When you are thinking about building a new church or building on to your existing church, it is easy to get into the spirit of things, dreaming big dreams about what your new building is going to look like, without actually considering some of the real-life issues that can keep your dreams from becoming reality.

If you were to ask ministers who have been through the church design process what they would have done differently, no matter where you are in the country you're likely to hear similar answers.

1. Learn all you can about local ordinances. A big expense that most churches (and others planning building projects) don't plan for is the process of getting your building project in compliance with all the local, county and state regulations that may apply to it. From zoning to right-of-ways, siting your parking lot properly and being aware of environmental issues, the rules could keep you from being able to build the church of your dreams.

2. Work with a church design expert. While an architect who is well known in your community might give your project some good exposure, choosing to work with a design-build or project management firm that specializes in church design and building projects will work out better for you in the long run. These companies understand the unique needs of churches and the potential problems that can come up in the design process, which should make your project run more smoothly.

Having a contractor and designer at the table at the same time as will happen when you work with a design-build firm can help you decrease your budget because everyone is working together to both get you a great building and help you get value for your money. Also if such a company gives you an estimate they should be better able to stick with it.

3. Determine a budget and increase it. Do all you can to come up with a reasonable idea of what your ideal church building will cost along with any land that needs to be purchased, then add 20 or 30 percent to that before you start fund-raising or apply for a loan. You never know what might happen, from materials problems to hurricanes to those aforementioned city code compliance issues. All of those things cost money, which should be built into your budget on the front end so you don't have to shrink your church to afford those unforeseen issues.

Learning from other people's mistakes or the things they might have done differently if they knew what they know now can save you a lot of frustration and budgetary problems that you might face in your own church building process.