Your directory or online membership database is a powerful connection tool for your members and friends. But it also has the potential to be misused or abused, espeically if it is available electronically. You'll want to make sure that you provide guidance to determine who can be given access, usually members and active friends.

Policy Sample

The church directory only contains members and active friends, as defined in the membership policy.

Members and active friends can have access to the names, photos, email addresses, physical addresses, and phone numbers of everyone in the directory. Contact information is only for personal or social purposes.

Using any information in the directory for political or commercial purposes is prohibited.

Members and active friends can be given access to edit their own contact information and upload their own profile photos. They can also opt to "hide" any of their contact information from other users.

Permission to add and update others' profiles is limited to staff and members of the membership committee.

The "broadcast" function (sending emails to everyone) may only be used by staff or board members, and only for the following purposes:

• Emergencies
• Cancellations of Whole-Church events
• Announcements of Congregational Meetings

Financial information (pledge amounts, donations, etc.) is only available to the bookkeeper, and treasurer, and minister.