Ambassador College of Christian Ministry
Privacy Policy
Last updated: 2 November 2026
Christ-Centred • Trinitarian • Scripture-Focused
1. About this policy
This policy explains how Ambassador College of Christian Ministry (ACCM) collects, uses, stores and shares personal information. It applies to students, prospective students, alumni, lecturers, donors and anyone who contacts us or uses our website or learning platform.
ACCM is operated by Pacific College of Training and Development Ltd (PCTD), ABN 69 095 460 638, trading as Ambassador College of Christian Ministry. ACCM is owned and operated by Grace Communion International in Australia. In this policy, “ACCM”, “we” and “us” refer to PCTD trading as ACCM.
We handle personal information in line with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
This policy covers:
- our website at ambascol.org, including online enrolment and donations
- our learning platform at learn.ambascol.org (Moodle) and the Moodle app
- enrolment, study, assessment, cohort and graduate records
- enquiries, correspondence and feedback
You can ask us for this policy in another format, free of charge.
2. What personal information we collect
We collect only the information we need to enrol you, teach and assess you, and run the College.
| Kind of information | Examples |
|---|---|
| Identity and contact details | Name, postal address, email address, phone numbers, date of birth |
| Church and ministry details | Congregation, region, ministry role, reason for studying |
| Enrolment and study records | Courses enrolled, cohort or self-study, enrolment dates, extensions |
| Assessment records | Submitted work, grades, assessor feedback, Zoom participation, completion of Certificate or Diploma |
| Account and usage information | Website and Moodle usernames, login times, course progress and activity logs |
| Payment and donation records | Amounts paid or donated, dates, receipts; card details are handled by our payment provider, not stored by us |
| Communications | Emails, contact form messages, feedback and complaints |
| Technical information | IP address, browser and device type, cookies (see section 8) |
You can make a general enquiry without giving your name, or using a pseudonym. To enrol, be assessed or receive a qualification, we need to know who you are.
3. How we collect it
We collect most personal information directly from you, when you:
- register or enrol online, or complete an enrolment form
- log in to the website or Moodle, complete course activities and submit assessments
- join cohort Zoom discussions or intensives
- make a payment or donation
- contact us by email, phone or the contact form
Sometimes we receive information from others, for example a pastor or regional leader referring a student, a Ministry Training Centre coordinating a cohort, or a payment provider confirming a transaction. We collect information only by lawful and fair means.
4. Why we collect, use and disclose it
We use personal information to:
- process enrolments and payments, and issue receipts
- give you access to course material on Moodle
- assess your work, give feedback and record grades
- organise cohorts, Zoom discussions and intensives
- award the Certificate or Diploma of Christian Ministry and provide transcripts
- respond to enquiries, requests and complaints
- send course notices and, where you have not opted out, ACCM news
- manage donations and sponsorships
- maintain and secure our website and systems
- meet our legal, tax and accounting obligations
We do not sell personal information. We use or disclose it only for the purpose we collected it, a related purpose you would reasonably expect, with your consent, or where the law requires or permits it.
5. Sensitive information
Because ACCM is a Christian ministry college, some information we hold may reveal your religious beliefs or church affiliation, such as your congregation, ministry role or reflections in your coursework. The Privacy Act treats this as sensitive information.
We collect sensitive information only with your consent, or where the law permits it. By enrolling and submitting coursework, you consent to us holding the religious and ministry information that is part of your studies. We do not ask for health information, but if you tell us about a health matter, for example when requesting an extension, we use it only for that request.
We give sensitive information extra care and share it only as described in this policy.
7. Storage, security and overseas disclosure
We store personal information electronically on our website, learning platform and office systems. Our website and learning platform are hosted on our own servers in Australia. Website images and files are delivered through Microsoft Azure’s content delivery network. Paper records are kept in secure office storage at Varsity Lakes, Queensland.
We protect information with access controls, encrypted (HTTPS) connections, regular software updates, backups and staff training. Only people who need information for their role can access it.
Some personal information is likely to be disclosed or stored overseas:
- United States: Grace Communion International and its Ministry Training Centres, where you study through a US-based centre or your record needs denominational verification; and service providers such as Zoom and the AI tools used to check for plagiarism (Grammarly, Microsoft and Anthropic).
- Other countries: students and cohorts outside Australia, where we communicate with local GCI leaders who coordinate your study.
When we send information overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure the recipient protects it in a way consistent with the APPs.
If a data breach is likely to cause you serious harm, we will notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as required by the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.
9. Automated decisions
ACCM does not make any decision about you solely by computer. However, we may use an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to help check submitted assessments for plagiarism.
How it works:
- Your teacher may run your submitted assessment through an AI tool, such as Grammarly, Microsoft Copilot or Claude, to check for plagiarism.
- If the tool or the teacher suspects plagiarism, the teacher refers the assessment to ACCM Administration.
- ACCM Administration reviews the work and the tool’s results. A person, not the tool, decides whether the work is plagiarised.
- If plagiarism is confirmed, the work receives a Resubmit grade, and you are told why and how to revise it.
| Information used | The text of your submitted assessment, and any personal details within it, such as your name. |
| Decisions involved | Whether an assessment is referred for a plagiarism review, and, after human review, whether it receives a Resubmit grade. |
If you think a plagiarism finding is wrong, contact the Registrar (section 12). You can ask how the decision was reached and respond before it is final.
10. Access and correction
You have the right to ask for the personal information we hold about you and to ask us to correct it.
- You can update your contact details yourself under My Account on our website or in your Moodle profile.
- For anything else, contact the Registrar (section 12). We may need to confirm your identity first.
We will respond within 30 days. There is no charge for asking, or for correcting your information. If we refuse a request, we will explain why in writing and tell you how to complain.
11. How long we keep it
We keep academic records, including enrolments, grades and qualifications, for the long term so we can issue transcripts and verify qualifications for graduates. Financial records are kept for at least seven years to meet tax and corporations law. Other information, such as enquiries and course activity logs, is kept only as long as needed.
When we no longer need information, we securely destroy or de-identify it.
12. Questions and complaints
If you have a question, or believe we have mishandled your personal information, please contact us in writing:
The Registrar (Privacy)
Ambassador College of Christian Ministry,
PO Box 390 Varsity Lakes QLD 4227
Email: re*******@******ol.org
Phone: +61 7 55536000
We will acknowledge your complaint promptly and aim to respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):
- Website: oaic.gov.au
- Phone: 1300 363 992
13. Changes to this policy
We review this policy at least once a year and when our systems or practices change. The current version is always on our website, with the date it was last updated at the top.