Develop a list of your Ministry Goals and Objectives and make sure it agrees with your church’s mission.  List current and future needs to let a design professional know what is important in designing your building.

Here are some items to consider:

1. Are you going to design a building that will meet the needs of the unchurched or are you designing a building for people who are in your church now?
2. Be careful not to accept the easy answers, like “We need a bigger worship space“. Think outside the box. Are there new ministries that will reach your community? Get input from the design professional on his past designs or what he has seen other churches do.
3. Don’t spend all of your time making sketches; let the design professional do that.
4. What are current needs? Who has God called you to reach? Who is your target audience?  What new building features would aid in achieving your mission & vision?
5. How many spaces will be for multiple uses versus dedicated spaces?
6. How large do you want to grow as a church?
7. Do your current ministries function like they do because of the layout or limitations of the space you have now?  Think about how you would want to do it if the building did not limit you.
8. Are you providing space for a ministry you currently have or planning for new ministries?  If it is a new ministry, who will lead that ministry and who should give design input on what is needed? 
9. How many are involved in your children’s ministries? Does the space accommodate those numbers or allow for growth?
10. Is there a need for a child care program?
11. Will classrooms be used for a K-12 school program or just for Christian Education classes?
12. Is there adequate parking (one parking space per 2 to 2.5 people or 60-80 parking spaces per acre on average)?
13. What are your Audio/Video/Lighting needs?
14. What are your technology needs (Wi-Fi, security, live stream)?
15. Is your Budget realistic? How much can you afford?
16. Do you have enough acreage (100 people to 1 acre is a good rule of thumb)?