This document provides guidance on selecting professionals for a church building project development team. It discusses typical development stages and key roles that include a developer, consultant, attorney, architect, and general contractor. For each role, it describes responsibilities and considerations for selection such as experience, licensing, capacity, and insurance. Recommendations include hiring a consultant to guide inexperienced congregations through the complex process and looking for referrals from members, attorneys, or funding sources when choosing professionals. The document aims to help congregations properly structure their team to successfully complete their building project.

1. Choosing Quality Church Building
Professionals
Heather Caudill

2. Agenda
• Introduction
• Overview of Resources in Development
• Typical Stages of Development Process
• Overview of Key Players on Development
Team
• Key Considerations when Selecting
Development Team Members
• FAQs

4. Church Building: A Resource Manual for UCC
Congregations Working with the Church Building
and Loan Fund
• Overview of Development Process
• Roles and Responsibilities of the Development Team
• Key Considerations for Selecting the Professionals
• How to Create a Projected Income and Expense Budget
• Guidance on How to Prepare a Development Budget
• Different Types of Construction Contracts and Advantages of
Each
• Guidelines on How to Structure Payments
• Suggestions to Ensure a Smoother Development Process

5. Typical Development Process
Pre-Development
Goal Setting
Planning
Coordination
Construction
Implementation
Coordination
Monitoring
Close-Out
Coordination
Completion
Conversion

6. Key Roles on Development Team
Member Role
Developer An individual, company, or organization that seeks to transform land
or buildings from one use to another. In this case, the congregation is
the developer.
Development
Consultant
Provide technical assistance and support to congregations in
navigating the complex church development process
Project Attorney A legal professional with real estate experience whose primary
responsibility to ensure that the contractual agreements you enter
into clearly state the roles and responsibilities of each professional or
company, the total payment amount, the payment schedule, the
project schedule and the process and procedure for resolving project
and contractual issues
Project Architect Designs a building that meets the church’s vision and financial
resources and to ensure that the project is in compliance with all
federal, state and local regulations
General
Contractor/Builder
The role of the GC is to build your project according to the
contractual agreement entered into by the congregation.

7. Getting Started
We recommend that churches select a small (3-4
person) committee to support in a church
building initiative.
Look for church members with real estate related
experience, a finance background, contracts
background, etc., and have time to dedicate to
the project
We recommend that congregations who do not
have experience or resources to oversee the
church development process internally should
consider hiring a development consultant.

8. Development Consultant
A development consultant’s role can include…
• providing general guidance during the
development process
• assistance in the selection of development
professionals,
• developing and monitoring the project budget
• reviewing plans, scopes of work and legal
documents on behalf of the congregation

9. Project Attorney
The project attorney will ensure that all of your
congregation is legally protected through all
phases of the development project.

10. Project Architect
Sample activities include…
• assisting with land selection
• developing a site plan
• creating preliminary plans
• preparing full build plans
• performing bid review
• monitoring construction process and
adherence to specifications, etc.

11. General Contractor/Builder
The GC’s role is to plan, coordinate and implement all of the work, people and
material resources to build your church while ensuring that the legal and contractual
methods, materials, techniques and schedules are adhered to.
Additional roles include:
• filing all paperwork (including applications for building permits and licenses, and
obtaining final approvals including the Certificate of Occupancy);
• securing the property;
• providing temporary utilities on site;
• hiring, supervising, managing and payroll for personnel on-site;
• providing site surveying and engineering; disposing or recycling construction
waste;
• purchasing building materials and coordinating delivery;
• monitoring schedules and cash flow and maintaining accurate records,
• ensuring the timely scheduling and passing of inspections;
• preparing monthly “requisitions” for payment; and notifying the owner and
architect of any relevant issues that will impact the project cost or schedule

12. Development Consultant –
What to look for?
 Project Management Experience
 Project Budgeting Experience
 Project Scheduling Experience
 Knowledge of Local Approval Processes, Costs and
Timelines
 Experience Coordinating and Leading a Development
Team
Look for referrals from church members, your project
attorney, or CBLF.

13. Project Attorney – What to look for?
All practicing Attorneys must hold a professional degree and are required to
have passed the Bar exam. Some resources when looking..
 Look for referrals from church members, other project team members, or
CBLF.
 Confirm licensure through the Law and Technology Resources for Legal
Professionals website
 If you have not identified an attorney, a good place to start is with the
American Bar Association (ABA), which has chapters in every state and can
help you find an attorney that is licensed and qualified
Criteria should include:
 Real Estate Experience
 Contracts Experience
 Size of the Firm
 References

14. Project Architect – What to look for?
All practicing Architects must hold a professional degree and are required to
have passed the Architect Registration Examination (ARE). Some hold
certifications from a national organization such as the National Council of
Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) or the American Institute of
Architects (AIA).
 Look for referrals from church members, your project attorney, or CBLF.
 Confirm licensure through the National Council of Architectural
Registration Boards (NCARB)
 NCARB and AIA also provide a list of its certified architects).
Criteria should include:
 Experience on Similar Projects
 Knowledge of Local Building Code and Zoning Laws
 In-house Capacity or Seasoned Team of Professionals
 Site Visits and References
 Insurance

15. General Contractor – What to look for?
There are no national licensing requirements for General Contractors.
However, each state and/or locality has their own licensing requirements.
 Look for referrals from church members, your project attorney, or CBLF.
 Links to each state’s requirements can be found at the Contractor’s
License Reference Site. You will be redirected to the states licensing
website, which provides detail on licensing requirements in the state and
access to a database of approved contractors.
Criteria should include:
 Bidding vs. Sole Source Contracts
 Experience in Church Building Projects
 Capacity
 Insurance
 Site Visits and References
 New Construction vs. Rehabilitation

16. Questions, Concerns, Celebrations!