Church Design -
Beware of design / build firms out there that "prey" on churches when they are wanting to expand or create a new facility. "... I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves". Generally, their only reason for their existence is church design. Their claims are that they know your needs inside and out; and, because they are also providing the construction, they can come in with much better pricing by providing "turn-key" services.
Architects are here to present you with the best options overall and to protect your needs, both in design and financially during construction.
Design / build presents you with their very limited options and choices that they are familiar with, that bring them the most profit, limiting your design options. You likely will not even know how much design and construction documents actually cost; or, whether your specific needs are really being met until construction. Then, the true cost of "design/build" presents itself.
Even Architects that specialize in churches should be approached with caution as it has become more of an "assembly line" process to them; and, similarly to a design/build firm, a "church architect" will likely have only limited design options that they have used over and over again - that they are familiar with.
The best route is the tried and true resource of an Architect, preferably with church experience; but, that also has a broad scope of experience in other types of buildings as well, including a broad spectrum of design, not necessarily any particular style(s). This is after all what your congregation brings - a very diverse people with many different backgrounds, experiences, and lifestyles. Work with an Architect and select several General Contractors to provide bidding on the project; or, work with one pre-selected General Contractor during the design process.
Utilize Church members if you have those in the congregation that have skills! The only cautionary note is to make sure they indeed have the necessary skills and experience. You can save considerable costs this way; however, do keep it "professional" and treat them as members of the project team (I Tim 5:18), not just members of the congregation. A word of caution here is that this can sometimes lead to "issues" when things go awry during construction as usually happens to at least some extent.
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Using myself as your Architect, I have a variety of church experiences, as well as many other building types and styles, always working with the congregation and any building committees, to arrive at the best solution for your needs, including budgets, not just meeting some "standards" of church design and especially not to create a monument to the Architect! The money you are spending for your project is God's money and should be spent as a good steward for His purposes, seeking His direction before, during, and after the project process.
I would welcome the opportunity to talk with you about any aspect of your project!
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