It started in a NW Calgary living room in 2007: a handful of believers and a conviction that God’s Word, taught faithfully, would change lives.
Eighteen years on, three campuses across two countriesThe story so far
Pastor Joel Turner gathered a handful of believers in a NW Calgary living room. Verse-by-verse Bible teaching from week one. The room was small, the conviction was big.
The early gatherings were marked by hunger for the Word and a deep sense of God’s presence. The congregation grew steadily as God added to the church.
Mountain Springs settled into its Brentwood Road home in NW Calgary. Springs Cafe opened, House of Refuge was launched as a local outreach, and a robust Kids and Youth ministry took shape.
Responding to the growth of the Cochrane community, Mountain Springs launched its second campus. Sunday afternoon services at the Canadian Baptist Theological Seminary, same DNA as Calgary.
God expanded the vision internationally with Mountain Springs San Jose del Cabo. Currently gathering mid-construction in a downtown storefront while the chapel building takes shape.
Across Calgary, Cochrane, and San Jose del Cabo we keep teaching the Word verse-by-verse, planting the gospel deep, and watching God write the next chapter.
The founder
Prior to the Lord’s calling him into the ministry, Joel was a comedian in western Canada. After coming to Christ, he entered into full-time ministry in North Carolina and later moved home to serve as youth and young adult pastor at a Calvary Chapel here in Calgary before eventually planting Mountain Springs.
Joel released his first book, Humor Me, in 2020 and now shares insights on humour, evangelism, and public speaking. He is married to Tania and they homeschool four kids: Chloe, Tatum, Roman, and Cruz.
Meet the Whole Team →Part of a Larger Family
Calvary Chapel began in 1965 in Costa Mesa, California, founded by Pastor Chuck Smith. It grew through the Jesus Movement of the late 1960s and 1970s, drawing young people through contemporary worship and verse-by-verse Bible teaching.
Today the movement spans the globe. Mountain Springs is one of those churches: same Bible, same DNA, same heart for outsiders.
Want to be part of what is next?
Whether it is your first Sunday or your tenth year here, there is always more.