Customer Service FAQ

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Products & Ordering

Does Spirit & Truth Publishing offer any physical products?
Do I need a Tax Exempt number to order?
What currencies can I pay in?
I would like to place an order but I live in a different country (other than the US, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom). What do I do?
What happens if I have ordered one or more single lessons, but I do not notify the publisher which lessons I would like?
Can I request a special order?

Discounts & Coupons

Where can I find coupons for Spirit & Truth Publishing products?
How do I use a coupon?
What are the rules for using coupons?

Payments

How can my congregation pay for products?
I’ve selected “Pay by credit card, debit card, or PayPal” but I’ve been taken to another page! I don’t want to use PayPal, what do I do?
Can I receive an invoice for our treasurer to pay?
What happens if I start an order but do not pay for it?

Downloads

When can I download my purchases?
Where do I download my purchases?

Changes & Refunds

What if I had selected “Pay by check” but now want to pay by credit card, debit card, or PayPal?
What do I do if I made a mistake in my order or change my mind?
How do I request a refund?

Policies & Other

What it your Privacy Policy?
What does it mean in the EULA that the curriculum products are “licensed and not sold”?
Can I upload the lessons (guides, take-home sheets, etc.) to our website?
What about live-streamed or recorded audio or video use?
How does Spirit & Truth Publishing help others?
What if I have other questions not answered here?

 Products & Ordering
Does Spirit & Truth Publishing offer any physical products?

At this time, all of our products are available as digital downloads (PDF documents or MP3 files), downloadable from our website. We do not offer or ship any physical products.

Do I need a Tax Exempt number to order?

As you may (or may not) have heard, there was a U.S. Supreme Court decision handed down in the summer of 2018 that affects interstate sales tax. Basically, this means that Spirit & Truth Publishing is required to collect sales tax from customers in some locations and not others. In states that allow religious organizations to be tax exempt, this means we are required to collect tax-exempt information.

If you would like to have sales tax removed, here is the process.

  1. Please review the “Your Order” summary on the Checkout page. If you do not see sales tax under your subtotal, then our system is not charging you sales tax and you can pay as normal!
  2. If you are being charged sales tax, then please enter your state sales-tax-exempt number AND your congregation’s federal tax ID number (usually an EIN in the format 12-3456789). Please enter both, as we cannot remove sales tax without them!
  3. If you do not have a tax-exempt number, then please review your state’s procedures and send any necessary forms/items to the publisher at g (dot) rawn (at) spiritandtruthpublishing (dot) com.
  4. Check the box “Please remove sales tax and contact me for payment.”
  5. If you would like to pay by check, please check the box “I would like to pay by check.”
  6. As your payment type, selected “Tax-Exempt Purchase or Check Payment.”
  7. Click the “Place order” button.
  8. Within two (2) business days, the publisher will manually remove the sales tax and send you information on how to pay via credit, debit, or PayPal. 
  9. Please note: If you do not see sales tax in your order summary, then you don’t need to do any of this! Just pay as normal.

Download our visual instructions for more information.

What currencies can I pay in?

All products are listed in U.S. dollars and must be paid in U.S. dollars. Typically, your credit card company or PayPal will automatically convert your currency to USD and charge you their conversion fee. We would prefer that you not pay by check, as that can become very complicated. However, if you do, please verify with your bank how to make it clear on the check that the payment is in U.S. dollars.

I would like to place an order but I live in a different country (other than the US, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom). What do I do?

Wonderful! Please contact the publisher directly at g.rawn@spiritandtruthpublishing.com or (262) 358-6574 to arrange the order.

What happens if I have ordered one or more single lessons, but I do not notify the publisher which lessons I would like?

Since our web store is not currently equipped to handle single lesson orders (offered for our Living the Word: Cross+Gen Education, Living the Word: Cross+Gen Worship, and Spirit & Truth: Kids products), you must submit and pay for the order through our website AND notify the publisher which lessons you would like (via order notes or a separate email). If the publisher does not receive a list of requested lessons, he will try on two occasions to contact the purchaser, at least one week apart. If the purchaser does not respond, then the publisher will submit a refund for the single orders.

Can I request a special order?

If you would like to order something that is not readily available on our website, please contact the publisher by phone or using our contact form with a description of what you are looking for. Once the publisher has sufficient information, he will create a quotation for the special order, including the price and completion date. The pricing will be based on the same amounts and principles as the rest of our products, as well as include an additional preparation fee, based on the amount of work required to create the special order. Special orders can include:

  • A unique collection of currently available materials (e.g. Living the Word: Youth lessons for once a month).
  • Customized or newly created faith formation resources.

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Discounts & Coupons

Where can I find coupons for Spirit & Truth Publishing products?

Coupon codes (also sometimes called discount codes) are published during special promotions through our quarterly eNewsletter SpiritNEWS, emailed to our valued customers, and on our Facebook page. Sign up for our Newsletter list and like us on Facebook to get more information. Once you have a coupon code, use it in your shopping cart or at checkout!

How do I use a coupon?

When you are ready to place your order and you have a coupon code, you can enter the code in one of two places. The easiest is in the box in your shopping cart that is under the list of your items. Just type or copy & paste it in, click the button, and you should be ready to go! You can also enter the coupon code on the checkout page. There is a white box directly under the title Checkout that says “Have a coupon? Click here to enter your code.”

You might find that a coupon code does not work. First, please check to make sure it’s entered correctly (I usually copy & paste them). Second, see what the expiration date is on the coupon. Third, check the place where you found the code to make sure there aren’t specific requirements (e.g. for orders above $100, must have XX product in your order). If you’ve checked all of that and it still doesn’t work, please contact the publisher directly at g.rawn@spiritandtruthpublishing.com or (262) 358-6574.

What are the rules for using coupons?

As for rules, please check the ad or location where you found the coupon code for any restrictions and expiration dates. We will not extend expiration dates or change restrictions for you. Often, the rules state that a coupon won’t work with other coupons, so you will have to choose the one that gives you the best discount. For all coupons, you must enter the coupon code when you place your order.  We cannot apply a discount after an order is placed and we do not issue refunds for a coupon amount. If you feel that a technical issue is preventing you from using a coupon and you must complete an order before you would be able to contact the publisher, you may petition for an exception.
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Payments
How can my congregation pay for products?

Congregations purchase products from Spirit & Truth Publishing through this website. You may pay for products by credit card, debit card, check, or PayPal payment. If you pay by check, products will not be available for download until after your check has been received and processed at Spirit & Truth Publishing. Checks must be for the exact amount in U.S. dollars.

I’ve selected “Pay by credit card, debit card, or PayPal” but I’ve been taken to another page! I don’t want to use PayPal, what do I do?

Spirit & Truth Publishing uses PayPal as our “payment gateway,” which is safer and more secure for you than we are able to be directly on our website. Once you click on the “Proceed to PayPal” button, you will be taken to the PayPal website. It gives you the option of logging into your PayPal account, but there is also a gray button that says “Pay with Debit or Credit Card.” That will allow you to pay without logging into anything.

Can I receive an invoice for our treasurer to pay?

You may print the email order receipt you received after placing your order, which includes the total order, order #, and mailing address to which to send your check. However, if you would like a more detailed invoice, please contact the publisher at g.rawn@spiritandtruthpublishing.com or (262) 358-6574.

What happens if I start an order but do not pay for it?

If an order is placed and “Pay by credit card, debit card, or PayPal” is selected, but the payment has not processed, the publisher will try on two occasions to contact the purchaser, at least one week apart. If the purchaser does not respond, then the publisher will cancel the order. If the customer has selected “Pay by Check,” the publisher will try to contact the purchaser either one calendar month after the order date or as the start date of the product order is approaching. If the publisher does not receive a response, he will attempt contact once more at least a week after the first attempt. If the purchaser does not respond, then the publisher will cancel the order.
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Downloads
When can I download my purchases?

If you are paying by credit card, debit card, or PayPal, your purchases should be available for download as soon as you place your order. If you are paying by check, an email will be sent to you within five (5) business days of our receiving your check. Products designated for pre-order will be available by or before the announced release date.

Where do I download my purchases?

You may access your downloadable purchases via the email you received with the links, for a limited time, or your “My Account” page. Click here to access your “My Account” page.  You can find a “Customer Login” link in the website footer. You may also see our Detailed Download Instructions.
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Changes & Refunds
What if I had selected “Pay by check” but now want to pay by credit card, debit card, or PayPal?

Please contact the publisher at g.rawn@spiritandtruthpublishing.com or (262) 358-6574 with your order number and request a change to the payment method. The publisher can then mark the order as “Pending Payment.” When you log into your Customer Account and select “Orders” on the left-hand side, you will be able to see your current order with a gray “Pay” button. You can then select your payment option and proceed from there.

What do I do if I made a mistake in my order or change my mind?

If you haven’t clicked on the links to the files you purchased or otherwise downloaded or accessed the files, you may contact the publisher at g.rawn@spiritandtruthpublishing.com or (262) 358-6574 and request an order cancellation. Once you have accessed the products online and/or downloaded them, then you may request a refund. Unfortunately, our system cannot make changes to orders once a payment is processed. If you would like to make a change to your order, then it will be necessary for us to process a refund, and you can create a new order.

How do I request a refund?

You may request a refund for items purchased and accessed online and/or downloaded by contacting us by email or telephone (g.rawn@spiritandtruthpublishing.com or (262) 358-6574). We will grant full refunds within thirty (30) days of purchase with the receipt of an affidavit signed by the customer stating that all digital and physical copies of purchased products have been deleted and destroyed. Refunds will be processed using the same payment method used by the customer for the original purchase (credit card, check, or PayPal). We do not offer exchanges. If you wish to “exchange” an item for another, it will be processed as a refund and a new order. Please see the publisher for more information.
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Policies & Other

What it your Privacy Policy?

Please read the full text of our privacy policy. Spirit & Truth Publishing will keep your information private and promises to never give, sell, or distribute your information without your express consent.

What does it mean in the EULA that the curriculum products are “licensed and not sold”?

Spirit & Truth Publishing offers its faith formation products as downloadable PDF and/or MP3 files using an industry-standard End User License Agreement (EULA). With a physical book, a person or congregation can use it as much as they want, and when they are done with it, they can pass it along to another person or congregation as a gift, loan, or sale. And, after this gift, loan, or sale, the original purchaser no longer has the book to read or use. With computer files like the curriculum PDFs, an original purchaser can make a copy of the file and send it to someone else (as a gift, loan, or sale) and still continue to use the files themselves. To make it clear that this is a violation of copyright law and the trust of the publisher, we have designated our curriculum products as “licensed and not sold” through our EULA. As the purchaser and end user, you are welcome to make as many copies (physical or electronic) as you need to use the curriculum at the purchasing congregation. The license, once purchased, is also permanent, so there are never any licensing renewal fees or the like (although future add-ons, including new lessons, are not included in the purchasing price).

Can I upload the lessons (guides, take-home sheets, etc.) to our website?

The quick answer is “no.” The End User Licensing Agreement (see above) states “This Agreement entitles you to download and use the Curriculum Product only for the educational purposes of the purchasing congregation listed on the order” and “Without first obtaining the express written consent of Publisher, you may not assign your rights and obligations under this Agreement, or redistribute, encumber, sell, rent, lease, sublicense, or otherwise transfer your rights to the Curriculum Product.” This means that you cannot distribute copies of the products you purchase to others outside the purchasing congregation. While you might not intend for others outside of your congregation to access and download the materials, if it can show up on a web search, they can. However, there are a couple of exceptions here. You may upload materials to:

  • A “cloud storage” website (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.) and give the login information to the people within your congregation you want to distribute them to.
  • A Facebook (or similar) private group that the general public cannot access.
  • A password-protected portion of your website.

Basically, you can upload the materials to somewhere that the general public cannot access. Another exception is that you may upload the take-home sheets from our Living the Word: Kids (PK-2nd)Living the Word: Kids (3rd-6th) and Living the Word: Youth (but not Spirit & Truth: Kids) products. The reasoning is that these are small portions of the entire lessons. If you do this, please include a statement that they are a part of X product from Spirit & Truth Publishing with a link back to our website. If you have any questions or special requests about this, please contact us!

What about live-streamed or recorded audio or video use?

The permissions related to audio or video use of lessons (or related pieces) are similar in philosophy as with printed (digital or physical) use: is this use the equivalent of handing out copies of a book (audiobook, or DVD) to people outside your congregation? So, for example:

  • Not acceptable: an instructional video of an entire lesson made available to the public.
  • Acceptable: using a few activities (fewer than half) in an online worship service or Sunday school (live-streamed and/or recorded).
  • Exception: entire worship guides from our Living the Word: Cross+Gen Worship (NL) used in worship. [That’s what it’s intended for, in-person or online.]

In terms of “inside/within” (as opposed to “outside”) your congregation, we define this as people participating in a ministry of your congregation. This is not limited to official membership. If someone is tuning in to your online worship or education time from a thousand miles away, they are participating in a ministry of your congregation!

How does Spirit & Truth Publishing help others?

As an expression of our thankfulness of all God has blessed us with and our commitment to spreading the good news of Jesus through word and deed, Spirit & Truth Publishing will donate 10% of our profits help those in need around the world. We have partnered with Lutheran World Relief (LWR). LWR is an effective human-service organization active throughout the world working to end poverty, injustice, and human suffering. Although they are primarily supported by Lutherans, their work goes far beyond denominational boundaries.

What if I have other questions not answered here?

If you have any other questions, please call the publisher or use the contact form found on the contact page. We’d love to hear from you!
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