Vinelife Church Manchester

Data Protection and Privacy Statement

Vinelife Church Manchester (“Vinelife”, “we”, “us”) is committed to protecting your personal data and handling it responsibly.

We process personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We collect and use personal data to support the life and ministry of the church, including administration, communication, and pastoral care.

Our lawful bases for processing personal data include legitimate interests (for church administration and communication), legal obligations, and consent.

Where we collect sensitive (“special category”) data, such as information relating to health, wellbeing, or religious beliefs, we will only do so with your explicit consent, or when it is necessary for safeguarding purposes or to protect someone's vital interests (e.g. emergency medical care), in line with legal requirements. As a religious charity, we may also rely on a specific legal condition (Data Protection Act 2018, Schedule 1, Part 2, para 17) to process religious belief data about our members and those in regular contact with us. We will handle this information with additional care and confidentiality, and access is strictly limited.

1. How and why we use your information

We collect and use personal data to support the life and ministry of the church. This includes:

• Church administration and record keeping
• Communicating with you about services, events, resources, and activities
• Pastoral care and support
• Managing volunteering and ministry teams
• Processing donations and Gift Aid
• Understanding church demographics (in a non-identifiable way)

Lawful bases

We process personal data under the following lawful bases:

• Legitimate interests – for the day-to-day running of the church (e.g. admin or pastoral care)
• Consent – for specific communications or where required (e.g. emails or sensitive data)
• Legal obligation – for financial and regulatory requirements (e.g. Gift Aid)

Where you have given consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

2. Special category (sensitive) data

As a church, we may collect information that is considered sensitive under data protection law. This may include:

• Religious belief (e.g. church involvement)
• Health or wellbeing information (where voluntarily provided)

We will only process this type of information with your explicit consent, or where processing is necessary for safeguarding purposes or to protect someone’s vital interests (e.g. emergency medical care), in line with legal requirements.

This information is handled with additional care and access is strictly limited.

3. How we collect your information

We may collect personal data and information about you when you:

• Register your details (or your family's details) via ChurchSuite, our website, or forms
• Make a donation
• Sign up for events or activities
• Contact us by email, phone, social media, or in person
• Attend services or participate in church life (including photography or media capture)
• Visit our website

4. Who has access to your information

Your information will be treated as private and confidential and will only be accessed by authorised Vinelife staff and leaders where it is necessary for their role, and in order to facilitate the administration and day-to-day ministry of the church.

All staff and volunteers with access to personal data are required to:

• Follow our Data Protection Policy 
• Maintain confidentiality

We do not sell your data.

5. Sharing your information

We will only share your information in the following limited circumstances:

• With trusted service providers who support church administration, including our membership database, payment processing, accounting, cloud storage/email, and internal team communication tools
• Where required by law
• Where there is a safeguarding concern or risk of harm
• Where you have given your consent

Where data is transferred outside the UK (e.g. with a service provider), we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as Standard Contractual Clauses or the UK International Data Transfer Addendum. Further details are available on request from the DPL.

6. Data storage and security

We store personal data securely using appropriate technical and organisational measures.

Our main database is provided by ChurchSuite and access is controlled through secure login and permissions. Only those who need access for their role are able to view relevant information.

Access levels and activity relating to storage and processing of personal data on the database is controlled, and can be viewed by the database controller.

7. How long we keep your data

We only keep personal data for as long as necessary for church purposes, legal requirements, or safeguarding obligations. Details of typical retention periods are available on request.

When data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted or anonymised.

8. Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

• Request access to your personal data
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data (where appropriate)
• Restrict or object to certain types of processing
• Withdraw consent at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below.

9. Contact details

If you have any questions about this notice or how your data is handled, please contact:

Data Protection Lead (DPL)Vinelife Church Manchester
1.10 Universal Square
Devonshire Street North
Manchester
M12 6JHx

Email: info@vinelife.co.uk

Further information and templates for a subject access request (SAR) can be found from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on their website.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how your data is handled.

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