Privacy Policy

Church Guide Uganda is a Christian media and directory platform operated by Church Guide Ministries, a programme of East African Gospel Registered, a faith-based organisation based in Kampala, Uganda.

We have been serving Uganda's Christian community since 2012. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, protect, and share information when you use our website, directory, and related services.

If you have any questions about this Policy, please contact us at [email protected] before using the platform.

We collect information in the following ways:

Information You Provide Directly

• Registration details — When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, phone number, and the name and details of your church or organisation.
• Church / Ministry profile information — Service times, physical address, denomination, pastor name, photos, social media links, and any other content you submit to your profile.
• Event and news submissions — Content submitted for events, news articles, and blog posts.
• Payment information — For premium subscriptions, we collect the information necessary to process your payment. We do not store full card details on our servers.
• Communications — Emails, messages, or enquiries you send to us through the platform or by email.

Information Collected Automatically

• Usage data — Pages visited, time spent, search queries, links clicked, and device type.
• IP address and approximate location — Used to understand which regions our users come from and to improve the platform experience.
• Browser and device information — Browser type, operating system, and screen resolution.
• Cookies and session data — See Section 06 for full details on cookies.

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To operate and maintain the platform — including publishing your church or ministry profile, processing listings, and managing your account.
• To verify listings — We use your submitted information to confirm that listed organisations meet our Gospel Standards Policy before publishing their profile.
• To communicate with you — Including sending account confirmations, listing status updates, renewal reminders, and responses to your enquiries.
• To send you relevant information — With your consent, we may send you newsletters, event alerts, and updates about Church Guide Uganda. You may unsubscribe at any time.
• To improve the platform — Usage data helps us understand how people use the site so we can make it more useful and accessible.
• To process payments — For premium subscriptions and any paid services.
• To enforce our policies — Including our Terms and Conditions and Gospel Standards Policy.

We want to be clear about what we do not collect or do with your data:

• We do not sell your personal data to any third party — ever.
• We do not collect sensitive personal information such as national ID numbers, financial account details, or medical information.
• We do not track your activity across other websites or apps outside of Church Guide Uganda.
• We do not use your data to serve you targeted advertising from external advertisers.
• We do not share your contact details with other listed churches or organisations without your explicit consent.

Church Guide Uganda does not sell or trade your personal data. We may share limited information in the following circumstances only:

With Service Providers

We work with trusted third-party service providers who help us operate the platform — such as web hosting, email delivery, and payment processing. These providers are contractually obligated to keep your information confidential and use it only for the services they provide to us.

Public Profile Information

Information you submit for your church or ministry profile — such as your organisation name, address, service times, contact details, and photos — will be published publicly on the Church Guide Uganda directory. Please ensure you are comfortable with this information being publicly visible before submitting it.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information to government authorities or law enforcement agencies where required by Ugandan law, or where we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to prevent fraud, harm, or criminal activity — including financial fraud or money laundering carried out under the cover of religious activity.

With Your Consent

We will share your information with third parties only when you have given us your explicit consent to do so.

Church Guide Uganda uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — to improve your experience on the platform. We use the following types of cookies:

• Essential cookies — Required for the platform to function. These include session cookies that keep you logged in while you navigate the site.
• Analytics cookies — Help us understand how visitors use the platform so we can improve it. We use anonymised analytics and do not link this data to individual users.
• Preference cookies — Remember your settings and preferences across visits.

You may disable cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling essential cookies may affect the functionality of the platform, including your ability to stay logged in to your account.

We take the security of your personal data seriously. We implement the following measures to protect your information:

• All data transmitted between your browser and our platform is encrypted using SSL/TLS protocols.
• Account passwords are encrypted and stored securely — our team cannot view your password.
• Access to user data is restricted to authorised Church Guide Uganda staff only.
• We conduct regular security reviews of our systems and hosting infrastructure.
• Payment data is handled by secure, PCI-compliant payment processors and is not stored on our servers.

While we take every reasonable precaution, no system is completely immune to security risks. In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you promptly in accordance with our legal obligations.

Your data is stored on secure servers. We retain your data for as long as your account is active, or as needed to provide services. You may request deletion of your data at any time (see Section 08).

As a user of Church Guide Uganda, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to access — You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you at any time.
• Right to correction — You may update or correct your personal information through your account settings or by contacting us.
• Right to deletion — You may request that we delete your personal data and close your account. We will honour this request within 14 working days, subject to any legal obligations to retain certain records.
• Right to withdraw consent — Where you have given consent for us to contact you (e.g. newsletters), you may withdraw that consent at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" or contacting us directly.
• Right to data portability — You may request your data in a structured, commonly used format.
• Right to object — You may object to certain uses of your data, including analytics and profiling.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to all valid requests within 14 working days.

Church Guide Uganda is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without parental consent.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us immediately at [email protected] and we will take steps to remove that information promptly.

Minors between the ages of 13 and 17 may use the platform with the knowledge and consent of a parent or guardian.

Church Guide Uganda may contain links to external websites — including church websites, social media pages, YouTube channels, and ministry resources. These third-party sites are not operated by us and are not covered by this Privacy Policy.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit through links on our platform. Church Guide Uganda is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of any external websites.

Church Guide Uganda reserves the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time. When we make significant changes, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
• Notify registered users by email where the changes materially affect how we handle their data

Your continued use of the platform after any changes to this Policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms. We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us:

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone / WhatsApp: +256 0754 069 668
• Address: Church Guide Ministries, Kampala, Uganda

We aim to respond to all privacy-related enquiries within 5 working days.

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the Republic of Uganda. Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Ugandan courts.