u/Able-Rock9859

Location: Florida

**Update: I keep seeing questions about the AI feel to this, and why I'm hiding the org details if it's public anyway. I'm not trying to hide the organization for them, I'm trying to avoid being identified myself. I'm adding a screenshot of the actual pop-up on the website. https://imgshare.cc/xy9ullvx **

I was a member at a church for several years. Recently the church added a 19-section "Agreement with Members/Volunteers" as a mandatory click-through before you can log into their website. There was no announcement, no congregational vote, and no explanation. It simply appeared.

I never signed it, never clicked through it, and I have since withdrawn my membership.

My questions:

**1.** Section 19 states the agreement becomes effective on the earliest of (a) my signature/click-through, (b) the date I became a member, or (c) the date I began participating in church activities. Since I became a member years before this document existed, can it retroactively bind me?

**2.** For existing members, what is the consideration? The agreement lists things I already had — access to the property, ability to participate, receiving benefits. Is "keep what you already have or lose website access" valid consideration for a new contract?

**3.** Are any of these provisions enforceable in Florida?

- Complete waiver of all claims including personal injury and death (Sections 6-7)
- Member indemnification of the church for its legal costs, surviving termination (Section 8)
- Permanent assignment of all intellectual property created "as a result of Church Activities," surviving termination (Section 17)
- Random drug and alcohol screening of members, with results disclosable without consent (Section 15)
- A "permanent and irrevocable license" for the church to access or use my personal property on their premises (Section 13)
- Waiver of clergy privilege and counseling privilege, with the church free to share my information at its discretion (Section 14)
- Immunity from defamation claims for anyone involved in church discipline (Section 12)
- Mandatory Christian arbitration as sole remedy, waiving all court access (Section 18)
- A provision stating the agreement "shall be construed in favor of Church and against Member" (Section 19)

**4.** There is no revocation clause. Sections 8, 14, and 17 explicitly survive termination. If I never agreed, do I have exposure?

I've withdrawn my membership in writing and requested deletion of my personal data. I'm trying to understand whether I have any actual ongoing obligation here, and whether members who *do* click through are giving up what this appears to say they're giving up.

Full text with identifying information redacted: https://pastebin.com/ckz2ai1S

UPDATE: I realize that this probably looks like just AI generated legal document but I used AI to scrub the identifiable information so that I couldn’t be identified

**UPDATED UPDATE: I grabbed a screenshot of the nonsense from the website today so you can see it in practice because I keep getting comments about how this is AI. I used AI to summarize and scrub the identifiable info for my safety

My former church just quietly added a 19-section legal contract to their website that you have to agree to before you can even log in. No announcement, no explanation — just a click-through wall. I was a member and employee for years and never agreed to anything like this. I'm out now, but I read the whole thing and I need people to see what churches are getting away with.

Here's what they're requiring members to agree to:

• You waive all rights to sue the church for anything — injury, death, emotional distress, property damage. Everything. (Sections 6-7)

• You agree to indemnify the church. If they get sued because of something involving you, YOU pay their legal fees. This survives even after you leave. (Section 8)

• You assign ALL intellectual property you create in connection with church activities to the church — permanently. Songs, videos, designs, software, curriculum, sermons. You also waive moral rights. This survives after you leave. (Section 17)

• The church can drug and alcohol test you — randomly or on suspicion — as a MEMBER, not just an employee. Marijuana is prohibited even with a medical prescription. They can disclose your results to anyone without your consent. (Section 15)

• They can run criminal background checks on you at any time. (Section 15)

• The church grants itself a "permanent and irrevocable license" to access or use your personal property while it's on church premises. Your phone, laptop, camera — whatever you bring. (Section 13)

• Confidentiality is one-way. You must keep church information confidential forever. But the church can share YOUR personal information freely, including waiving clergy privilege and counseling privilege. Anything you tell a pastor in confidence can be shared with anyone. (Section 14)

• Their counseling is not professional therapy. Counselors may be unlicensed. But you've waived your right to sue if the counseling causes harm. (Section 9)

• You submit to church discipline. Everyone involved in disciplining you is immune from liability, including defamation claims. They can publicly shame you and you can't do anything about it. (Section 12)

• You cannot go to court. Period. Your only option is internal dispute resolution, then Christian arbitration. The agreement is construed in the church's favor. (Section 18)

• Tithing is framed as a contractual obligation, not voluntary giving. All gifts go to the general fund regardless of your designation. (Sections 3 and 15)

• The church explicitly states it is NOT acting in loco parentis for your children during church programs and has no fiduciary duty to them. So if something happens to your kid, they've pre-disclaimed responsibility. (Section 5)

• The agreement is effective even without your signature — just by participating. It lasts indefinitely with no revocation clause. Key provisions survive after you leave. Changes to church policies are automatically binding on you without notice. (Section 19)

I could not find a single other church in the country that combines all of these provisions into one membership agreement. The closest comparison is the Church of Scientology's arbitration contracts.

This is why I left. Not just the theology — the institution. Thousands of people are going to click 'agree' on a Sunday morning without reading a 19-section legal document, not realizing they just gave up their right to sue, their intellectual property, their medical privacy, and their access to courts.

If you're still attending a church, check what you've signed. And if you haven't signed anything, be very careful if they suddenly ask you to.

The 19-Section Contract My Former Church Requires Members to Sign

https://preview.redd.it/xeifz5nl8ckh1.png?width=2500&format=png&auto=webp&s=47c66e192398cf61483ede953349de09feb8bf1e

[FL] My church added a mandatory 19-section legal agreement to their website login. I never signed it. Am I bound by it?

My former church just added a 19-section legal contract to their website. Here’s what’s in it.