Privacy Policy

The Gathering Church
Effective date: July 28, 2026
Last updated: July 28, 2026

The Gathering Church ("we," "us," or "our") operates thegatheringchurch.online. We care about the people who visit this site and the people who visit our church, and that includes being straight with you about what information we collect and what we do with it. This policy explains it in plain language.

​

What information we collect

Information you give us. When you fill out a form on our website, plan a visit, register for an event, sign up for emails, respond to one of our ads on Facebook or Instagram, or contact us, we collect the information you enter. Depending on the form, that may include your name, email address, phone number, the Sunday you plan to attend, the ages of your children, and anything you write in a comments field.

Information about your children. If you register a child for our kids' programming or check a child in on a Sunday, we collect that child's name, age or birthdate, any allergies or medical notes you provide, and the names and contact information of authorized guardians. This information is always provided by a parent or guardian, never collected from a child directly.

Information collected automatically. When you browse our website, we automatically receive standard technical information, including your IP address, browser type, device type, the pages you view, how long you stay, and the site or ad that referred you. This is gathered through our website host and through analytics and advertising tools described in the cookies section below.

Giving information. If you give online, your payment is processed by a third-party payment processor. We receive a record of your gift and your contact information. We do not store your full credit card or bank account numbers.

​

How we collect information

We collect information in these ways:

• Directly from you, when you complete a form on our website, submit a "Plan Your Visit" request, respond to an advertisement on Facebook or Instagram, register for an event, check a child into kids' programming, give financially, or email or call us.

• Automatically, through cookies and similar technologies used by our website host and by advertising and analytics tools described below.

• From third-party platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, when you submit a form inside those platforms in response to one of our ads.

​

Why we collect it

We use the information we collect to:

1. Follow up with you personally when you tell us you are planning a visit, and answer questions you send us.

2. Serve and care for you and your family, including safely checking children in and out of our kids' programming.

3. Send you information about services, events, and ministries you have asked to hear about.

4. Keep accurate records of giving and issue year-end contribution statements as required by law.

5. Understand how people find and use our website and which of our advertisements are working, so we do not waste money that was given to this church.

6. Comply with applicable laws.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not rent it, trade it, or share it with anyone for their own marketing purposes. Ever.

 

How we store, use, and share your information

Our website is hosted on the Wix.com platform. Wix stores data on secure servers behind a firewall. Information you submit through our site may be stored in Wix's databases and applications.

We use the following third-party services, and information you provide may be stored or processed by them:

• Planning Center (including Church Center), our church management system, which holds contact information, visit requests, event registrations, kids' check-in records, and giving records.

• Wix, our website host and platform.

• Meta (Facebook and Instagram), when you respond to one of our advertisements or submit a form within their platforms.

• Zapier, which passes form submissions from our advertisements into Planning Center so a real person can follow up with you.

• Mailchimp, which stores email addresses and sends the emails you have asked to receive.

• Google Analytics, which reports how people find and use our website.

Each of these services has its own privacy policy governing how they handle data, and their practices are not covered by this policy.

We share your personal information outside of these services only in three situations: when you have asked us to, when it is necessary to provide a service you requested, or when we are required to by law, legal process, or to protect the safety of a person.

Our staff and volunteers who have access to personal information are expected to treat it as confidential. Access to sensitive records, including giving records and children's information, is limited to those who need it for their role.

 

How we communicate with you

We may contact you by email, phone call, text message, or postal mail to respond to a request you submitted, to welcome you and answer questions about visiting, to share information about services and events, and to follow up on something you asked us about.

If you no longer want to hear from us, you can opt out at any time. Every marketing email we send includes an unsubscribe link. You can reply STOP to any text message. Or you can simply email us at info@thegatheringdayton.comand ask, and we will take you off the list. We will not make it difficult.

 

Cookies and tracking tools

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies. Cookies are small files stored on your device that help a site function and help us understand how the site is being used.

We use them for two purposes:

Essential and analytics cookies, set by Wix and by Google Analytics, which keep the site working properly and tell us general information about traffic, where visitors came from, and which pages people visit. Google Analytics collects this information according to its own privacy policy, and you can opt out of it across all websites using Google's browser opt-out add-on.

The Meta pixel, a tracking tool provided by Meta. It tells us, in aggregate, whether people who clicked one of our Facebook or Instagram advertisements went on to visit our "Plan Your Visit" page. We use this to know whether our advertising is reaching people. Meta may also use this information according to its own privacy policy and data use terms.

Most browsers let you refuse or delete cookies through your browser settings. Doing so may cause parts of our website not to work as intended. You can also adjust how Meta uses your information for advertising inside your Facebook or Instagram ad settings.

 

Your choices and how to withdraw consent

You are in control of your information. At any time, you may ask us to:

• Tell you what personal information we hold about you

• Correct anything that is wrong

• Delete your information from our systems

• Stop contacting you

To make any of these requests, email info@thegatheringdayton.com or write to us at 8911 Yankee St., Centerville, OH 45458. We will respond within a reasonable time. Some information may need to be retained where we are legally required to keep it, such as records of charitable giving.

 

Data security

We take reasonable steps to protect the information we hold, including relying on established platforms with their own security practices and limiting internal access to those who need it. No method of transmitting or storing data over the internet is completely secure, so we cannot promise absolute security, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.

 

Children

Our website is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children through this site. Information about children in our ministries is provided by a parent or guardian. If you believe a child has provided us information directly, contact us at info@thegatheringdayton.com and we will delete it.

 

Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes take effect when posted on this page, and we will update the "last updated" date at the top. If we make a significant change to how we handle your information, we will say so clearly.

 

Questions

If you have any questions about this policy, or you want to access, correct, or delete information we hold about you, contact us:

The Gathering Church
8911 Yankee St., Centerville, OH 45458
info@thegatheringdayton.com
937.435.8911