The church carries a quality score, two quests read it, and the build menu shows you a list of furniture without a single number on it. So the room fills up and the figure moves for reasons you cannot see.
Every object in there is worth a fixed amount. The range runs from 1 to 15, and the most valuable thing in the room is not the one that costs the most.
One upgrade in the list is worth nothing at all, which is the part worth knowing before you spend on it.
What every piece of church furniture is worth
The Confession Booth I line is the strongest in the room: 4, then 7, then 15 at Confession Booth III. Nothing else comes close to that top figure.
Interior benches run 3, 5 and 7. Shrines run 2, 4 and 6. 
Candelabra I and its upgrades are 1, 3 and 5, and Church Smells climbs hardest of the small ones at 1, 5 and 10.
Votive Candle Stand I is quality 10 for six Bronze Detail and six Wooden Plank. Votive Candle Stand II is also quality 10, for six Iron Detail and six Oiled Plank.
The tier two version costs more and adds nothing to the score. Every other line in the church rises with its tier, so this one is the exception rather than the rule and it is easy to buy by habit.
The cheap things are the good things
Votive Candle Stand I at 10 is the best single purchase in the room. It wants no iron, no marble and no gold, just bronze detail and planks, and it matches Church Smells III which needs marble and a Golden ingot.
Against that, Candelabra III is 5 for three Iron Detail, a Golden ingot and three 
Magnificent Candle. Each of those candles is four Beeswax, so the whole thing costs twelve wax and buys half a candle stand.
Candelabra I wants one 
Simple Candle, the second wants two Pretty Candles and the third wants three Magnificent Candle. Nothing else in the church consumes something you had to craft from a renewable.
If your wax supply is thin, the candelabra line is the one to skip. The points are cheaper almost anywhere else on the list.
What the score is for
Two quests read the number. The first wants the church at 10 so the Nun can deliver sermons there, and she is already waiting when it fires.
The second is See You in Church at the Crossroads, and it wants 50. That is the real target and it is five times the first one, so the early gate is not a guide to how much work the later one is.
Six Sacred Interior inspirations track the same number, so raising it pays talent points on the way as well as clearing the two quests.
Improving the building itself
Separate from the furniture, the church has three structural upgrades. The first is eight 
Board and six 
Piece of stone, which is early game material and worth doing immediately.
The second wants eight Wooden Plank, four Carved Stone and four Bronze Detail. The third jumps to four Wooden Joint, four Carved Marble and eight Glass, which is a different era of the game entirely.
So the sequence that works is the first upgrade, then furniture up to the 10 gate, then Interior Bench I through Interior Bench III and the booths while you build toward 50.
Graveyard Keeper 2 Church Quality FAQ
How do you raise church quality in Graveyard Keeper 2?
Place furniture. Every object has a fixed value, from 1 for a Candelabra I up to 15 for a Confession Booth III, and the room scores the sum.
What is the highest value church item?
Confession Booth III at 15. The booth line is 4, 7 and 15, which is the steepest climb of anything in the room.
Is Votive Candle Stand II worth building?
Not for quality. Both tiers are worth exactly 10, so the second costs more iron and oiled plank for no gain. It is the only line in the church that does not rise with its tier.
What is the best value church item?
Votive Candle Stand I at 10 points for six Bronze Detail and six Wooden Plank. It matches Church Smells III, which needs marble and a Golden ingot.
What church quality do the quests need?
Ten for the Nun to deliver sermons, and fifty for See You in Church with Agatha at the Crossroads.
Do candelabras need candles?
Yes, and they are the only church furniture that consumes something crafted. Candelabra I takes one Simple Candle, II takes two Pretty and III takes three Magnificent.
Can church quality go negative?
Yes. Debris left in the room counts against the score, so an uncleared church can sit well below zero.
What do the church upgrades cost?
The first is eight Board and six Piece of stone. The second is eight Wooden Plank, four Carved Stone and four Bronze Detail. The third is four Wooden Joint, four Carved Marble and eight Glass.
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