Privacy Policy

Last updated: 11 September 2026

1. Who We Are

The Shepherd’s Mandate is a Christian ministry committed to helping people know the Good Shepherd, follow His voice, grow in His truth, and faithfully live His mission.

For the purposes of personal data protection, The Shepherd’s Mandate is responsible for the personal information collected through this website.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle personal information, please contact us at:

Email: theshepherdsmandate@hotmail.com

We are currently in the process of establishing the ministry’s formal charitable structure. This Privacy Policy therefore does not describe The Shepherd’s Mandate as a registered charity.

2. What Personal Information We Collect

We aim to collect only the information that is reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

When you contact us through our website, we may collect:

  • your name;
  • your email address;
  • the subject or nature of your enquiry;
  • the message or information you choose to provide; and
  • any other information you voluntarily include in your message.

Messages may sometimes contain prayer requests or other personal information that you choose to share.

Please therefore consider carefully what information you include in a message and only provide information that is relevant to your enquiry and that you are comfortable sharing with us.

We do not intentionally request sensitive personal information through our contact form. If you voluntarily provide such information, we will handle it responsibly and only use it where there is a lawful basis for doing so.

3. How We Collect Your Information

We may collect personal information when you:

  • contact us through our website;
  • send us a message through our contact form;
  • communicate with us by email; or
  • otherwise voluntarily provide information to us.

We may also receive limited technical information automatically when you visit the website, such as information necessary for the secure operation and delivery of the website.

Our current public-facing website configuration does not use Google Analytics, advertising trackers, or behavioural advertising technologies.

4. How We Use Personal Information

We may use personal information to:

  • respond to enquiries and messages;
  • respond to prayer requests or requests for support;
  • communicate with you regarding the message you have sent;
  • provide information about The Shepherd’s Mandate when requested;
  • maintain the security and proper operation of the website;
  • investigate or prevent misuse, fraud, security incidents, or unlawful activity;
  • comply with legal or regulatory obligations; and
  • protect our rights and the integrity of the ministry.

We do not currently use information submitted through the contact form to automatically enrol people into a marketing or promotional mailing list.

We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information.

5. Our Lawful Bases for Processing

Under applicable UK data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on the following lawful bases:

Legitimate interests

For enquiries and messages that you voluntarily send to us, we may rely on legitimate interests to receive, review, and respond to your enquiry.

We may also rely on legitimate interests where necessary to maintain and secure our website, protect the ministry from misuse or unlawful activity, and administer the operation of our website and ministry communications.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on individuals and seek to ensure that our interests do not override their fundamental rights and freedoms.

Consent

Where consent is required by law, we will seek consent before carrying out the relevant processing.

Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

Legal obligation

We may process personal information where necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.

6. Contact Form and Email

Our website uses WPForms Lite to provide the contact form.

Information submitted through the contact form is used to communicate with you regarding the message you have sent.

Contact-form messages are sent to:

theshepherdsmandate@hotmail.com

We use WP Mail SMTP to assist with the delivery of website email.

Our current mail delivery service is Brevo. Brevo may process personal information contained in email messages for the purpose of providing its email delivery service on our behalf.

Brevo states that the hosting servers on which it processes and stores its databases are located within the European Union. Brevo also provides a Data Processing Agreement and describes measures intended to support GDPR compliance and data security.

The contact form is not currently used to automatically enrol visitors into a marketing or promotional mailing list.

Please only provide information through the contact form that is relevant to your message and that you are comfortable sharing with The Shepherd’s Mandate.

7. Google Analytics and Website Analytics

At the time this Privacy Policy was prepared, Google Analytics was not connected to our website.

A website analytics plug-in may be installed on the website, but Google Analytics is not currently connected or being used to collect Google Analytics data from website visitors

If we introduce Google Analytics or another analytics service in the future, we will review the relevant privacy and cookie requirements before enabling it and will update this Privacy Policy where necessary.

Where non-essential analytics cookies or similar technologies require consent under applicable law, we will obtain the appropriate consent before using them.

8. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website may use cookies or similar technologies that are necessary for the operation, security, functionality, or administration of the website.

Our website may also use security-related cookies provided by our website security and infrastructure services, including Cloudflare, to help protect the website against malicious traffic, abuse, and automated attacks. These cookies are used for security and website functionality rather than for advertising or behavioural tracking.

Based on our current website configuration and review of the public-facing website, we have not identified non-essential advertising, behavioural-tracking, or analytics cookies being set for ordinary visitors.

Our current public-facing website configuration is not intended to use cookies or similar technologies for advertising, behavioural tracking, or non-essential analytics.

If we introduce non-essential cookies or similar technologies in the future, we will provide appropriate information about them and, where required by law, obtain consent before they are used.

Cookie requirements can change as website functionality and technology change. We will therefore periodically review the website’s use of cookies and similar technologies.

9. External Websites and Links

Our website may contain links to external websites and services, including YouTube.

We currently use YouTube links and buttons that take visitors to YouTube. We do not currently embed YouTube videos directly into the website.

When you follow a link to an external website, you leave The Shepherd’s Mandate website and become subject to the privacy practices, cookies, and terms of that external service.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of external websites.

We encourage you to review the privacy information of any external service before providing personal information to it.

10. Who We Share Personal Information With

We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information.

Where necessary for the operation of the website and ministry, personal information may be processed by trusted service providers acting on our behalf.

These may include:

  • Brevo, for website email delivery;
  • our website hosting and infrastructure providers;
  • website service providers necessary to maintain, secure, or operate the website; and
  • other providers where processing is necessary to provide a service you have requested or to comply with a legal obligation.

We seek to ensure that service providers handling personal information do so appropriately and provide suitable safeguards.

We may also disclose personal information where required by law, legal process, or a competent authority, or where necessary to protect the rights, safety, security, or integrity of The Shepherd’s Mandate.

11. International Transfers

We aim to use service providers whose processing arrangements provide appropriate protection for personal information.

Our current email delivery provider, Brevo, states that its database hosting infrastructure is located within the European Union.

Where any service provider processes personal information outside the United Kingdom, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the transfer is made in accordance with applicable UK data protection law and that appropriate safeguards are in place where required.

The international processing arrangements of our service providers may change from time to time, and we will review these arrangements when introducing or changing relevant services.

12. How Long We Keep Personal Information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, taking into account:

  • the nature and purpose of the communication;
  • whether there is an ongoing relationship or matter to resolve;
  • legal, regulatory, accounting, or reporting requirements;
  • the need to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims; and
  • our legitimate operational and record-keeping needs.

When personal information is no longer reasonably required, we will seek to delete it securely or otherwise dispose of it appropriately.

Because enquiries can vary significantly in nature, we do not apply one fixed retention period to every message.

13. Keeping Your Information Secure

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against:

  • unauthorised access;
  • accidental loss;
  • misuse;
  • alteration;
  • disclosure; and
  • destruction.

Access to personal information is limited to those who need it for legitimate purposes.

However, no method of transmitting information over the internet or storing information electronically can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security.

If we become aware of a personal data breach that requires notification under applicable law, we will take the appropriate steps required by law.

14. Your Data Protection Rights

Subject to applicable legal conditions and exemptions, you may have rights under UK data protection law, including the right to:

  • be informed about how your personal information is used;
  • request access to personal information we hold about you;
  • request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information;
  • request deletion of your personal information in certain circumstances;
  • request restriction of processing in certain circumstances;
  • object to processing where you have a right to object, including certain processing based on our legitimate interests;
  • request portability of information where the right applies; and
  • withdraw consent where we rely on consent as the lawful basis for processing.

Right to object: Where we process your personal information based on legitimate interests, you may have the right to object to that processing. We will consider your objection in accordance with applicable data protection law.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal conditions or exemptions.

If you would like to exercise a data protection right, please contact us using the details below.

15. How to Contact Us About Privacy

If you have a question about this Privacy Policy, how we use personal information, or your data protection rights, please contact:

The Shepherd’s Mandate

Email: theshepherdsmandate@hotmail.com

Please include enough information for us to understand your request and, where appropriate, identify the information concerned.

We will handle privacy requests in accordance with applicable data protection law.

16. Your Right to Complain

If you have concerns about the way we use your personal information, we encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve the matter.

You also have the right to complain to the UK’s data protection supervisory authority:

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

Website: https://ico.org.uk/

The ICO provides information about data protection rights and how to make a complaint.

17. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect:

  • changes to our website;
  • changes to the services and technologies we use;
  • changes in how we process personal information;
  • changes in applicable law or regulatory guidance; or
  • developments in The Shepherd’s Mandate’s ministry and organisational structure.

When we make significant changes, we will update the date shown at the beginning of this Privacy Policy and, where appropriate, provide additional notice.

We encourage you to review this page periodically.

18. Our Commitment

The Shepherd’s Mandate is committed to treating personal information with care, integrity, and respect.

We seek to collect only what is reasonably necessary, use information responsibly, protect it appropriately, and remain transparent about how information is handled.

Our aim is not simply to meet legal requirements, but to handle the information entrusted to us in a manner consistent with honesty, stewardship, humility, and respect for every person who engages with this ministry.