River of Life Church · Legal

Terms & Conditions

The agreement between you and River of Life Church for using our website and the Faith Connect app. It explains your account, how to use the app well, giving and event tickets, and our safeguarding commitments.

Version 1.0 · Effective [date of publication]

1. About these terms

These terms are a binding agreement between you and River of Life Church. Please read them carefully, especially sections 4, 7 and 8.

  1. 1.1
    Accepting these terms. You accept these terms by ticking "I agree" when you create a Faith Connect account. If you only browse our website, the terms apply to that use. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.
  2. 1.2
    Who we are. River of Life Church ("the Church", "ROL", "we", "us") is a church in Harare, Zimbabwe, part of the Disciple Nations family of churches, in association with Newfrontiers. Our legal entity is [registered name of the church trust or association], registration number [registration number], at [physical address], Harare, Zimbabwe.
  3. 1.3
    What these terms cover. Our website (www.riveroflifechurch.co.zw), the Faith Connect mobile app, the Faith Connect admin console used by staff and volunteers, and any related services (together, "the Services").
  4. 1.4
    Who runs the technology. Faith Connect is provided to the Church by [platform operator name], which hosts and maintains the Services on our instructions and processes personal data only on our behalf. The Church remains responsible to you under these terms.
  5. 1.5
    Definitions. In these terms:
    • Member or User: anyone with a Faith Connect account, including visitors and guests.
    • Leader: a pastor, staff member, group leader or volunteer given admin access.
    • Child: a person under 18.
    • Content: anything you post or share, such as prayer requests, testimonies, announcements, group messages and photos.
    • Personal Data and Sensitive Data: as defined in the Cyber and Data Protection Act [Chapter 12:07] ("the CDPA").
  6. 1.6
    Related policies. Our Privacy Policy, Data Protection Policy and Security Policy explain how we handle and protect your information, and form part of these terms. If a separate policy conflicts with these terms, these terms apply.

2. Eligibility and accounts

You must be 18 or older to hold your own account. Children are registered and managed by a parent or guardian.

  1. 2.1
    Age. When you sign up, you confirm you are 18 or older. If we learn that an account belongs to a Child, we may suspend it until a parent or guardian takes responsibility for it.
  2. 2.2
    Accurate details. Give your real name and a phone number or email you control, and keep them up to date.
  3. 2.3
    Keep your login safe. Do not share your password or one-time codes. You are responsible for activity on your account until you tell us at [general email] that it may have been misused.
  4. 2.4
    One person, one account. Accounts are personal and may not be transferred.
  5. 2.5
    Children. A parent or guardian may register a Child for children's ministry and check-in. By doing so, you confirm you have parental responsibility for the Child and consent, on the Child's behalf, to the processing described in our Privacy Policy. Under section 26 of the CDPA, you exercise the Child's data rights for them.
  6. 2.6
    Leaders and volunteers. Admin access is granted at the Church's discretion and limited to what your role needs. Access ends when the role ends. Leaders must:
    • sign the Church's confidentiality undertaking before access is given;
    • use member information only for their church role;
    • follow our Security Policy;
    • complete safeguarding clearance before serving with Children or vulnerable adults.
  7. 2.7
    Closing your account. You can ask us to close your account at any time (see section 9).

3. Acceptable use

Use the Services to build up the church community, and treat others with the respect and care you would show in person. You must not:

  • post anything unlawful, abusive, threatening, hateful, sexually explicit or defamatory;
  • harass, bully or pressure other members, including through group chats or contact details you obtained through the Services;
  • post a prayer request, testimony, announcement or photo about another person (such as a birth, illness or bereavement) without their consent, or their parent's or guardian's consent for a Child;
  • share anything you see in the Services (prayer requests, testimonies, contact details or Children's information) outside the Services without the person's consent;
  • use member information for marketing, sales, fundraising for other causes or political campaigning;
  • impersonate anyone or misrepresent your role in the Church;
  • upload malware, try to access accounts or data you are not authorised to see, or interfere with the Services;
  • copy, scrape, reverse-engineer or resell any part of the Services or their data.

Leaders may remove content, mute group members or restrict features to protect the community, without notice where there is a risk of harm. Report concerns about content or behaviour to [general email]; for safeguarding matters see section 8.

4. Giving, event tickets and payments

Gifts are voluntary and generally non-refundable once processed. Event tickets follow the refund rules in clause 4.7.

  1. 4.1
    Payment processing. Online payments are processed by Paynow Zimbabwe, which supports methods such as EcoCash, OneMoney and bank cards; some funds also offer a USSD code. We never see or store your full card number or PIN. Paynow and your mobile-money provider or bank are independent of the Church, and their own terms also apply.
  2. 4.2
    Funds. You may choose a fund (for example tithes, offerings, building, missions or meal support). We will use gifts for the chosen fund where reasonably possible. If a fund closes or is over-subscribed, the Church's leadership may apply the gift to the Church's general charitable and religious work.
  3. 4.3
    Currency. Payments are taken in the currency shown at checkout (USD or ZiG). We do not convert between currencies.
  4. 4.4
    Mistakes. If you give the wrong amount or make a duplicate gift, contact [finance email] within 14 days and we will review a refund in good faith. Refunds go back to the original payment method, less any third-party charges we cannot recover.
  5. 4.5
    Records. We keep a record of your gifts and payments so you can see your history and so we can meet accounting and legal duties. These records are visible only to you and authorised finance staff.
  6. 4.6
    Event tickets and fees. Some events charge a ticket price, including for guests you bring. The total price, including any service fee, is shown before you pay. Paying confirms your place, subject to the event's capacity.
  7. 4.7
    Ticket refunds. If we cancel an event, or move it to a date you cannot attend, we will refund the ticket in full. You may cancel up to 7 days before the event for a refund less any service fee. After that, tickets are non-refundable unless your place can be filled.
  8. 4.8
    Declining gifts. We may decline or return any gift where we reasonably suspect fraud, money laundering, or a source of funds that conflicts with our values or the law.
  9. 4.9
    Tax. We do not promise that any gift is tax-deductible. Ask us if you need a giving statement.

5. Privacy and data protection

We collect only what we need to care for our church family, and handle it under the CDPA. Our Privacy Policy explains what we collect, why, who can see it, how long we keep it and your rights. Our Data Protection Officer is [Data Protection Officer name], reachable at [DPO email].

6. Content and intellectual property

You own what you post; we own the Services and our ministry materials.

  1. 6.1
    Your content. You keep ownership of your prayer requests, testimonies, messages and photos. You give the Church a free, non-exclusive licence to display them within the Services to the audience you choose, until you delete them. We will ask before using a testimony or photo outside the Services (for example in a service, on the website or on social media).
  2. 6.2
    Our content. Sermons, bulletins, devotionals, the Verse of the Day, logos and the Faith Connect software belong to the Church, [platform operator name] or their licensors. You may watch, listen and share links for personal, non-commercial use. Do not re-upload, edit or sell them without written permission.
  3. 6.3
    Third-party material. Scripture quotations, worship songs and video hosting (such as YouTube and Vimeo) are used under their owners' licences and terms. Links to other websites are provided for convenience; we are not responsible for their content.
  4. 6.4
    Filming and livestreams. Services and some events are filmed, streamed and published online, and signs at the venue show where cameras operate. We do not feature identifiable Children without a parent's or guardian's media consent. You can ask the media team not to feature you or your Child, or to remove published footage of you where reasonably possible.

7. Disclaimers and limitation of liability

The Services are provided free of charge as a ministry tool, not a professional service.

  1. 7.1
    Availability. We aim to keep the Services running but do not promise they will be uninterrupted or error-free. Network, power or provider outages may affect access.
  2. 7.2
    Not professional advice. Prayer, pastoral support and teaching do not replace medical, legal, financial or counselling advice. In an emergency, contact emergency services first.
  3. 7.3
    Other members. We are not responsible for what other members post or do, but we will act on concerns raised with us.
  4. 7.4
    Events beyond our control. We are not liable for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control, such as power or network failures, natural disasters or government action.
  5. 7.5
    Limit of liability. As far as the law allows, the Church, its leaders and volunteers are not liable for indirect or consequential loss. Our total liability to you for any claim is limited to the greater of US$100 or the amount you paid us for the ticket or service concerned in the 12 months before the claim. Refunds of gifts are handled under section 4.
  6. 7.6
    Your statutory rights. Nothing in these terms limits liability for fraud, gross negligence, or death or injury caused by negligence, or limits your rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 or any other law that cannot be excluded by agreement.

8. Safeguarding and confidentiality

We treat what you share in confidence with care, but confidentiality is not absolute where someone is at risk of harm.

  1. 8.1
    Our commitment. The Church keeps a safeguarding policy for Children and vulnerable adults, available at [safeguarding policy link]. Our Safeguarding Lead is [Safeguarding Lead name] ([Safeguarding Lead phone / email]).
  2. 8.2
    Limits of confidentiality. Prayer requests, pastoral conversations and welfare notes are shared only with the people who need to know. We may share information without consent where we reasonably believe it is needed to protect someone from serious harm, or where the law requires it, including under the Children's Act [Chapter 5:06]. Where it is safe to, we will tell you first.
  3. 8.3
    Children's check-in. Children are released only to a parent, guardian or authorised collector recorded in the app. Keep your authorised collectors, medical notes and consents up to date.
  4. 8.4
    Reporting a concern. If you are worried about the safety of a Child or adult, contact the Safeguarding Lead. If someone is in immediate danger, call the Zimbabwe Republic Police first.

9. Suspension, changes and general terms

  1. 9.1
    Suspension and termination. We may suspend or close an account that seriously or repeatedly breaks these terms, or that puts others at risk. Where it is safe to do so, we will speak with you first and give you a chance to respond. You may close your account at any time; we will then delete or anonymise your data, except records we must keep (see our Privacy Policy).
  2. 9.2
    Changes to these terms. We may update these terms as the Services or the law change. We will give at least 14 days' notice of significant changes in the app and ask you to accept them again. Each version is numbered and dated, and we record which version you accepted.
  3. 9.3
    Disputes. We would first seek to resolve any dispute through pastoral conversation, in keeping with Matthew 18:15–17. If that fails, either side may propose mediation by a mediator both agree on. This does not stop either side going to court, or you complaining to POTRAZ.
  4. 9.4
    Governing law. These terms are governed by the laws of Zimbabwe, and the courts of Zimbabwe have jurisdiction.
  5. 9.5
    Notices. We will send notices to the email or phone number on your account, or in the app. Send notices to us at the contact details below.
  6. 9.6
    General. The following also apply:
    • Entire agreement: these terms, with the policies they refer to, are the whole agreement about the Services.
    • Severability: if a court finds any part unenforceable, the rest still applies.
    • No waiver: if we do not enforce a term straight away, we can still enforce it later.
    • Transfer: you may not transfer your rights under these terms. We may transfer ours to a successor church entity, and will tell you if we do.
    • Survival: sections 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 continue to apply after your account closes, as far as relevant.
    • Language: these terms are written in English; any translation is for convenience only.
  7. 9.7
    Contact us. River of Life Church, [physical address], Harare, Zimbabwe.
    • General: [general email] · [phone number]
    • Data Protection Officer: [DPO email]
    • Safeguarding Lead: [Safeguarding Lead phone / email]