Last Updated: August 28, 2026

Hardin Baptist Church (“Hardin Baptist,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect information when you visit hardinbaptist.org, submit a form, register for a ministry or event, request prayer, subscribe to communications, give online, apply for employment, or otherwise interact with us.

This policy applies to information collected through our website and related online services that link to this policy. Please read this policy carefully. By using our website or providing information to us, you acknowledge the practices described below.

1. Information We Collect

Information You Provide

We may collect information that you voluntarily provide, including:

• Contact and identification information, such as your name, mailing address, email address, and telephone number.
• Church connection information, such as guest-card responses, ministry interests, membership or baptism inquiries, volunteer interests, and event registrations.
• Prayer requests and pastoral-care information. These submissions may include sensitive personal details. If a prayer form gives you a sharing choice, we use that choice to determine whether the request is limited to pastors or may be shared with the identified prayer group.
• Information about children or family members that a parent or legal guardian provides for children’s ministry, camps, Vacation Bible School, check-in, or other church activities.
• Communication preferences and information you submit when subscribing to church news, Bible-reading emails, bulletins, prayer-chain messages, or other communications.
• Donation-related information. Online gifts are processed through Realm or another payment provider. The provider may collect payment-card or bank-account details directly. The church generally receives transaction, donor, and recordkeeping information rather than complete payment credentials.
• Employment application information, including personally identifiable information such as your name, mailing address, email address, telephone number, employment and education history, reference contacts, resume or supporting documents, faith-related responses, and certifications or authorizations connected with the hiring process.
• Any other information you voluntarily provide in an email, form, phone call, or other communication.

Information Collected Automatically

When you use the website, we and our service providers may automatically receive technical information such as:

• Your IP address
• Browser and device type
• Operating system
• Referring website or page
• Pages viewed
• Dates and times of visits
• Approximate location derived from an IP address
• Interactions with website content

Cookies, pixels, local storage, server logs, and similar technologies may be used for website operation, security, preferences, analytics, and embedded media.

2. How We Use Information

We may use the information we collect to:

• Respond to questions, prayer requests, pastoral-care needs, and requests to connect with the church.
• Administer worship services, ministries, groups, events, registrations, children’s programs, volunteer opportunities, missions, membership, baptism, and other church activities.
• Review employment applications, evaluate qualifications, communicate with applicants, contact listed references or prior employers, and conduct authorized screening appropriate to a position and permitted by law.
• Process gifts, maintain contribution records, provide receipts or statements, and meet accounting, tax, and legal obligations.
• Send requested newsletters, bulletins, ministry updates, prayer communications, and other church messages.
• Manage communication preferences.
• Operate, maintain, secure, troubleshoot, and improve the website and related services.
• Protect the safety, rights, property, and integrity of individuals, the church, and the community.
• Prevent fraud or misuse and comply with applicable law.
• Carry out another purpose disclosed when information is collected or for which you provide consent.

3. How We Share Information

We do not sell or rent personal information.

We may disclose information in the following circumstances:

Within the Church

Authorized pastors, staff members, ministry leaders, volunteers, prayer-team members, or other authorized individuals may receive information when reasonably necessary for ministry, administration, care, safety, hiring, or the purpose you selected. Access may depend on the individual’s role.

Service Providers

Vendors may process information on our behalf for website hosting, forms, email delivery, church management, online giving, payment processing, analytics, security, video hosting, registration, employment applications, or similar services.

Examples of services visible on our website include Google Forms, Realm, Mailchimp-related subscription services, Vimeo, and website form-processing tools. These providers’ handling of information may also be governed by their own privacy policies.

Legal, Safety, and Organizational Needs

We may disclose information when we believe disclosure is required by law or reasonably necessary to:

• Protect an individual
• Investigate suspected misconduct
• Enforce church policies
• Respond to legal process
• Protect the rights or property of the church or others
• Prevent fraud, abuse, or security threats

Information may also be transferred as part of a reorganization or transfer involving church operations, subject to appropriate safeguards.

With Your Direction or Consent

We may share information for another purpose when you ask us to or consent to the sharing.

Please do not include information about another person in a prayer request, registration, application, or other submission unless you are authorized to provide it.

Even when a prayer request is approved for group sharing, participants should treat the information respectfully. However, we cannot guarantee how every recipient will handle information after it has been shared.

4. Cookies, Analytics, and Embedded Content

The website may use cookies and similar technologies that are necessary for website functionality or that help us understand how the website is used.

Pages may contain content or links from third parties, including:

• Video players
• Maps
• Social media platforms
• Online forms
• Giving tools
• Email-subscription services

These third parties may collect information when you interact with their services.

You can adjust cookie controls through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies or technologies may affect the availability or operation of some website features. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.

5. Communication Choices

You may unsubscribe from promotional or subscription emails by using the unsubscribe link included in the message or by contacting us.

We may still send non-promotional communications that are necessary to respond to you, administer a registration, document a contribution, process an employment application, or provide requested ministry services.

6. Children’s Privacy

Our ministries serve children and families, but the website is not intended for children to submit personal information independently.

A parent or legal guardian should provide information for a child. If you believe a child provided personal information online without appropriate permission, please contact us so we can review and, where appropriate, delete the information.

Information collected for in-person children’s activities may also be governed by registration forms, consent forms, safety procedures, and applicable record-retention requirements.

7. Data Security and Retention

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information. However, no internet transmission or electronic storage method is completely secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We retain information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, including:

• Ministry administration
• Pastoral care
• Donor and tax records
• Safety and security
• Dispute resolution
• Hiring Process
• Compliance with legal obligations

Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and applicable requirements. We may delete, anonymize, or aggregate information when it is no longer needed.

Employment Applications

The employment application available on our Join Our Team page contains personally identifiable information, also known as PII.

Employment application information may include:

• Name
• Mailing address
• Email address
• Telephone number
• Employment history
• Education history
• Reference contact information
• Resume or supporting documents
• Faith-related responses
• Employment certifications or authorizations

We use this information solely to evaluate the application, communicate with the applicant, contact references or prior employers, and carry out authorized employment screening appropriate to the position and permitted by law.

Employment application information is accessible only to staff members involved in the hiring process. Employment application data is stored on the website for six months after submission and then deleted.

8. Your Privacy Requests

You may contact us to:

• Ask about personal information we maintain about you
• Request a correction
• Update your communication preferences
• Request deletion of your information

We will consider requests in light of applicable law, church recordkeeping needs, donor and tax requirements, safety obligations, employment requirements, and the rights of others. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

9. External Links and Third-Party Services

Our website may link to services and websites that we do not control. This Privacy Policy does not govern the privacy or security practices of those third parties.

We encourage you to review the privacy notices of Google, Realm, GA4, Gravity Forms, Mailchimp, Vimeo, social media platforms, and other third-party services before providing information to them.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically.

The revised policy will be posted on this page with a new effective date. Material changes may also be communicated through another reasonable method when appropriate.

11. Contact Us

Questions or privacy requests may be directed to:

Hardin Baptist Church
6867 U.S. Highway 641 South
P.O. Box 35
Hardin, Kentucky 42048

Phone: 270-437-4868
Website: https://hardinbaptist.org/