Church Terms of Service

1. Parties and Agreement

These Terms of Service ("Agreement") form a binding contract between you, the church or authorized church representative ("Church," "you," or "your"), and ChurchConnect, LLC ("ChurchConnect," "we," "us," or "our"), a company operating the platform accessible at churchxconnect.com and related mobile or web applications (the "Platform").

By registering a church account, clicking "I agree," or using the Platform in any way, you represent that (a) you are at least 18 years old; (b) you have the legal authority to bind the church or organization on whose behalf you are acting; and (c) you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Agreement and our Privacy Policy.

Electronic Signature: By checking the acceptance box during signup, you provide an electronic signature under the federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (E-SIGN Act) and California's Electronic Transactions Act (Civil Code §1633.1 et seq.), which has the same legal force as a handwritten signature.

2. Nature of the Platform — Marketplace Only

ChurchConnect is a marketplace platform, not a staffing agency, employer, or service provider. We connect churches seeking ministry-related services with independent contractors and freelance ministry professionals ("Partners") who offer those services. ChurchConnect does not employ, supervise, control, or direct the work performed by any Partner, and is not a party to any service agreement between you and a Partner.

Partners are independent contractors, not employees or agents of ChurchConnect. You acknowledge that ChurchConnect makes no representations, warranties, or guarantees regarding the quality, suitability, legality, or any other aspect of any Partner's services. Your decision to engage a Partner is made entirely at your own risk.

3. Account Registration and Eligibility

• Church accounts require an invitation issued by ChurchConnect during the beta period. You may not register without a valid invite token.
• You must provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and keep it updated.
• You are responsible for safeguarding your login credentials. You agree to notify us immediately at helpcc@churchxconnect.com of any unauthorized access.
• One account per church. You may not create multiple accounts to circumvent any suspension or restriction.
• ChurchConnect reserves the right to verify your church's identity or status at any time and to suspend accounts that cannot be verified.

4. Bookings and Payment

How payment works: When you confirm a booking, the agreed service fee is charged to your payment method and held in trust through our payment processor (Stripe, Inc.) until the service is completed. Funds are released to the Partner only after you mark the booking as "Complete" in your church dashboard, or automatically after 72 hours if no dispute has been raised.

Platform service fee: ChurchConnect charges a platform service fee on each transaction, disclosed at the time of booking and in your booking confirmation email. This fee is non-refundable except as expressly stated in Section 5.

Authorization: By providing payment information, you authorize ChurchConnect and Stripe to charge the applicable amounts. You agree to Stripe's Services Agreement.

Subscription auto-renewal disclosure (California BPC §17600): If ChurchConnect offers a subscription plan, it will automatically renew at the then-current rate unless you cancel before the renewal date. You will receive an email reminder before renewal. To cancel, email helpcc@churchxconnect.com or use your account settings. Cancellations are effective at the end of the then-current billing period.

5. Cancellation and Refunds

All cancellations must be submitted through the Platform. Refunds are processed within 5–10 business days to your original payment method. To dispute a charge, contact helpcc@churchxconnect.com within 72 hours of the scheduled service date. Nothing in this section limits your rights under California law, including the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act (CLRA, Civil Code §1750 et seq.).

6. Your Responsibilities

As a Church on the Platform you agree to:

• Provide a safe and respectful working environment for all Partners who serve at your facility.
• Accurately describe the scope, location, timing, and requirements of each booking.
• Communicate promptly and professionally through the Platform's messaging system.
• Mark bookings as Complete (or raise a dispute) within 72 hours of service completion.
• Not circumvent the Platform's payment system by directly paying Partners outside the Platform for bookings arranged through ChurchConnect (see Section 7).
• Comply with all applicable federal, California, and local laws, including workplace safety, anti-discrimination, and child protection laws.
• Implement and maintain your own child safety policies when engaging Partners for Children's Ministry services.

7. Prohibited Conduct and Platform Integrity

You may not:

• Circumvent the Platform: Directly engage or pay any Partner you first discovered through ChurchConnect outside of the Platform within 12 months of first contact, without paying ChurchConnect a client introduction fee equal to 20% of services rendered (minimum $500). This protects ChurchConnect's trade secrets under the California Uniform Trade Secrets Act (Civil Code §3426 et seq.) and does not restrict your ability to work with Partners you already knew before joining.
• Post false, misleading, or defamatory reviews or content.
• Use the Platform to find Partners for unlawful purposes.
• Attempt to collect a Partner's personal contact information to bypass the Platform.
• Use automated tools to scrape, harvest, or otherwise collect data from the Platform.
• Share your account credentials with any third party.
• Discriminate against any Partner on the basis of any characteristic protected under federal or California law.

8. Background Checks and Safety

ChurchConnect may require Partners in certain categories (such as Children's Ministry) to complete background checks before their profile is visible. While we make commercially reasonable efforts to screen Partners, ChurchConnect does not guarantee that any background check is complete, current, or free of error, and does not assume liability for any Partner's conduct on your premises. You remain solely responsible for assessing the suitability of each Partner for your specific environment, including your own background-check, reference, and safe-church requirements. Background check results may be limited by data availability in certain states or counties.

9. Intellectual Property

The Platform, its design, content, trademarks, and software are owned by or licensed to ChurchConnect and protected by applicable intellectual property laws. You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and use the Platform solely for its intended purpose. You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or create derivative works from any part of the Platform without our prior written consent. User-generated content you submit remains yours; you grant ChurchConnect a worldwide, royalty-free license to display it on the Platform.

10. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Platform is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. ChurchConnect does not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses or other harmful components.

California Civil Code §1668 Note: Nothing in this Agreement limits liability for fraud, willful injury to person or property, or violations of law where limitation of liability is prohibited by statute.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, ChurchConnect's total liability to you for any claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the Platform shall not exceed the total fees paid by you to ChurchConnect in the 12 months immediately preceding the date the claim arose. This limitation reflects a reasonable allocation of risk between the parties.

In no event shall ChurchConnect be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, including lost profits, lost data, or reputational harm, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless ChurchConnect and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to (a) your use of the Platform; (b) your material breach of this Agreement; (c) your interaction with any Partner; or (d) any harm caused by your facilities, staff, or agents.

This indemnification obligation applies to claims arising from your own acts or omissions and does not require you to indemnify ChurchConnect for ChurchConnect's own negligence (California Civil Code §2782.5).

13. Dispute Resolution and Arbitration

Informal resolution first: Before filing any formal claim, you agree to contact helpcc@churchxconnect.com and attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute informally for at least 30 days.

Binding arbitration: If informal resolution fails, disputes shall be resolved by binding arbitration administered by JAMS under its Streamlined Arbitration Rules, or (at ChurchConnect's election) the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. The Federal Arbitration Act (FAA, 9 U.S.C. §1 et seq.) governs this arbitration provision. The arbitration will be conducted in San Francisco County, California, or remotely if mutually agreed. Either party may seek emergency provisional relief from a court to preserve the status quo pending arbitration.

Class action waiver: YOU AND CHURCHCONNECT AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS ONLY IN YOUR OR ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS ACTION OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.

14. Governing Law

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles, except that the arbitration provision in Section 13 is governed by the FAA. To the extent any claim must be brought in court, you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in San Francisco County, California.

15. Termination

ChurchConnect may suspend or terminate your account at any time for material violation of this Agreement, fraudulent activity, or conduct harmful to other users or the Platform. We will provide notice where reasonably practicable unless doing so would harm another user or impede a safety investigation. You may close your account at any time by contacting helpcc@churchxconnect.com. Termination does not relieve you of obligations arising before the effective date of termination, including outstanding payments and any applicable client introduction fees.

16. Force Majeure

Neither party shall be liable for delays or failures in performance resulting from circumstances beyond their reasonable control, including acts of God, natural disasters, pandemic, government action, civil unrest, or power or telecommunications failures ("Force Majeure Events"), provided the affected party promptly notifies the other and uses reasonable efforts to resume performance.

17. Severability, Waiver, and Integration

• Severability: If any provision is found unenforceable, it will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable. All other provisions remain in full force and effect.
• Waiver: ChurchConnect's failure to enforce any right or provision is not a waiver of that right. Any waiver must be in writing signed by an authorized ChurchConnect representative.
• Integration: This Agreement, together with the Privacy Policy, constitutes the entire agreement between you and ChurchConnect regarding the Platform and supersedes all prior understandings or representations.
• Assignment: You may not assign this Agreement. ChurchConnect may assign it in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or substantially all of its assets.

18. California Consumer Rights

California residents have specific legal rights, including:

• California Consumer Legal Remedies Act (CLRA): If you are a California consumer who has suffered damage due to an unfair or deceptive trade practice, you may have rights under Civil Code §1750 et seq. Contact helpcc@churchxconnect.com before initiating any CLRA action.
• California BPC §17200 (Unfair Competition Law): California's unfair competition law prohibits unlawful, unfair, or fraudulent business acts. If you believe ChurchConnect has engaged in such conduct, contact us first.
• CCPA / CPRA: California residents have privacy rights described in our Privacy Policy, including rights to know, delete, correct, and opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information.
• Proposition 65: Not applicable — ChurchConnect is a digital marketplace and does not expose users to chemical hazards.

19. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. For material changes, we will email you at least 14 days before the new terms take effect. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree to a material change, you may close your account before it takes effect.

20. Contact Us

Questions about these Terms? Reach us at:
ChurchConnect, LLC
Email: helpcc@churchxconnect.com
San Francisco Bay Area, California