Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using The Forge platform ("the Platform"), operated by Jesus City International Ministry ("JCIM", "we", "us", or "our"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use the Platform.

These Terms apply to all users of the Platform, including students, instructors, administrators, cell group leaders, and any other individuals who access or interact with the Platform in any capacity.

Your continued use of the Platform following the posting of any changes to these Terms constitutes acceptance of those changes. We encourage you to review these Terms periodically.

2. Description of Service

The Forge is a discipleship management platform developed for Jesus City International Ministry. The Platform provides tools and services to facilitate structured Christian discipleship, including but not limited to:

• Online enrollment in discipleship classes (e.g., Jasper Stone 101, Sapphire Stone 101) and the School of Discipleship (SOD) program
• Progress tracking for students across classes, terms, and courses
• Assignment submission, grading, and academic records management
• Certificate generation upon completion of classes or programs
• Cell group management and member oversight tools
• Communication tools between students, leaders, and administrators
• Scheduling and timetable management for SOD terms

The Platform is provided as a ministry tool and is not a commercial product. Access is granted at the discretion of JCIM leadership and may be modified or discontinued at any time.

3. User Accounts

To access certain features of the Platform, you must create an account by providing accurate, current, and complete information during the registration process. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account.

You agree to: (a) provide truthful and accurate information when creating your account; (b) update your information promptly if it changes; (c) notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account; and (d) not share your login credentials with any other person.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate any account that we reasonably believe has been created with false information, is being used in violation of these Terms, or is inactive for an extended period. Account termination does not relieve you of any obligations incurred prior to termination.

Accounts are personal to each user. Administrators and instructors may be granted elevated permissions at the discretion of JCIM leadership, and such permissions may be revoked at any time.

4. Acceptable Use

You agree to use the Platform only for its intended purposes related to discipleship, spiritual growth, and ministry activities within the context of Jesus City International Ministry. You shall not:

• Use the Platform for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable local, national, or international law
• Upload, post, or transmit any content that is obscene, defamatory, threatening, harassing, or otherwise objectionable
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any portion of the Platform, other user accounts, or any systems or networks connected to the Platform
• Use the Platform to distribute spam, chain letters, or unsolicited communications
• Interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Platform or its underlying infrastructure
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble any aspect of the Platform
• Use automated tools, bots, or scrapers to access or collect data from the Platform without prior written authorization
• Impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity
• Share or distribute copyrighted course materials, assignments, or examination content outside of the Platform without authorization

Violation of these acceptable use provisions may result in immediate suspension or termination of your account, and may be reported to the appropriate authorities where applicable.

5. Intellectual Property

All content available on the Platform, including but not limited to course materials, lesson plans, curricula, study guides, examination questions, graphics, logos, icons, images, audio, video, and software, is the property of Jesus City International Ministry or its content providers and is protected by applicable intellectual property laws.

You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and revocable license to access and use the Platform and its content solely for personal, non-commercial, discipleship-related purposes. This license does not include the right to: (a) reproduce, distribute, or publicly display any Platform content; (b) modify or create derivative works based on Platform content; or (c) use Platform content for any commercial purpose.

Any content you submit to the Platform, including but not limited to assignment submissions, discussion posts, and profile information, remains your property. However, by submitting content to the Platform, you grant JCIM a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, reproduce, and display such content in connection with the operation and improvement of the Platform and our discipleship programs.

The Forge name, logo, and all related names, logos, product and service names, designs, and slogans are trademarks of Jesus City International Ministry. You must not use such marks without our prior written permission.

6. Privacy

Your privacy is important to us. We collect and process personal data necessary for the operation of the Platform, including your name, email address, phone number, campus affiliation, enrollment records, academic progress, and attendance data.

We use this information to: (a) administer your account and provide Platform services; (b) track your progress through discipleship classes and programs; (c) generate certificates and academic records; (d) communicate with you about your enrollment, assignments, and ministry activities; and (e) improve the Platform and our discipleship programs.

We do not sell, rent, or lease your personal information to third parties. We may share your information with JCIM leadership, instructors, and cell group leaders as necessary for the administration of discipleship programs. We may also disclose your information if required by law or if we believe such action is necessary to comply with legal obligations or protect the rights and safety of JCIM or its members.

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal data. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

By using the Platform, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in this section. If you have questions or concerns about how your data is handled, please contact us at info@jesuscityint.org.

7. Limitation of Liability

The Platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

Jesus City International Ministry does not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, or free of viruses or other harmful components. We do not warrant that the results obtained from the use of the Platform will be accurate or reliable.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, JCIM and its officers, directors, employees, volunteers, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or related to your use of, or inability to use, the Platform, including but not limited to loss of data, loss of academic records, or interruption of discipleship programs.

Our total liability to you for any claims arising from your use of the Platform shall not exceed the amount you have paid to JCIM for access to the Platform in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim, or one hundred Ghana Cedis (GHS 100), whichever is greater.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or the limitation of liability for certain damages. In such jurisdictions, our liability shall be limited to the greatest extent permitted by law.

8. Modifications to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time at our sole discretion. When we make changes, we will update the effective date at the top of these Terms and, where practicable, notify users through the Platform or via email.

Material changes to these Terms will be communicated to registered users at least fourteen (14) days before they take effect, unless the changes are required by law or relate to new features or services. Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date of revised Terms constitutes your acceptance of the changes.

If you do not agree with the revised Terms, you must stop using the Platform and may request the deactivation of your account by contacting us.

9. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Ghana, without regard to conflict of law principles.

Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms or your use of the Platform shall first be resolved through good-faith negotiation and, where applicable, through the internal dispute resolution mechanisms of Jesus City International Ministry. If a resolution cannot be reached, the dispute shall be submitted to the jurisdiction of the courts of the Republic of Ghana, with venue in Accra.

Nothing in these Terms shall prevent either party from seeking injunctive or other equitable relief from a court of competent jurisdiction where necessary to prevent irreparable harm.

10. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback about these Terms of Service or the Platform, please contact us: