Terms of Service

Last updated: 30 April 2026

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of MissionConnect, operated by Aaron Spettl Software Solutions ("we", "us", or "our"). By ticking "I agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy" during sign-up, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

1. Description of Service

MissionConnect is a platform that allows missionaries to create public profiles, compose newsletters, and manage subscriber lists. Supporters can subscribe to receive newsletter updates from missionaries.

2. Account Registration

• You affirm the Apostles' Creed as a statement of Christian faith. Affirming the Creed is required to use MissionConnect for missionary work.
• You must provide a valid email address to create an account.
• You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials.
• You must be at least 16 years old to create an account.
• You agree to provide accurate information and to keep your account information up to date.

3. Acceptable Use

When using MissionConnect, you agree not to:

• Send unsolicited or spam content through the newsletter system.
• Add subscribers without their consent (all subscribers must go through a double opt-in process or have given you prior explicit consent).
• Upload content that is illegal, harmful, threatening, abusive, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the platform or other users' accounts.
• Use the platform for any purpose other than its intended use as a missionary communication tool.
• Violate any applicable laws or regulations, including anti-spam laws (CAN-SPAM, GDPR, etc.).
• Include advertisements or sponsored content in your profile or newsletters.

4. Newsletter Content

• You are solely responsible for the content of your newsletters and profile.
• Every newsletter must include an unsubscribe mechanism. This is automatically provided by MissionConnect.
• Newsletters and your missionary profile must not contain advertisements or sponsored content of any kind.
• We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or send content that generates excessive complaints or bounces.

5. Subscriber Data

• As a missionary using MissionConnect, you are responsible for ensuring you have proper consent to send newsletters to your subscribers.
• You must respect unsubscribe requests promptly. MissionConnect handles this automatically when a subscriber uses their personal unsubscribe link.
• You may export your subscriber data (e.g. names and email addresses) to migrate to another newsletter provider. When using exported data outside of MissionConnect, you remain the data controller for that data and are responsible for handling it in compliance with applicable data protection and anti-spam laws.

6. Service Availability

• We strive to keep MissionConnect available at all times, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted service.
• We may modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the service with reasonable notice.
• Newsletter sending is subject to daily and per-send limits that may change as the platform evolves.

7. Account Termination

• You may delete your account at any time from the settings page. This will permanently delete all your data, including your profile, subscribers, and newsletters.
• We may suspend or terminate your account if you violate these Terms, with or without notice depending on the severity of the violation.

8. Limitation of Liability

MissionConnect is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. To the fullest extent permitted by law:

• We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the platform.
• We are not responsible for email deliverability, as this depends on third-party email providers and recipient mail servers.
• Our total liability is limited to 100 EUR.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for (a) death or personal injury caused by our negligence, (b) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, (c) intentional misconduct or gross negligence, or (d) any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law, including mandatory consumer protection laws in the European Union or European Economic Area.

9. Platform Liability for User Content

We are a hosting provider

MissionConnect provides technical infrastructure for missionaries. We do not author, pre-screen, edit, or endorse missionary profiles, newsletters, or images. All content is created and controlled by the missionary who uploaded it.

Safe harbour (DSA / DDG)

We are a hosting service provider within the meaning of Article 6 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (Digital Services Act) and the applicable German Digital Services Act (DDG). We are not liable for information stored at the request of users unless: (a) we have actual knowledge of its illegality, or (b) upon becoming aware of illegal content, we fail to act expeditiously to remove or disable access to it.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Aaron Spettl Software Solutions and its representatives from and against any claims, damages, losses, and costs (including reasonable legal fees) brought by third parties arising out of: (a) content you post, publish, or transmit through MissionConnect; (b) your breach of these Terms; or (c) your violation of any applicable law. This obligation does not apply to the extent a claim results from our own wilful misconduct or gross negligence.

Reporting illegal or infringing content

To report content you believe is illegal, infringes copyright or other rights, or otherwise violates applicable law, contact us at info@directed-steps.com. Please include: (a) a description of the content and its URL or location on the platform; (b) your name and contact details; (c) a statement that you have a good-faith belief the content is unlawful. We will acknowledge your report and investigate promptly; if the content is found to be illegal we will act expeditiously to remove or disable access to it.

10. Intellectual Property

• You retain ownership of the content you create and publish through MissionConnect.
• By using the platform, you grant us a limited license to process, store, and transmit your content as necessary to provide the service.
• The MissionConnect name, logo, and platform design are the property of Aaron Spettl Software Solutions.

11. Privacy

Your use of MissionConnect is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which describes how we collect, use, and protect your personal data.

12. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify registered users of material changes via email. Continued use of the platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

13. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Germany, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any disputes arising under these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in Germany.

If you are a consumer in the European Union or European Economic Area, nothing in these Terms affects your rights under the mandatory consumer protection laws of your country of residence. You may bring legal proceedings in the courts of your country of residence.

14. Miscellaneous

Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unenforceable, that provision will be enforced to the greatest extent permissible and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

Entire agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any documents expressly incorporated by reference, constitute the entire agreement between you and Aaron Spettl Software Solutions concerning MissionConnect, and supersede any prior or contemporaneous agreements or communications on the subject.

Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your account without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms to a successor entity (for example, in a merger, acquisition, or transfer of MissionConnect's operations), provided that the successor agrees to be bound by them. If MissionConnect ceases operation, we will give you reasonable advance notice and an opportunity to export your data.

Force majeure

We are not liable for failures or delays caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including outages of third-party providers (e.g. Appwrite, Mailgun, Cloudflare), internet failures, natural disasters, or government actions.

Notice

Notices to us must be sent to info@directed-steps.com or to the postal address listed in our Impressum. Notices to you will be sent to the email address on your account; you are responsible for keeping that address current. A notice sent by email is deemed received on the day it is sent unless we receive a delivery-failure response.

15. Contact Us

For questions about these Terms, contact us at info@directed-steps.com.