How we protect your church

Every church in its own space

TechLight serves many churches, and each church’s information is kept separate. Every record carries the church it belongs to, and every request to the database is tagged with the church being served. Postgres row-level security then enforces that separation in the database itself.

The application connects to the database with a restricted role that cannot bypass these rules, so even a mistake in application code cannot show one church’s information to another. We still check the church on every query as well; the database rules are a second, independent safeguard.

Pastoral information is for elders

Prayer responses, elder notes, and the topics members share when they ask to meet with the elders are pastoral information. They sit behind an additional, restrictive database rule that only opens for elders. That rule applies even to TechLight’s own platform tools, so our staff cannot read pastoral information through any part of TechLight.

This information is also encrypted at rest using AES-256-GCM, with a separate key derived for each church. The church is bound into every encrypted value, so data from one church cannot be decrypted as another’s. Connection tokens for Microsoft 365 calendars and Planning Center are encrypted the same way.

Least privilege by role

• Elders see the directory, prayer requests, their notes, and meeting requests.
• Secretaries manage members and photos and print the directory. They never see prayer requests or giving.
• Church admins manage settings, users, and integrations. They see prayer requests only if they are also elders.
• Deacons can view the directory.
• TechLight staff can help with setup and the directory when a church asks for support, and never see pastoral information.

Sign-in without passwords

There are no TechLight passwords to guess, reuse, or steal. Staff sign in with a one-time link sent to their email, which expires after 20 minutes and works only once, or with their Microsoft 365 account. Accounts are created only when a church invites someone; nobody can sign themselves up for a church.

Sessions use secure, HTTP-only cookies. Sign-in links, sessions, prayer links, and meeting links are random 256-bit tokens, and we store only a one-way hash of each, never the token itself.

Members never need an account

Members respond to prayer invitations through a private link made just for them, and they can book time with the elders from a simple page for their church. Neither requires a password, and neither exposes anyone else’s information.

Private photos

Member photos are stored privately for each church. They are shown only to signed-in staff with access to the directory, or through short-lived signed links where a church chooses to show a photo on a public page.

No giving data per person

TechLight does not store what any individual gives, and it never will. Any future giving features will report aggregate totals and campaign progress only.

Web protections

• All traffic is encrypted with HTTPS, with HTTP Strict Transport Security.
• A strict Content Security Policy limits what can run on every page.
• Forms are protected against cross-site request forgery and rate limited to slow down abuse.
• Important administrative changes are recorded in an audit log.

Reporting a concern

If you believe you have found a security issue, please write to [email protected]. We will respond quickly and keep you informed. For how we handle information more broadly, see our privacy page.