Web Policy
Pender United Methodist Church
Approved by The Administrative Board on March 21, 2007

Purpose

The purpose of any Pender United Methodist Church Website (“Website”) is:

• To support the mission of Pender United Methodist Church (“Church”) as part of a strong, diverse ministry; so that believers, seekers, and the unchurched may become active participants in ministry of Jesus Christ;
  
• To provide resources and information that meets the needs of Church members and others that may use it;
  
• To offer this information and these resources in a way that is convenient for them to access and use.

Website Objective and Content.

 Website pages may include:

• Information about the organizational structure of the Church
  
• Photographs of staff or officers
  
• Information about the Church’s various ministries, and associated activities
  
• Other mission-related content

Protection of Personal Information and Persons Under 18 Years of Age

Website pages will not include any personal material, such as home addresses or phone numbers of staff or members of the Church, without the written consent of the referenced individuals.

Personal information about minor children will not be published on the Website.  This includes:

• Full Name
• Home Address
• Phone Number
• E-mail address

Photos of children will never carry any identifying information, unless with the written permission of a parent or guardian.

Oversight and Authorized Use

The Church’s standing Communications Committee (“Committee”) is charged with oversight of the Website activities.  The Committee will act as the Website’s “steward” for the entire congregation.  The Council on Ministry (“COM”) will provide the resources, to include personnel and funds, for the operation of the Website.

The Webmaster(s) will be the primary coordinator for the site, with direction from the Committee and advice from other staff of the Church. The Webmaster(s) will serve as a member of the Committee.  Contact information for the Webmaster(s) is included with this document as “Attachment A.”

Webmaster(s) shall maintain a list of all persons authorized to access the Website for the purpose of editing Web pages.  This list will also be included on “Attachment A.”

 Format of Web Pages

 Web pages should be formatted to display properly on a typical 800 x 600 video screen, as well as on web browsers with larger screens.  Pages should be formatted so they are displayed properly on a wide variety of browser software.  Elements that display properly on only one type of web browser should be avoided.  The Home Page of the website shall include the Pender “Crosses” logo, and the United Methodist Church “Cross and Flame” logo.

The top-level Website menus will be designed in a welcoming and usable way to help visitors to the site to find pages containing the information they are seeking among all the pages in the site.

Document titles, descriptions and keywords should be clear and concise; particularly where information is presented graphically.

 The Website will not promote or reference commercial activities. References to particular software or other products are prohibited.

 Advertising

 Any advertising accepted for display on the Website must be approved by the Administrative Board.   Advertising that involves a barter arrangement (for example, donations of money or in-kind gifts in exchange for acknowledgment or mention on the Website) also requires approval by the Administrative Board.

 Content and Copyrights

 To the largest extent possible, Webpage content shall be original in nature.  However, content from other Church publications may be used.  The permission of authors bylined in other Church publications should be secured prior to publication on the Website.

 Even if permission is granted, credit should be given to content developed by outside sources, where appropriate.

 In all cases where permission has been granted for use of outside content – for example, articles reprinted from other sources, stock graphic images secured through purchase – the clearances to reproduce this content shall be maintained by the Webmaster(s).

 Use of trademark names will be consistent with the trademark owners’ approved methods for identifying their products.

 Where it is appropriate, a copyright notice will be placed on all Website pages.  Permission will be granted to copy web pages, provided Pender United Methodist Church is attributed.  For example, the copyright notice would read, “Copyright ©2004, Pender United Methodist Church.  All rights reserved.  Permission is granted to copy this document, provided Pender United Methodist Church is cited as the original source."

The Website’s use of the Untied Methodist Church “Cross and Flame” logo will include the following remarks in the disclaimers at the foot of the page:  “The Cross and Flame is a registered trademark and the use is supervised by the General Council on Finance and Administration of The United Methodist Church. Permission to use the Cross and Flame must be obtained from the General Council on Finance and Administration of The United Methodist Church - Legal Department, 1200 Davis Street, Evanston, IL 60201.”

Links

Linking to the Website – The Church welcomes links to any part of the website; however no link may imply an endorsement of the referring organization, and the Church reserves the right to deny or revoke permission to links to its Website that the Committee deems inappropriate.

 Links to other Websites – The Committee must approve all links to other websites.  Links to other websites should clearly support the mission of the Church, or should be links that will provide convenience and service to those visiting the Website.

Privacy Policy

 The Church will not collect any personal information about visitors to the Website unless that information is provided by the visitor voluntarily.

 The Church may collect non-personal information about domains, and Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.  This information is typically very general in nature – for example, may indicate that a visitor is from the local community.  This information may be collected to make the website more useful to visitors.

 If Website visitors do identify themselves – for example, through E-mail, any personal information will be used only to the extent necessary to respond to the message, and shall not be disclosed outside the church without explicit permission.

 Should the Website establish a mailing or other list of persons interested in receiving periodic information about the Church, persons shall not be placed on this list unless they request to be placed on the list (“Opt-In”).  Any such list shall not be used for other than its stated purpose, nor shall it be sold or communicated to any organization outside of the Church.  Messages sent through this E-mail list(s) shall be transmitted in a manner that does not reveal individual E-mail addresses.  Persons requesting that they be removed from such a list shall be accommodated promptly.

 This privacy policy shall be posted at the Church Website.

Attachment “A”

 Names of Webmasters

 Persons Authorized to Access Website for Editing