State aiming to build around church (8)
I believe the answer is:
michigan
'state' is the definition.
(I know that Michigan is a state)
'aiming to build around church' is the wordplay.
'to build' indicates anagramming the letters.
'around' is an insertion indicator.
'church' becomes 'ch' (abbreviation on maps etc).
'aiming' anagrammed gives 'miigan'.
'miigan' going around 'ch' is 'MICHIGAN'.
(Other definitions for michigan that I've seen before include "US state and Great Lake" , "US Great Lakes state" , "State of Detroit" , "American state, capital Lansing" , "I'm aching to see American state" .)