We seek to pursue a ministry first approach when it comes to the issue of copyright. Thus, we have gone through a great deal of effort to set up a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and publishing ministry to ensure that copyrights (in addition to publishing rights) for our resources are owned by a not-for-profit organization. We think that it is both reasonable and fair to pay some royalties to contributors for some of the materials we develop, but our bottom line is always ministry and not money.
At the same time, we need to generate income to care for our employees and to more effectively serve the body of Christ. We also feel the need to protect the integrity of Search for Me Ministries, Inc. and the teaching materials we produce. Balancing these issues, we have established the copyright policies listed below.
We will do our best, as we are able, to provide our resources at a reasonable cost or even for free. The audio files from the Search for Me identity series, for example, are available for listening on our SfMe Media website. We also do periodic free giveaways of our books through Amazon Kindle. If you do not own a Kindle, you can download a free Kindle App for your computer, tablet, or smartphone.
SfMe Media Resources (except for the items specified below).
The content of our resources is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America. Except for those which fall under fair use standards, any such materials may not be used for commercial purposes without the prior, express written consent of Search for Me Ministries, Inc. We do, however, give permission for churches, college ministries, and Christian non-profit organizations to copy portions of our materials for the purposes of discipleship and group study. Any copies produced for group use may not be sold for a price beyond the actual cost of materials (e.g. paper).
Community Prayer Devotional
The Community Prayer Devotional is part of an ongoing effort to mobilize North American churches to pray for God’s blessing upon our land. As a result, this inspirational devotional is being made widely available at minimum to no cost.
For security reasons, please do not copy or circulate digital PDF, mobi, or ePub files of this document. Also, do not accept a file from another person. Instead, we ask that you individually download the digital files at no cost through Smashwords. Permission is granted to make physical copies of this material for the purpose of praying for your community. However, it is not acceptable to sell the copies that are produced or to change the textual content of this work.
Bob’s Blog
Written Text
Copies of Bob’s blog may be printed or electronically transferred for non-commercial ministry purposes. Except for quotations, posting of the blog is not permitted on other websites, but you may provide a link to our blog site.
Images
Our ministry and blog logos, and any of our photos showing people’s faces may not be copied. Some of the photos we use have public licenses to allow use by others. When appropriate, the license will be clearly indicated.
In no instance may any of our materials be used for commercial purposes without express written permission from Search for Me Ministries, Inc.
The Search for Me Identity Series
Limited permission is granted to churches, campus ministries, and non-profit organizations to copy The Search for Me study materials for small group use. Individuals or for-profit entities may not copy the Series or any portion thereof.
The copyright in and to the Series is owned by Search for Me Ministries, Inc., however, some of the individual elements contained in the Series are not. Search for Me Ministries, Inc., does not make any claim of ownership to the individual elements contained in this production that are subject to “some rights reserved” licenses. The images and other elements with limited copyright restrictions are subject to the terms of each individual license classification (e.g., Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License), as set forth in the credits of the Series. If you would like to use any of the elements of the Series which are not owned by Search for Me Ministries, Inc., in any manner, please refer to the credits to find the source of the element and the applicable ownership information. It is your responsibility to identify the copyright owner and to obtain all necessary clearances before making use of these materials.
You may not extract any images, clips or vignettes from the production except for promotional purposes solely within your organization. If you are interested in making any other use of any element of the Series which is owned by Search for Me Ministries, Inc., please contact us through our website.
Upon purchasing the Series small group kit, your organization may make up to five (5) copies of the original DVDs. The duplicates you make may not be copied. The workbook PDF files may be printed or copied at will for use within one specific local non-profit ministry organization (i.e., church, campus ministry, mission facility). The Series small group CD may be copied up to five times and “ripped” to MP3 audio files which may be downloaded onto MP3 players for those who are participating in group studies only. If you would like to recommend the audio messages contained in the Series to others, we have made the audio files freely available to all (via streaming) to sample through our website, and an MP3 audio CD is available for purchase.
One copy of the Series may be used multiple times for multiple groups within your specific local ministry. This means that a local church may run up to five Series small groups simultaneously without the need to purchase more materials. We strongly urge you to make backups of all disks and to store the originals in a safe location. For the sake of convenience, and to further support Search for Me Ministries, Inc., churches with the financial means are encouraged to purchase multiple copies of the Series.
Non-profit ministries may charge a small fee to group participants to help cover the actual cost involved with copying these materials, but may not sell any of the copies that you have made.
You may not alter the content of the Series without the prior, express written consent of Search for Me Ministries, Inc.
We believe that there will be a strong desire for many of you to share the Series with loved ones, friends and other ministries. You may lend the Series to other local ministries for review purposes only, but they may not copy or distribute the Series or any portion thereof. If you would like to purchase the Series small group materials to give to other ministries, you may feel entirely free to do so!
The Series may not be used for commercial purposes without the prior, express written consent of Search for Me Ministries, Inc.
