read them.
These rules are enforced in the database itself, not just in what the screen shows. Read more on our security page.
Giving
TechLight does not store giving data for individual people, and it never will. If we add giving features in the future, they will show aggregate totals and campaign progress only.
Cookies
We use only essential cookies, such as the one that keeps church staff signed in. Members responding to a prayer invitation or booking time with the elders do not need an account. We do not use advertising or third-party tracking cookies.
Prayer invitations and reminders are sent on behalf of your church. If you would rather not receive them, let your church know and they can turn them off for you. Sign-in links and meeting confirmations are sent only when you ask for them.
Service providers
We rely on a small number of trusted providers to run TechLight, such as our hosting and email delivery services. If your church uses Microsoft 365 or Planning Center with TechLight, information is exchanged with those services as you direct. Each provider may only use information to provide its service to us.
Keeping and deleting information
We keep your church’s information for as long as your church uses TechLight. Your church can remove members, households, and prayer responses at any time. If your church closes its account, we delete its information within 30 days, apart from limited records such as security logs that we keep for a short time to protect the service.
Children
Churches may list children as part of a household in their directory. Children do not use TechLight directly, and their information is visible only to the church’s authorized staff and elders.
Security
We protect information with tenant isolation in the database, encryption for sensitive pastoral information, passwordless sign-in, and careful access controls. If we ever learn of a breach affecting your church, we will tell your church promptly. See how we protect your church.
Your choices
You can ask your church to correct or remove your information, or to stop prayer emails. You can also write to us and we will work with your church to help.
Changes to this page
If we make meaningful changes, we will update this page and let church admins know before the changes take effect.
Contact us
Questions are always welcome. Write to us at [email protected].