Privacy Statement

Like all other organisations, Billericay Baptist Church is impacted by the General Data Protection Regulation (‘GDPR’) which came into effect on 25th May 2018; as it determines how we handle your data. As a ‘Data Controller’, it is important that we respect and protect the personal details that you give us and that you know how we do this.

This Privacy Statement explains at a high level what information we hold about you, why we hold it, how we protect it for you and how you can have your data removed from our records, if you so wish.

What information is held about you and why do we hold it?

We generally hold details of your name, address and other contact details and may in some cases hold details of other members of your family. We collect this information to enable the church to keep in touch with you about its activities, to provide pastoral support, and to meet the Gift Aid requirements of HMRC, as appropriate. We may also keep details of the church activities that you participate in; as this enables us to keep you informed of matters that may be of interest to you. Where you incur expenditure on behalf of the church, we will also hold your bank details for the purpose of reimbursement only.

Data Protection legislation allows us to process this information as we regard it as being in the church’s legitimate interest. This data can either be held on a secure database or in a paper form which is stored in lockable cabinets; in a manner which has been approved by the Trustees. This data will be accessible to Ministers, employees and designated officers of the church.

To enable us to provide adequate pastoral support to you and your family, one of the Ministers or Pastoral Care Team may record information which may be regarded as sensitive. This information will be stored (in password protected documents) on the church computer but the password will only be known by the Ministers or Pastoral Care Team member recording the data. Unless required to do so by law, this information will NOT be disclosed to anyone else without your consent.

Who do we share your personal information with?

Church news is notified via a notice sheet and/or the church magazine. The notice sheet is circulated by email to church members, those on the friends list and regular attendees. Both the notice sheet and the magazine are available in paper format at our various premises and services. We may share prayer requests during services, which may be recorded and made available via our website. We will seek your consent for you to be included in these.

We use an external company to host the church website and we also use external printers for the church magazine. If you have agreed to your details appearing in either of these then our external providers will have access to the data as it appears in these locations. Similarly, we also use social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, for some communication and these platforms have their own data controls which are separate to the Church.

We also have a ‘church members’ directory for ease of contacting each other. If you have agreed for your details to be included in the directory then your contact details will be shared with members,those on the friends list and regular attendees of Billericay Baptist Church who have also agreed to be included in the directory. Although this directory has limited circulation, there remains a possibility that it may be seen by others.

As part of the independent examination required under Charity Law, we may also pass your details to our independent examiner.

If you serve Billericay Baptist Church as a member of staff or in a key role, then we may pass on your name and contact details to the Baptist Union of Great Britain and/or the Eastern Baptist Association (of which we are members) to enable them to send you information relevant to your role. We will always ensure you are aware of what information is being shared with them and allow you to decide which of your contact details are provided to them.

Billericay Baptist Church will not share your personal details with other organisations, other than as set out above, without your consent unless required by law to do so.

How long do we hold your information for?

This will be for as long as we need it for the purpose for which it has been collected.

For example, if you leave the church and don’t ask to remain on the ‘friends list’ your contact details will normally be removed from the database within 12 months; however, if you also made donations to Billericay Baptist Church under the Gift Aid scheme then we are required to hold your data for 6 years following the year in which you made your last donation in accordance with HMRC rules.

What are your rights?

You have the right to ask to see any information we hold about you (including the pastoral support information) by submitting a ‘Subject Access Request’ to the Church Administrator.

You also have the right to ask for information which you believe to be incorrect to be rectified and, where permissible, to have your data deleted.

If you are concerned about the way your information is being handled, please contact our Data Protection Officer, Mr Richard Warrington, by telephoning 01277 654316 or by emailing:

RichardWarrington@billericaybaptist.org.uk

or by writing to: Billericay Baptist Church, 140 Perry Street, Billericay, Essex CM12 0NS

If you are still unhappy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) if you believe your data has been processed in a way that does not comply with the General Data Protection Regulation. You can do so by calling the ICO helpline on 0303 123 1113 or via their website at: https://ico.org.uk/concerns/

Our Policy: If you would like to see the full Data Protection Policy for Billericay Baptist Church, please contact the Data Protection Officer.

Any Questions?

Updated: 02 April 2023