Our History

South Calgary . . . A Place to Call Home

South Calgary Community Church began as a "church plant" of North American Baptists in the summer of 1970, just as the south end of Calgary (north of Fish Creek) was developing. Two brothers and their families -- Frank and Ferd Berg -- started canvassing neighbourhoods and inviting people to meet with them.

The church officially started holding services in September 1971 in St. Catherine's Elementary School in Canyon Meadows. In 1972, the growing congregation moved to Canyon Meadows Elementary School. And by 1975, a still larger auditorium was required and they moved to Dr. E. P. Scarlett High School, also in Canyon Meadows.

The vision of the founders of South Calgary was very evangelistic. SCCC's first pastor, Frank Berg, was an admirer of Dr. Robert Schuller and emulated is style of seeker-friendly, community-oriented, people-caring outreach. Frank had a powerful gift as an evangelist. The church grew and flourished under his dynamic leadership. The growing congregation purchased five acres of land in 1977. With a great deal of sacrifice and 'sweat equity,' the young congregation built a church building in 1978. Services were first held at the current site in March 1979.

Stable and consistent pastoral leadership has been an important factor through the years of establishing and growing South Calgary. The founding pastor was Frank Berg. Frank came in 1970 and left in December of 1984. Frank's focus was on evangelism and outreach as he grew the young congregation.
Frank's brother, Steve Berg, came on staff in the summer of 1983, and then took over as Senior Pastor when Frank left in 1984. Steve was a compassionate and caring leader with a gift for preaching, counselling and pastoral care. Steve led the church in a number of bold new initiatives, the most significant being the merger of South Calgary with another congregation, Faith Baptist Church, in 1990.

From 1990 to 1995, Steve co-pastored SCCC with Jim Wallace, the former pastor of Faith Baptist. Steve and Jim had a powerful, city-wide ministry of unity, prayer, and Spirit-led revival. Steve left SCCC in 1996 after feeling a call to enter politics.

Beginning in February 1990, Jim Wallace served as Senior Pastor of SCCC -- first with Steve Berg and since 1996, by himself. Jim has continued the pattern of bold, Spirit-led change that has marked SCCC for the decade of the 90's. Under Jim's leadership, SCCC has moved to a creative, contemporary style of worship. It totally re-structured its ministry from being a program-based church to a cell-based church. It moved forcefully to equip, empower, and release all people to do ministry. And it adopted a relational, grace-filled, seeker-friendly approach to outreach. Jim left SCCC in August 2005 to pursue higher education opportunities. Through late 2005 and early 2006, Interim Preachers Rev. Lou Leventhal and Dr. Gordon Dirks encouraged and taught the congregation through a time of waiting and transition.

In January 2007, George Ridley began as Senior Pastor. He continues to build on the deep roots of our history, while leading South Calgary into a season of renewal. The leadership continues to complete the final steps of the governance model changeover, initially begun in the early 2000’s. A new opportunity for International Ministry flourished in 2007 with the influx of Brasillian and Russian families. Cristãos Brasileiros em Calgary meets weekly for Brasillian/Portuguese-speaking people, as well as a weekly service in Russian. The South Calgary Language School launched in April 2008 providing language instruction for new Canadians.

SCCC is known as a church that is willing to take risks. We passionately seek to hear and obey God, even if it means that we try and fail. We gladly embrace all types of people and are not restrictive because of social status, economic condition, age, race, gender or religious background. We actively reach out to other churches and denominations to build bridges of love, co-operation and unity.

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