Step 2: Site Plan (Months 18-27)

Once hired, the architect will start on the initial site plan – a physical representation of the new facility based on the church’s vision. This ought to include the building, floor plan, a couple of elevations, proposed landscaping and parking. These are then submitted to the local municipality who will then respond to them with comments of issues that need to be addressed. (There are always comments.)

Fundraising can commence at this point, as a rendering of the ultimate vision for the church can now be provided with an initial cost estimate. Because this review process comprises many municipal agencies (water and sewer, firefighters, architectural review board, etc.), it’s crucial to know the local standards. In many cases, local landscape architects must be consulted, as municipalities may have unique restrictions on landscape buffers. This is yet another reason why it’s important to have a builder and civil engineer on board from the beginning.

Once the first comments come in and the church is confident it is on the right path, the architect can do the final drawings. This is the most expensive part of the architect’s services, but it’s also the most involved part of the process for them.

At this time, the entire team should perform a funding “sanity check,” reviewing and updating the project phasing and schedule. This is a coordinated effort between the building trinity to review the overall project direction and reaffirm the church’s commitment for continuation in the process.

Churches must realize, however, that construction costs rise approximately 1 percent a month. This may not seem like much, but if your project doesn’t break ground for another 18 months, that can mean a project that costs almost 20 percent more at that time than it does today. Make sure that the pricing estimate takes that into consideration.

Step 3: Permitting (Months 27-30)

Having answered all the municipalities’ comments, the architectural drawings are now submitted for permitting. With a civil engineer on board early, permitting may only take 90 days.

The permitting process in this timeline actually begins at the start of Step 1, Phase C, when the civil engineer on board gathers pertinent information for the permitting agency. This includes information concerning site conditions and restrictions, as well as the requirements for local planning and zoning. During that phase, agency officials are contacted to lay the groundwork for the project. Typically, builders meet with the person responsible for reviewing and inspecting the project at that time.

Step 4: Ministry of Construction (Months 30-36)

It’s during this period that a church can advance its ministry of construction. The ministry opportunities during the construction phase are an exciting and very fulfilling part of your building project. There is no better opportunity to witness and show Christ’s love to a group of people than on the construction site where they work. The community can come together to view what fruit the previous three years of labor is bringing and delight in helping to have an impact on their community and further the Word of God.

Of course, the actual building time varies by the size of the project. The Lake Ida Church of Christ in Lake Ida, Fla., a 12,000-square-foot facility, took 150 days from ground-breaking to certificate of occupancy. By contrast, a 28,000-square-foot building erected for Riverside Fellowship Church took nine months.

If all the parties involved have prayed together, come to a mission together and kept to the vision together, then the building process will only bring unity to a church and greater glory to God.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

– Proverbs 29:18

Lee Walker is president of Walker Design & Construction, which has a strategic alliance with Building God’s Way and has built dozens of churches in the past decade. Based in South Florida, Walker Design & Construction has been building quality energy-efficient buildings for more than 35 years. For more information, call Walker at 561.998.0001 or Jeff Bercaw, director of development for Building God’s Way, at 561.441.0078.