[1] Hire an independent firm to review church finances before your architect draws anything. Why? Because a high percentage of sealed drawings are never built when the church discovers it cannot afford to build.
[2] Hire an architect who will work on a price-per-square-foot basis.
[3] Hire an experienced church building company -- not just a company that has built a church or two.
[4] The open book construction management method normally provides the lowest total cost and highest value to the church.