Tool found by architect in front of church (6)
I believe the answer is:
wrench
'tool' is the definition.
(wrench is a kind of tool)
'architect in front of church' is the wordplay.
'architect' becomes 'Wren' (Christopher Wren, 17th-century architect).
'in front of' means one lot of letters go next to another (some letters go in front of others).
'church' becomes 'ch' (abbreviation on maps etc).
'wren'+'ch'='WRENCH'
'found by' is the link.
(Other definitions for wrench that I've seen before include "Violent twist - (adjustable) spanner" , "Twisting tool" , "A spanner, or a muscular twist" , "Violent twist or pull" , "appliance" .)