Privacy policy

1. Introduction

Bible Homiletics ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding your data.

By using Bible Homiletics, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy. If you have questions, contact us at contact@biblehomiletics.com.

2. Information we collect

We collect the following information when you use Bible Homiletics:

Account information

• Name - provided by you or your Google account
• Email address - used for sign-in and account identification
• Profile image - from your Google account or not set
• Bio - optionally provided by you
• Password - stored as a secure hash, never in plain text (email/password sign-up only)

Authentication data

If you sign in with Google, we receive your name, email, and profile image from Google. We also store OAuth tokens (access token, refresh token) to maintain your session. We do not access your Google contacts, files, or any other Google data.

Content you create

• Homiletics - your written analyses (drafts and published)
• Comments - feedback you leave on other users' homiletics
• Likes - which homiletics you have liked
• Group memberships - which groups you belong to and your role

Automatically collected data

We store session tokens to keep you signed in. We do not use third-party analytics, tracking pixels, or advertising cookies.

3. How we use your information

We use your information solely to provide and improve the Bible Homiletics service:

• Authenticate your identity and maintain your session
• Display your name and image on published homiletics, comments, and group memberships
• Save your homiletic drafts so you can return to them later
• Show community statistics (submission counts, streaks, group metrics)
• Enable group leaders to manage memberships and see who has submitted

4. Data storage and security

Your data is stored in a PostgreSQL database hosted on Neon, accessed through our application deployed on Vercel. All connections are encrypted using TLS/SSL.

Passwords are hashed using bcrypt before storage. We never store or have access to your plain-text password. OAuth tokens from Google are stored securely and used only to maintain your session.

5. Data sharing

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties. Your data is only shared in the following ways:

• Public content - published homiletics and comments are visible to all users
• Group content - your name and submissions are visible to members of your groups
• Service providers - Vercel (hosting) and Neon (database) process your data to run the platform

6. What is private

The following data is never visible to other users:

• Your email address
• Your password hash
• Your draft homiletics (only visible to you until you publish)
• Your authentication tokens

7. Your rights

You have the right to:

• Access - view your personal information in your account settings
• Update - edit your name, bio, email, and password at any time
• Delete - delete your account and personal data from your account settings

When you delete your account, your personal information is permanently removed. Published homiletics and comments are kept but attributed to "Deleted user" to preserve community discussions. Drafts and likes are permanently deleted. See our terms and conditions for full details.

8. Cookies

Bible Homiletics uses only essential cookies required for authentication and session management. We do not use advertising cookies, tracking cookies, or third-party analytics cookies.

9. Children's privacy

Bible Homiletics is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, please contact us and we will delete it.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be reflected by updating the "last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of the platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy or how your data is handled, contact us at contact@biblehomiletics.com or visit our contact page.