Terms of Use

1. Our Mission

The Shepherd’s Tool® exists to:

• Share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Help believers make disciples.
• Encourage spiritual growth.
• Strengthen families and communities.
• Connect people with churches, ministries, nonprofit organizations, and other helpful resources.
• Build meaningful, Christ-centered relationships.

Users are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects the character of Jesus Christ.

2. Eligibility

The Shepherd’s Tool® is available to adults and youth who desire to grow spiritually and help others know Christ.

Youth Participation

We believe God uses young people to reach other young people. Youth are welcome to:

• Register for an account.
• Watch and share the Gospel presentation.
• Invite friends and family to learn about Jesus.
• Encourage and disciple peers.
• Participate in age-appropriate discipleship activities.
• Access resources appropriate for their age.

Youth should communicate respectfully and seek guidance from parents, guardians, pastors, or other trusted adult leaders when appropriate.

3. Children Under 13

Children under the age of 13 may register only with verified parental or legal guardian permission.

During registration:

• The child must provide a parent or guardian’s email address.
• A link to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use will be sent to the parent or guardian.
• The parent or guardian must review and accept these policies.
• The parent or guardian must complete the verification process before the child’s account is activated.

Parents or guardians are responsible for supervising their child’s use of the Platform.

4. Registration and Account Security

You agree to:

• Provide truthful and accurate information.
• Keep your login credentials secure.
• Notify us if you believe your account has been compromised.
• Use only one account unless authorized otherwise.

You may not:

• Create an account for another person without permission.
• Impersonate another individual.
• Use false information.
• Circumvent security measures.

5. Gospel Sharing

The Shepherd’s Tool® provides tools that allow users to share a standard Gospel invitation with people they personally know.

The invitation may include a unique referral identifier that allows the recipient to be connected to the sender’s Impact Tree after accepting the invitation.

Users agree to:

• Share invitations only with people they know personally.
• Respect the recipient’s decision whether or not to participate.
• Never use the Platform for spam, unsolicited mass messaging, or harassment.

6. Impact Tree

The Impact Tree visually represents Gospel connections made through invitations shared on the Platform.

The Impact Tree is intended solely to:

• Encourage Gospel outreach.
• Celebrate Kingdom impact.
• Support discipleship relationships.

The Impact Tree is not intended to compare users or measure spiritual worth.

7. Communication and Discipleship

The Shepherd’s Tool® is designed to foster meaningful, relationship-based discipleship rather than open social networking.

Before Access More

The Platform provides users with a standard Gospel invitation containing a unique referral link. Users are responsible for sharing this invitation only with individuals they personally know, such as family members, friends, classmates, coworkers, neighbors, teammates, or church acquaintances.

Before a recipient chooses to Access More, all follow-up communication between the sender and recipient occurs outside The Shepherd’s Tool® using the sender’s own communication methods, such as text messaging, email, or telephone.

The Shepherd’s Tool® does not facilitate messaging between users during this stage.

After Access More

When a recipient chooses to Access More, the Platform may enable chat and direct messaging between the sender and the recipient for the purpose of:

• Encouraging spiritual growth
• Answering questions about the Christian faith
• Providing biblical encouragement
• Praying with or for one another
• Supporting discipleship
• Sharing ministry resources
• Building Christ-centered relationships

These communication tools are intended solely to support the mission of The Shepherd’s Tool® and must not be used for commercial solicitation, harassment, intimidation, inappropriate relationships, or any activity inconsistent with Christian conduct.

Youth Communication

Youth users are encouraged to share the Gospel and disciple their peers. Communication between youth users should remain respectful, age appropriate, and consistent with biblical values.

Adults should exercise wisdom and integrity when communicating with youth through the Platform. The Shepherd’s Tool® reserves the right to establish additional safeguards, including parental controls, reporting mechanisms, moderation, and restrictions on messaging involving minors, to promote a safe environment for all users.

8. Community Standards

The Shepherd’s Tool® seeks to foster a safe, Christ-centered community.

Every user agrees to:

• Treat every person with dignity and respect.
• Communicate with kindness and honesty.
• Encourage rather than discourage.
• Show patience with those who are learning.
• Respect differences while speaking the truth in love.
• Protect the privacy of others.
• Report inappropriate behavior when necessary.

Users may not:

• Harass, bully, threaten, intimidate, or stalk others.
• Use hateful, obscene, or sexually explicit language or images.
• Engage in discrimination or abusive conduct.
• Share misleading or fraudulent information.
• Attempt to manipulate or exploit another user.
• Promote violence, illegal activity, or self-harm.
• Solicit money, investments, political campaigns, or commercial products without authorization.
• Upload malicious software or interfere with the operation of the Platform.

Repeated or serious violations may result in suspension or permanent removal from the Platform.

9. Chat and Messaging

Communication features are designed to support Gospel follow-up and discipleship. To protect users:

• Users may communicate through the Platform only after the recipient accepts the invitation and the connection is established.
• Communication is intended primarily between directly connected users within the sender’s Impact Tree.
• Users should not use the Platform to contact strangers.
• The Platform may provide tools to mute notifications, block users, or report inappropriate conversations.

Blocking a user prevents future communication between those accounts.

Reporting a conversation alerts Platform administrators to review potential violations of these Terms or the Community Standards.

We reserve the right to investigate reported conversations and take appropriate action.

10. Grow & Support

The Platform may provide:

• Discipleship resources.
• Educational materials.
• Family support information.
• Connections to churches.
• Connections to nonprofit organizations.
• Community resource referrals.
• Mentoring opportunities.

Information provided through the Platform is intended for educational and ministry purposes.

11. Access More

Certain features may be available only after purchasing Access More.

Access More helps support:

• Platform development.
• Security.
• Ministry resources.
• Ongoing maintenance.

Fees are subject to change with reasonable notice.

12. Partner Organizations

Churches, ministries, nonprofits, businesses, and community organizations participating on the Platform operate independently.

The Shepherd’s Tool® does not guarantee:

• The quality of services.
• Eligibility for assistance.
• Availability of funding.
• Outcomes from referrals.

Users interact with partner organizations at their own discretion.

13. Intellectual Property

All Platform content, including logos, graphics, videos, text, software, trademarks, and design elements, is owned by or licensed to The Shepherd’s Tool® unless otherwise noted.

Users may not copy, distribute, or commercially use Platform content without written permission.

14. Privacy

Your use of the Platform is also governed by our Privacy Policy.

By using The Shepherd’s Tool®, you consent to the collection and use of information as described in that policy.

15. Disclaimer

The Shepherd’s Tool® provides Christian encouragement, discipleship tools, educational resources, and connections to community services.

The Platform is not a substitute for:

• Emergency services
• Medical care
• Mental health treatment
• Legal advice
• Financial advice

If you are experiencing an emergency, contact local emergency services immediately.

16. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, The Shepherd’s Tool®, its officers, directors, volunteers, employees, ministry partners, and affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising from the use of the Platform.

18. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time.

The revised Terms will become effective when posted with a new Effective Date.

Your continued use of the Platform constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

19. Contact Us

If you have questions regarding these Terms of Use, please contact: