The first step in developing your vision for a church design project is to decide what your needs are. This is not a job for the pastor to do himself or herself, but a process that should involve as many members of the congregation as possible and practical.

Getting different wish lists from the people who take care of child care, youth programs, events that happen outside of the regular church schedule, community people who use your church and others can give you an idea of what to strive for. Bringing that list down to reality will happen throughout the church design, budgeting and building process.

Looking for land is the next important step in the church building process, assuming you do not already have a substantial piece of land on which to build a new church and you're not planning to build on to your old church (which may not actually save you any money if your existing building is not up to current code).

Pastors who have been through the church building experience will tell you that you will probably need more land than you think you do, because different zoning laws, regulations, easements and other legalities will ensure that you can't build on all of the land you buy.

Make sure you understand the land use requirements in your city or county before you buy a piece of land, because you might end up having to settle for a smaller church than you wanted—or buying another new piece of land—once all the regulations are satisfied.

At the same time you should be talking to a church designer. You should not trust your church building project to someone who doesn't specialize in churches, because other architects simply won't understand your needs and all of the rules that have to be followed when you're building a church.

Going with an expert will save you a lot of time, money and frustration and ensure that you get the most out of the land you are buying.

Fundraising of course is another vital part of any church building project, and it should begin as soon as you are sure you are moving forward with the project. You will need to have a firm idea of how much money you can raise before you buy land and before the designer starts working. Otherwise you could end up with a design for a church that is much more expensive than your congregation can support.

Thinking through every step of the process, working with an expert and expecting everything to take longer and cost more than your estimates will ensure that you'll have a smoother journey to the church of your dreams.