Once you decide you’re ready to develop, you’ll need a committed team to complete your project. This includes internal and external people, both volunteers and paid professionals. 

The following is a list of who should be included on your Internal Team:

1. Pastor: If your pastor is not able to buy into the vision of the project and champion the project within your congregation, you will struggle. The pastor doesn’t need to be the primary day-to-day coordinator, but she or he must fully own the vision. 

2. Internal Champion(s): This is the point person(s) in the congregation who will take on the organizational leadership of this process. A committed volunteer or team of volunteers is needed to provide consistency, coordinate all the stakeholders involved, and keep the congregation informed and engaged.

3. Community Development Corporation (CDC): Just Homes and most pastors who have gone through this process recommend that you form an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit development corporation to separate liability and finances from the church, and to open the door to more funding opportunities. This is not always necessary, and some churches don’t take this step, but it is usually worth it in the long run. Just Homes can help you with the logistics involved in setting up this CDC

4. Development consultant: someone who has gone through the development process before and can help shepherd you through it. Development consultants will both explain the process to you and help protect you against bad deals.

5. Lawyer with real estate/development expertise: you need someone who can fight for your interests. Not a joint lawyer for you and a developer. Not a lawyer who specializes in something else.

6. Housing finance expert: someone to help navigate the complicated affordable housing development financing process and explain it to you as you make decisions.

As we discussed above, Just Homes can connect churches with these people and Enterprise FBDI has a bullpen of people available for these roles. Some of them work at discounted rates, some offer their services for free, and others are referrals for full-time, full-price professionals who have experience working with nonprofits or other houses of worship.

These early decisions are all overwhelming but as soon as you start talking with professionals, you’ll be surprised how quickly you pick up the vocabulary and concepts. Don’t be scared!