The design and construction of church facilities may very well be one of the most important activities in your organization's history. One of the many critical components of your building success is hiring the right architect. Your church should consider at least 3-4 architects or design/build firms who have a good reputation for building the type and style of structures you are considering and are familiar with designing within the budget range you can afford.

General Background Questions

1. How long has the architect been in business?

2. What percentage of the firm's business is designing church facilities?

3. How many people does the architect's firm employ?

4. Does the architect have a valid license for the state in which you intend to build?

5. Does the architect commonly do church projects of the style, size and budget that you anticipate building?

6. Is the architect familiar with the nuances of your denomination and worship style and what this may mean in building design?

7. Does the architect have a specific design style and how well does their design style match what you are looking to build?

8. Does the architect intend to use consultants for this project and if so, how are they paid?

9. Does the architect carry insurance?

10. What are the policy limits for each type of insurance carried?

11. Will the architect provide proof of insurance should the church decide to hire the firm?

12. When and what was the architect's most recent project?

13. When and where was the architect's most current project like yours?

14. May the church see examples of the architect's previous projects that are similar to your proposed project, including sketches, photos, plans and budgets?

15. Should the church decide to hire their firm, may the church get the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the clients for these previous similar projects?

16. What services did the architect provide for those church clients during the design, bidding, and construction phases?

17. Who will provide each of these services for the church: the architect, the architect's employees, or outside professionals?

18. What was the actual construction cost versus the architect's estimated cost for each of these projects, and how do they account for the variance?

19. Who from the firm will the church be directly dealing with? Is it the same person who will be designing the project? If not, who will be designing it and what direct interaction will the church have with this person?

20. What is the proposed mediation process for resolving disputes and will the architect agree to binding arbitration?

Proposed Project Questions

1. What are the most significant challenges of the proposed project and how does the architect anticipate dealing with them?

2. How well does the architect understand the church's goals and constraints? (Ask the architect to reiterate back to you the overall goals, design and budget constraints and evaluate how well they understand them.)

3. How confident is the architect of meeting the church's proposed schedule?

4. What experience does the architect have translating ministry needs into space requirements?

5. What is the objective process that the architect will use to gather information to help evaluate the needs