Desert Winds Community Church

Pastor Joel and Teresa Plantinga

Pastor Joel Plantinga has been the Associate Pastor of Cultivation and Community Life at Desert Winds since February of 2004. In addition to overseeing the Discipleship ministry of our church, Pastor Joel is currently bringing leadership to the Youth Ministry and focusing energy on raising up future leaders in the church through an "in-house" pastor training program called the Seminary Education Assistance Ministry (SEAM) which recruits, equips, and deploys leaders from within our own church.

Joel received his B.A. in Political Science from Hope College in Holland, Michigan. After that, he received his M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Prior to serving at DWCC, he served at churches in Colleyville, TX, Bellflower, CA, and Los Angeles, CA. Joel grew up in Pella, Iowa.

Joel has been married to his beautiful wife Teresa since July of 1999 and they have three lively and amazing children: Noah, born in 2000, Eden, born in 2003, and Rachel, born in 2005.

Joel enjoys sports, particularly the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals. He has an obsession with tornadoes and dreams of one day going chasing with meteorologists in a white cargo van. He likes to write, and has devotions published on Words of Hope and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In his free time he likes watching The Office, Storm Chasers, 24, football, and political shows. He loves hanging out with his family more than anything and is having lots of fun watching his kids grow up!