Steve Upham
Principal Architect
Thirty-two years designing churches. Steve has led the design of more than 300 church projects across the country, with a focus on translating ministry vision into buildings that actually serve the way a church works.
Crosspointe Church Architects
A complete building design. In five days.
Most church building projects spend 6–12 months and tens of thousands of dollars before you see a single drawing. The Design Summit gets you a complete schematic design — floor plans, site plan, and renderings — in one week with your team in the room.
32
Years in practice
300+
Church projects
100%
Church-only focus
For pastors building something new
You're standing at the start of one of the most consequential decisions your church will ever make.
A building project will stretch your faith, test your patience, and ask more of your team than almost any ministry initiative you've led. And too often, the experience of working with architects only adds to the weight.
Beautiful drawings that don't account for how children's ministry actually flows on a Sunday morning. Lobbies designed for aesthetics, not for hospitality. Budget decisions that looked minor on paper and compounded in construction.
The problem usually isn't the architect's skill — it's that they spend months trying to learn how a church functions. By the time they finally understand the ministry, the project is already months behind.
There's a different way to approach this. One that respects your church's time, produces something tangible in days instead of months, and is led by a team that has actually served in ministry — long before they ever drew a building.
The Crosspointe Design Summit
One focused week.
Your team in the room.
The Design Summit happens at your church, with your leaders, over five days. Three working sessions, two drawing days — and a complete schematic design when you're done.
What the week looks like
Steve and Becca Upham come to your church. Three working sessions, two drawing days. You talk and they draw — in real time, in front of you. Between sessions, the team redraws everything decided so far, so you walk back in looking at scaled professional drawings, not vague sketches.
By the end of the week, you have a complete schematic design and clarity on costs and timeline. Three weeks later, final presentation-quality materials arrive — ready for your campaign, your lender, and your board.
What you walk away with
- A complete floor plan customized to your ministry
- A master site plan on your actual property
- A full-color exterior rendering
- Estimated project costs and realistic timeline
- Materials ready for fundraising and lender conversations
- Board-ready presentation documents
- Final presentation-quality renderings (3 weeks later)
Day by day
5-Day ScheduleDay 101
Session 1 — Design
Your key leaders meet with Steve and Becca to discuss vision, ministry philosophy, and facility needs. Initial sketches for the site plan and floor plan are created.
Day 202
Drawing Day
Sketches are transferred into scaled professional drawings. A natural day for your team to reflect before Session 2.
Day 303
Session 2 — Review & Revision
Scaled drawings are reviewed and refined. Facade options, project costs, and funding considerations are discussed.
Day 404
Drawing Day
Updated scaled drawings are produced incorporating all revisions and decisions from Session 2.
Day 505
Session 3 — Final Review
Final floor plan, exterior design, and master site plan are reviewed together. Your week closes with a clear set of next steps.
Why Crosspointe
We're not architects who work with churches. We're church people who became architects.
Crosspointe designs exclusively for churches. Twenty-five years in practice. More than 300 projects completed. Church buildings are all we do.
But the real differentiator isn't the portfolio. Every principal at Crosspointe has served in ministry — on church staff, leading worship, managing children's ministries, navigating building committees from the inside. So when you describe how your kids' check-in flow needs to work, or the tension between an inspiring space and a responsible budget, we already understand exactly what you mean.
The people on your project
LeadershipBecca Upham
President & Lead Interior Designer
Becca is the president of Crosspointe and runs the day-to-day of the firm. As lead interior designer, she shapes how every space feels — creating interiors that reflect the personality of your church, not a showroom.
Greg Liles
Project Manager
A former Executive Pastor, Greg understands the building process from both sides — the architectural workflow and the operational reality of guiding a congregation through a major capital project.
Selected projects
Buildings designed around how church actually happens.
From first-time builders to multi-site campuses, every Crosspointe project starts with the ministry — then the architecture follows.
What pastors say
Don't take our word for it.
"The clarity and guidance you provided will likely save more in future change orders than the cost of the summit itself."
Dwight Allen
Lead Pastor · The Anchor Church — Callahan, FL
"He discerned the personality of our church and correctly interpreted our dreams. He took our vague and abstract ideas and brought them to life."
Glenn Meredith
Sr. Pastor · Brookhaven Church
"What separates them from all other architect firms we surveyed is that Steve and Becca bring to life the vision and mission that meet the needs of that church — not just a random design."
Dr. Jerrod Harris
Bible Way Fellowship Baptist
"What stood out most was Steve's ability to translate our spiritual mission into architectural outcomes that were both inspiring and achievable. Their professionalism, empathy, and deep understanding of both people and process made the Summit one of the most impactful experiences we've ever had as a leadership body."
Pastor Gabriel
Christ Palace Ministries Int'l — Charlotte, NC
How the call works
Three steps, no pressure.
01
Fill out a short form
Tell us a bit about your church and where you are in the building process. Takes about two minutes.
02
We reach out to schedule
A member of our team contacts you to confirm a 30-minute call with Steve at a time that works for you.
03
Steve calls you
Thirty minutes with the principal architect himself. You'll talk through your project, your site, your timeline. He'll give you honest guidance — whether the Design Summit is your next step or not.
Honest guidance from Steve — even if the Design Summit isn't your next step.
Request your call
Tell us about your project.
Share a few details and someone from our team will reach out to schedule your 30-minute call with Steve.
Common questions
Answers before you call.
If you're seriously exploring a building project and want to move from conversation to concrete plans, you're ready. The Design Summit works whether you're planning to build within 12 months, preparing for a capital campaign, or simply trying to understand what's possible for your church.
Not necessarily. Many churches complete a Design Summit while still finalizing land acquisition. The design process can help you evaluate whether a specific property will actually support your ministry needs.
That's part of what the Design Summit resolves. We work within the parameters your team provides, and we help you understand the cost implications of different design decisions throughout the week. By the end of Day 5, you'll have a realistic picture of total project costs.
Typically 4–8 weeks. Steve and Becca's calendar fills quickly, particularly during peak building seasons. Reaching out early gives the most flexibility in finding dates that work well for your team.
The key decision-makers who have authority to make design choices — typically the lead pastor, an executive pastor or administrator, and 2–4 leaders from your building committee or board. We recommend keeping the core team to 6 people maximum.
We send you a comprehensive planning workbook covering ministry facility needs, square footage parameters, budget frameworks, and site details. Your team works through these together before we arrive — so we use every hour of Summit time for actual design work.
That's completely normal. Many churches use the Summit deliverables for their capital campaign, then move to Construction Drawings once funding is secured. The design remains valid, and we're ready to continue whenever your church is.
Yes. Crosspointe serves churches across the country. Steve and Becca travel to your location for the Design Summit. The Construction Drawings phase is coordinated remotely, with periodic site visits as needed.
Let's start the conversation
Build something your church will grow into — not out of.
A better process — one that respects your time, honors your budget, and gives your team something real to work with in days instead of months.
For His Glory — Crosspointe Church Architects
