Privacy Policy

Originally effective: February 14, 2022
Revised effective: July 20, 2026

1. Who We Are

Lifelong Building Curriculum Studies LLC, doing business as Athority Ministries (“Athority Ministries,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), operates the Services. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect personal information when you use:

  • athority.org and its pages;
  • the Spiritual Pathway Finder at pathway.athority.org;
  • the Athority Shop at shop.athority.org when it is made available to the public;
  • our contact forms, email communications, and email series; and
  • other online services that link to this Privacy Policy.

Together, these are referred to as the “Services.”

For privacy questions or requests, use our Contact page and begin your message with “Privacy request.”

2. Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on how you use the Services.

Information You Provide

We may collect information you provide when you:

  • contact us, including your name, email address, church, ministry, organization, role, and message;
  • subscribe to an email list or request an email series;
  • request that a Spiritual Pathway Finder result be sent by email;
  • respond to a survey or communicate with us;
  • submit a privacy or support request; or
  • make a purchase through a Shop or paid service when one is offered.

When purchases are offered, the information may include your name, contact details, billing and shipping details, order information, and transaction status. Payment-card information is processed by the payment provider selected at checkout, such as Stripe or PayPal. Athority Ministries does not intend to store full payment-card numbers on its own servers.

Spiritual Pathway Finder Information

The Spiritual Pathway Finder is designed for adult ministry leaders, parents, mentors, chaplains, counselors, and similar adults to reflect on how they may support another person. It may ask about subjects such as faith, religious participation, loss, depression or spiritual desolation, abuse, church hurt, relationships, and engagement with therapy or secular sources of meaning.

The Pathway performs its scoring in your browser. The Pathway’s scoring process does not intentionally send its raw answer set to Athority Ministries’ application server or MailerLite. If you affirmatively save an assessment, the structured result, score information, and optional label are stored in your browser. Raw quiz answers are not included in the saved assessment.

Product analytics may still collect information about how you interact with the Pathway. Manually configured analytics events include tool starts and completions, result-profile identifiers, confidence and score information, care-plan and ministry-brief activity, saves, exports, printing, email success or failure, and usage-limit activity. Those manually configured events exclude email addresses, organization names, the label of the person you have in mind, and free-text comments.

PostHog’s automatic interaction capture is also currently enabled. It may collect clicks, form interactions, page and element information, and visible text associated with buttons or other page controls. In some circumstances, that information could indicate which answer control a user selected. Session recording is disabled, browser Do Not Track is respected, and PostHog event-level IP storage is disabled.

Do not enter another person’s full name, contact information, medical records, counseling records, or other information that is not necessary to use the Pathway. Use a first name, initials, or a non-identifying label whenever possible. If you use the Pathway concerning a child or another person, you are responsible for using the information lawfully and respecting that person’s privacy.

Pathway Browser Storage

The Pathway uses browser local storage to provide saved assessments and enforce monthly usage limits.

If you save an assessment, the browser may store:

  • the optional label you supplied for the person you had in mind;
  • the date saved;
  • the resulting pathway or pathways;
  • confidence, score, and signal information; and
  • technical identifiers used to reopen the result.

Saved assessments remain in that browser until you delete them through the Pathway or clear the site’s browser data.

For usage limits and related functionality, the browser may store:

  • a randomly generated browser identifier;
  • completion dates, result-profile identifiers, and confidence bands;
  • care-plan, ministry-brief, save, copy, print, and return-day counters;
  • usage tier and recent activity dates; and
  • after an email unlock, a hash of the email address, email domain, role, optional organization, unlock date, MailerLite subscriber identifier, and lead-stage information.

Completion and engagement events are limited to a rolling 30-day window in browser storage. Account-unlock metadata and the random browser identifier may remain until you clear the site’s browser data.

Result and Care-Plan Emails

If you ask to email a result or care plan to yourself, Athority Ministries sends the email through Resend. The information sent for that request may include your email address, optional first name, pathway result, confidence band, and limited care-context categories used to assemble the requested email. Raw quiz answers and the label of the person you had in mind are not included in the request.

Email Unlock and MailerLite

After the anonymous monthly-use limit is reached, you may choose to provide an email address and consent to receive resources in exchange for a higher free-use limit. MailerLite receives:

  • email address;
  • role category;
  • optional church or organization name;
  • email-domain category;
  • unlock date; and
  • subscriber-group information.

After unlock, MailerLite may also receive usage counts, lead score, lead stage, last-active date, and related subscriber-group changes. These are counts and categories, not quiz-answer text, the person label, or free-text feedback.

Information Collected Automatically

When you use the Services, we and our service providers may automatically collect information such as:

  • IP address and approximate location derived from it;
  • browser, device, operating-system, and language information;
  • pages viewed, referring pages, links and buttons used, and dates and times of access;
  • performance, diagnostic, security, and error information;
  • cookie, local-storage, or similar identifiers; and
  • email-delivery, opening, and link-interaction information when permitted by law.

We use Google services to understand website usage, PostHog to understand use of the Spiritual Pathway Finder, Wordfence to help protect the WordPress site, NitroPack to deliver and optimize website content, and server logs maintained by our hosting providers.

Our email and usage-protection endpoints use Upstash Redis for short-term rate limiting. Upstash receives the requesting IP address and a SHA-256 hash of the recipient or unlock email address. The rate-limit windows currently range from one minute to one hour, depending on the endpoint.

Information From Other Sources

We may receive information from service providers that help us operate the Services, such as email-delivery status, security alerts, analytics reports, order status, and payment confirmation. We may also receive information that you direct another person or service to provide to us.

3. How We Use Information

We may use personal information to:

  • provide, maintain, and improve the Services;
  • respond to messages and support requests;
  • generate and deliver requested Pathway results;
  • send requested result and care-plan emails through Resend;
  • manage Pathway access and send email series, newsletters, and other communications through MailerLite;
  • manage email preferences and unsubscribes;
  • understand how visitors use the Services;
  • detect spam, fraud, misuse, and security incidents;
  • protect our rights, users, systems, and content;
  • process purchases and provide related support when paid services are offered;
  • maintain business, accounting, and compliance records;
  • comply with law, legal process, and enforceable government requests; and
  • establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

We may combine information collected through different parts of the Services when reasonably necessary for these purposes.

4. Legal Bases for Processing

If European Economic Area or United Kingdom data-protection law applies, our legal bases may include:

  • your consent, such as for marketing emails or nonessential analytics where consent is required;
  • performance of a contract or steps requested before entering a contract, such as sending a requested result or processing an order;
  • our legitimate interests in operating, securing, improving, and communicating about the Services, where those interests are not overridden by your rights; and
  • compliance with legal obligations.

Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal does not affect processing that occurred before withdrawal.

5. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We and our service providers may use cookies, local storage, pixels, tags, and similar technologies for:

  • essential site operation and security;
  • remembering settings and preferences;
  • traffic measurement and analytics;
  • performance monitoring; and
  • email delivery and engagement measurement.

Google reCAPTCHA is used to protect forms from spam and abuse. Its use is subject to Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

We display an analytics notice that explains our use of analytics technologies and links to this Privacy Policy. The notice includes an acknowledgment control. It is an informational notice, not an opt-in preference manager. Google and PostHog analytics may load before you acknowledge the notice. The Pathway is configured to respect browser Do Not Track. You may also use browser or device controls to limit cookies and similar technologies. Blocking some technologies may affect site functionality.

6. Email Communications, MailerLite, and Resend

We use MailerLite to manage email subscriptions, Pathway access, subscriber categories, automation series, and email delivery and engagement. MailerLite may process your email address, role, optional organization, domain category, subscription status, Pathway usage counts, lead score and stage, email tags or segments, delivery information, and interactions with emails on our behalf.

We use Resend to deliver transactional copies of Pathway results and care plans when you request them. Resend may process the recipient email address, optional first name, subject line, email content, delivery status, and related technical information needed to provide and secure the email service.

You may unsubscribe from marketing emails by using the unsubscribe link in an email. We may still send non-marketing communications that are necessary to respond to your request, provide a service, or address security or legal matters.

7. How We Disclose Information

We may disclose personal information to:

  • hosting, content-delivery, website, and security providers, including InMotion Hosting, Vercel, NitroPack, and Wordfence;
  • website and form providers, including WordPress and Elementor;
  • analytics providers, including Google and PostHog;
  • email and communications providers, including MailerLite, Resend, Google Workspace, and our WordPress email-delivery provider;
  • abuse-prevention and rate-limiting providers, including Upstash;
  • spam-prevention providers, including Google reCAPTCHA;
  • payment and ecommerce providers, including WooCommerce, Stripe, and PayPal, when those services are offered;
  • accountants, attorneys, insurers, consultants, and other professional advisers;
  • government authorities or other parties when required by law or reasonably necessary to protect rights, safety, and security; and
  • a buyer, successor, or other participant in a merger, financing, reorganization, sale of assets, or similar business transaction, subject to appropriate safeguards.

These providers may process information only as permitted by their agreements with us and applicable law.

We may disclose information at your direction or with your consent. We may also use or disclose aggregated or deidentified information that cannot reasonably be linked to an individual.

8. Sale, Sharing, and Targeted Advertising

Athority Ministries does not sell or rent personal information. Athority Ministries does not disclose personal information to third parties for cross-context behavioral advertising or targeted advertising based on activity across unrelated businesses.

Athority Ministries does disclose limited personal information to service providers and other recipients for the operational purposes described in Section 7. Those operational disclosures are not made for third-party targeted advertising.

Some privacy laws define “sale” or “sharing” more broadly than an exchange for money. If our use of an analytics technology is treated as a sale or sharing under an applicable law, you may exercise an applicable opt-out right through the method described in Section 13.

9. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including providing requested services, maintaining security and business records, resolving disputes, and meeting legal obligations.

Retention depends on the type of information and why it was collected. We consider the duration of our relationship, user expectations, legal requirements, the sensitivity of the information, and whether it can be deleted or deidentified.

Saved Pathway assessments remain in a user’s browser until the user deletes them or clears site data. Pathway completion and engagement events used for the monthly limit and lead score are pruned from browser storage after a rolling 30-day period. Certain unlock information remains in that browser until site data is cleared.

Our general retention periods are:

  • contact-form submissions, ordinary inquiries, and support email: up to 24 months after the last substantive communication or resolution;
  • active MailerLite subscriber information: while the person remains subscribed, subject to periodic review after 24 months without engagement;
  • unsubscribed MailerLite contacts: the minimum suppression information needed to honor the opt-out, unless a valid deletion request requires the remaining subscriber information to be erased or anonymized;
  • Resend transactional email data: generally 30 days;
  • PostHog raw product events and person profiles: up to 6 months;
  • Google Analytics event-level and user-level data: generally 2 months, unless a longer 14-month period is selected for a defined reporting need;
  • Vercel runtime logs: the provider’s plan-based default, without a separate long-term archive unless needed for security;
  • Upstash rate-limit records: the applicable rate-limit window, currently no more than one hour;
  • routine security logs: generally 90 days, with records connected to a confirmed incident, investigation, or legal claim retained for up to 2 years or as otherwise necessary;
  • privacy-request and fulfillment records: generally 3 years after closure; and
  • future Shop order, invoice, refund, tax, and accounting records: generally 7 years after the transaction, unless a different period is required by law or professional advice.

We may retain information for a shorter or longer period when reasonably necessary to honor a deletion or opt-out request, maintain required suppression records, comply with law, resolve a dispute, prevent fraud or abuse, protect safety or security, or establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

10. Security

We use administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards intended to protect personal information. No internet transmission, email system, or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You are responsible for using the Services carefully and for limiting the sensitive information you submit.

11. International Processing

Athority Ministries and some of our providers operate in the United States and other countries. Personal information may therefore be processed outside the country where you live. Where required, we use legally recognized transfer mechanisms or other appropriate safeguards.

12. Children’s Privacy

The Services are not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13. The Spiritual Pathway Finder is intended to be used by adults, even when an adult is reflecting on how to support a child or young person.

Adults should not submit a child’s full name, contact information, medical or counseling records, or other unnecessary identifying information. If you believe a child has submitted personal information directly to us, contact us so that we can investigate and take appropriate action.

13. Your Privacy Rights and Choices

Depending on where you live and applicable law, you may have the right to:

  • request access to personal information we hold about you;
  • request correction or deletion;
  • receive a portable copy of certain information;
  • object to or restrict certain processing;
  • withdraw consent;
  • opt out of certain sale, sharing, targeted advertising, or profiling activities; and
  • appeal a decision concerning a privacy request.

You may unsubscribe from marketing email using the link in the email.

To submit another privacy request, use our Contact page and begin your message with “Privacy request.” We may need to verify your identity before completing a request. We will respond within the period required by applicable law.

You may use an authorized agent where applicable. We may request proof of the agent’s authority and may need to verify your identity directly.

You also may have the right to complain to a privacy or data-protection regulator in your jurisdiction.

14. Third-Party Websites and Services

The Services may link to websites, social platforms, resources, or services that we do not control. Their privacy practices are governed by their own policies. Review those policies before providing information.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when our practices, technologies, or legal obligations change. We will post the revised Policy with a new revised-effective date. If required by law, we will provide additional notice or request consent.

16. Contact Us

Lifelong Building Curriculum Studies LLC
Doing business as Athority Ministries
3019 Edgewater Dr, Unit #A1070
Orlando, FL 32804
United States

Privacy requests: Contact Athority Ministries and begin the message with “Privacy request.”