Privacy Policy

Last updated June 29, 2026

Shep, a service of BARA Estates LLC ("Shep," "we," "us"), provides software that helps church teams walk with their people and communicate with them. This policy explains what we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. It covers everyone who uses Shep: church staff and volunteers who administer an account, and the members and visitors a church communicates with through Shep.

Information we collect

Depending on how a church uses Shep, we may collect:

  • Contact information: names, email addresses, mobile phone numbers, and mailing addresses provided by a church or by you.
  • Account information: for church administrators, login credentials and role within the organization.
  • Communications: the content of messages (email and SMS) sent or received through Shep, and related delivery and engagement records.
  • Usage information: basic technical data such as device and browser type, and how the application is used, to keep the service secure and working.

How we use information

  • To provide the service a church has asked us to provide on its behalf.
  • To send the scheduling, care, and reminder messages that a church configures, only to people who have consented to receive them.
  • To secure, maintain, troubleshoot, and improve the service.
  • To comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for advertising.

Text messaging (SMS)

Churches use Shep to send text messages (such as serving reminders and check-ins) only to people who have opted in to receive them. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP at any time to opt out, or HELP for help.

Shep may also send text messages to church staff who give us a mobile number on ourshep.com (for example, when requesting a demo or creating an account), only about that request and their account. The phone field is optional, and the same STOP and HELP replies apply.

No mobile information is shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Mobile opt-in data and consent are never shared with any third parties. We share message and phone-number data only with the service providers that deliver the messages on our behalf (for example, our messaging carrier), and only as needed to deliver the messages you have requested.

Cookies and tracking

Shep uses cookies to keep you signed in and to remember your settings. Our public website (ourshep.com) uses Vercel Web Analytics to count visits, the Meta pixel to measure whether our ads led to a demo request, and a chat widget so you can ask us questions. Those tools may set their own cookies on the public pages only. We do not use cookies or tracking inside the app for advertising, and we never sell data collected through cookies. You can block cookies in your browser; signing in requires them.

How we share information

We share information only in these limited ways: with service providers who process data on our behalf under contract (such as hosting, email, and SMS delivery providers); with the church whose account the information belongs to; and where required by law. As stated above, we never share mobile opt-in or consent data with third parties for their own marketing.

Data retention and security

We retain information for as long as a church's account is active or as needed to provide the service, and we use reasonable administrative and technical safeguards to protect it.

Your choices

You can opt out of text messages at any time by replying STOP. To access, correct, or delete personal information, contact the church that manages your information, or reach us at the address below and we will route your request appropriately.

Contact us

Questions about this policy? Email privacy@ourshep.com.

Shep is operated by BARA Estates LLC, 23986 Aliso Creek Rd #1009, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677. Phone: (949) 919-7023.