Privacy Policy
Effective date: October 21, 2026
Understream LLC ("Understream," "we," "us") runs two things: the Understream website at understream.app (the "Website"), which shares information about Understream, and the Understream platform at app.understream.app (the "Platform"), which churches use to track ministry health and coordinate their people. This policy explains what information we handle on each, why, and the choices available.
1. Our Role
Churches that subscribe to Understream decide what information about their members, guests and volunteers goes into the Platform. For that information, the Church is responsible for it and Understream handles it on the Church's behalf. For Website visitors and Church staff accounts, Understream is responsible for the information we collect.
2. If You Are a Volunteer, Guest or Survey Respondent
Your church uses Understream to stay connected with you. Here is what that means in plain terms:
Your church decides what information about you is entered, such as your name, phone number, email and the teams you serve on.
If you check in to serve by phone, we look you up by your phone number and record that you checked in.
If you answer a culture survey as a volunteer or team member, you answer by role and do not give your name.
If you visit as a guest and agree to texts, you may receive a few welcome texts from your church. Reply STOP at any time to stop them.
Prayer requests you share go to your church's staff and are deleted from Understream 30 days after they are delivered.
We never sell your information or use it to market anything to you.
For questions, or to see, correct or delete your information, contact your church first. We will help your church respond. You can also reach us directly using the contact details below.
3. Information We Handle
Website visitors: the Website does not ask you to fill out any forms. If you email us, we receive your name, email address and message. Our website host collects basic technical information such as browser type and pages viewed. See Cookies below.
Church staff accounts: when a church signs up on the Platform, we collect the name and email address of each person who gets an account, their church and role, and sign-in activity.
People a church tracks: names, phone numbers, email addresses, text message consent, team assignments, serving check-ins, next-step class enrollment and attendance, and first-time guest card details, including prayer requests a guest chooses to share.
Ministry data: attendance counts, growth metrics, course completions, and documents a church uploads, such as reports or brand voice guides.
Survey responses: culture survey answers. Responses from volunteers and team members are submitted by role without a name.
Billing: our payment processor, Stripe, collects and stores payment card details. Understream does not see or store full card numbers. We keep a record of your plan, payments and billing contact.
4. How We Use Information
To provide the Platform features a Church turns on.
To send text messages and emails on a Church's behalf, only to people who have given consent where consent is required.
To route prayer requests and guest replies to the Church's designated staff.
To generate AI-assisted drafts, document extraction and insights for the Church.
To answer messages sent to us and to communicate with Church account owners about their account.
To keep the Website and Platform secure, fix problems and improve them.
To bill for subscriptions.
We do not sell personal information. We do not use a Church's data to market to its members, guests or volunteers.
5. Cookies
Website: our website host uses strictly necessary cookies so the Website works properly. With your consent, it also uses analytics cookies to understand how visitors use the Website. These collect usage data that does not directly identify you. You choose whether to allow analytics cookies through the cookie banner, and you can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings. The Website does not use advertising cookies.
Platform: the Platform uses strictly necessary cookies to keep you signed in and to keep your session secure. The Platform does not use analytics, advertising or tracking cookies, and does not follow you across other websites. Blocking these cookies will prevent you from signing in.
6. AI Processing
Some Platform features send relevant Church Data to our AI provider to create drafts, extract information from uploaded documents, or produce insights. Our provider processes this data to return results to us and, under our agreement with them, does not use it to train its models. AI outputs are reviewed by church staff where a decision is involved. Pastoral matters are always handled by people.
7. Service Providers
We use trusted service providers to run Understream, in these categories:
Cloud hosting, database and sign-in
Text message and email delivery
AI processing
Payment processing
Website hosting and analytics
Each provider receives only the information it needs to perform its service. Platform data is stored in the United States.
We may share information if required by law, to protect the safety of people or the Platform, or as part of a business transfer, in which case this policy would continue to apply.
8. Text Messages
Texts are sent only to people who have given consent through their church. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to stop receiving texts from that church at any time. Reply HELP for help. Opting out of one church's texts does not affect texts from any other church.
9. How Long We Keep Information
Prayer requests are deleted 30 days after the daily digest that delivered them to church staff is confirmed sent.
When a Church cancels, its data is kept for 30 days so it can export volunteer and ministry data and summary metrics, then deleted from our active systems. Backup copies are removed on their regular schedule.
Emails sent to us are kept as long as needed to respond and keep a record of the conversation.
Billing records are kept as long as tax and accounting laws require.
10. Security
Each Church's data is kept separate from every other Church's data at the database level. Access within a Church is limited by role, so staff see only what their role allows. Data is encrypted in transit. No system is perfectly secure, and we will notify affected Churches as required by law if a breach occurs.
11. Children
Understream is not designed for children's information. We do not knowingly collect information about children under 13, and our Terms ask Churches not to enter it. If we learn that such information has been entered, we will delete it.
12. Your Choices and Rights
Members, guests and volunteers can ask their church to access, correct or delete their information, and can opt out of texts at any time by replying STOP. Church account owners can update or export their Church's data while their subscription is active and for 30 days after it ends. Website visitors can change their cookie choices at any time. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under state law. Contact us and we will respond as the law requires.
13. Changes to This Policy
We will post any updates here with a new effective date, and notify Church account owners of material changes.
14. Contact
Understream LLC
105 Presley Way, Williamstown NJ 08094