{"id":28455,"date":"2025-08-06T20:47:50","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T18:47:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/?p=28455"},"modified":"2025-08-08T20:16:24","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T18:16:24","slug":"speakers-announced-for-climb-small-church-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/speakers-announced-for-climb-small-church-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"Speakers Announced for Climb Small Church Leadership Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/lansingchurch.org\/climb\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/lansingchurch.org\/climb\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2025 Climb Conference<\/a> is quickly approaching! We\u2019re looking forward to hosting you at the Lansing Area Church of Christ during the Midwest\u2019s beautiful fall season. The conference will begin on Wednesday evening, October 1st and conclude on Friday evening, October 3rd, although participants are welcome to stay all weekend.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yfYWF_ICxS4?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is Climb?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Climb is a small church leadership conference in the International Churches of Christ. If you\u2019re an evangelist, women\u2019s ministry leader, campus leader, teacher, elder or core group member of a church or ministry of 150 members or smaller, then this conference is for you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first conference, held in 2019 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin was a breath of fresh air for hundreds of small church leaders. In 2021 and 2023 we held the conference in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and doubled our attendance. For the 2025 edition, we\u2019re going back to our small church roots hosted by the Lansing Area Church of Christ in Michigan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why should you attend?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the 2025 edition of this conference, we\u2019re taking our inspiration from Isaiah 43:19 which says, <em>\u201cSee, I am doing a new thing!<\/em> <em>Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?<\/em> <em>I am making a way in the wilderness\u00a0and streams in the wasteland.<\/em>&#8220;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Together we\u2019re asking for God to reveal to us the new things that he wants to do in us and through us. You will be inspired and encouraged alongside other leaders as we collectively focus on helping our churches grow in health and number. Past attendees have received great hope and wisdom from the classes and fellowship.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"791\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-CLIMB-Speakers-791x1024.png?resize=791%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28457\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-CLIMB-Speakers.png?resize=791%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 791w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-CLIMB-Speakers.png?resize=232%2C300&amp;ssl=1 232w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-CLIMB-Speakers.png?resize=768%2C994&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-CLIMB-Speakers.png?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To help inspire us, we have an amazing lineup of speakers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Rob Skinner (Tucson\/Boston) &#8211; YES! YES! YES!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ben &amp; Melina Hutchins (Virginia) &#8211; Leaders for the Long Haul<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kurt Flinchbaugh (Pennsylvania) &#8211; Radical Growth &amp; Radical Faith<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Chris Schwartzenberger (Spokane) &#8211; Church Building Workshop<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sean St. Jean (Vancouver) &#8211; Navigating Conflict<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Paul Smith (Ireland) &#8211; Spiritual Formation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tom Nuelle (Madison, WI) &#8211; Church Building Workshop &amp; Effective Media Outreach<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Glenn Neargarder (North Carolina) &#8211; Leadership Groups, Boards, Finances<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Joel Peed (Eau Claire, WI) &#8211; Character\/Skill Development and Calling<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Chip Mitchell (Philadelphia) &#8211; Inspiration and Faith for Small Church Leaders<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Joshua Lutz and Kyle Eastman (Michigan) &#8211; Worship and Devotionals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Christy Peed (WI) and Stephanie Sullivan (Illinois) &#8211; Women&#8217;s Program &#8211; Listening for the Spirit<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>David de los Santos (Phoenix\/Eastern Europe) &#8211; Lessons from Leading in Hungary<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Joel Nagel (Lansing) &#8211; Creativity and Innovation&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Valdur Koha (Boston) &#8211; Family, Teaching, and Global Perspective<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And more to come!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still not convinced? Listen to what Kurt and Christina Flinchbaugh (Lehigh Valley Church, Pennsylvania) have to say about why they will be attending Climb 2025. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=c5WCWBCYU5E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>WHY CLIMB?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Register today!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Are you ready to do a new thing? Come climb with us! Signing up now helps us plan the best conference possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lansingchurch.org\/climb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Click here to register<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(Discount code ends August 31st: 25OFF for $25 off each registration.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re a leader of a church or ministry of 150 members or smaller, then this conference is for you!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":14875,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[71],"tags":[73],"post_folder":[151],"class_list":["post-28455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-events"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/climb-conference.png?fit=1466%2C1068&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"Lai-Yan Faller","author_link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/author\/lyfaller\/"},"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phsvEw-7oX","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":25202,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/2025-climb-small-church-conference\/","url_meta":{"origin":28455,"position":0},"title":"2025 Climb Small Church Conference: Oct 1-4 in Lansing, Michigan","author":"Lai-Yan Faller","date":"December 21, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"This conference is for anyone who works\u00a0with ministries 150 or smaller, even if those ministries\u00a0are in larger churches.\u00a0","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Leadership&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Leadership","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/leadership\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/climb-conference.png?fit=1200%2C874&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/climb-conference.png?fit=1200%2C874&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/climb-conference.png?fit=1200%2C874&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/climb-conference.png?fit=1200%2C874&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/climb-conference.png?fit=1200%2C874&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":23005,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/climb-conference-small-church-international-church-of-christ\/","url_meta":{"origin":28455,"position":1},"title":"Climb Conference Lessons Available","author":"Ashaki Sorrell","date":"February 7, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Over 200 disciples gathered in Dallas, Texas, on November 30th-December 3rd for the Climb Small Church Leadership Conference","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Leadership&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Leadership","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/leadership\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/ClimbSpeakers.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/ClimbSpeakers.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/ClimbSpeakers.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/ClimbSpeakers.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/ClimbSpeakers.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29186,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/2025-climb-small-church-leadership-conference\/","url_meta":{"origin":28455,"position":2},"title":"2025 Climb Small Church Leadership Conference","author":"Vida Li Sik","date":"October 27, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Climb 2025 brought together over 150 small church leaders in Lansing for an encouraging conference filled with prayer, fellowship, and inspiration.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Small church leaders on steps of Michigan capitol.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Climb1.jpg?fit=1195%2C805&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Climb1.jpg?fit=1195%2C805&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Climb1.jpg?fit=1195%2C805&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Climb1.jpg?fit=1195%2C805&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Climb1.jpg?fit=1195%2C805&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12202,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/climb-conference-early-bird-registration-now-open\/","url_meta":{"origin":28455,"position":3},"title":"Climb Small Church Leadership Conference Early Bird Registration Now Open","author":"Ashaki Sorrell","date":"April 1, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Join the Climb Church Leadership Conference in Dallas, TX from November 30th to December 3rd. Register by April 15 for the early bird discount.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/TonySingh.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/TonySingh.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/TonySingh.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/TonySingh.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/TonySingh.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":19900,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/september-climb-small-church-conference\/","url_meta":{"origin":28455,"position":4},"title":"September is Registration Month for Climb Small Church Conference","author":"dtadmin","date":"September 5, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"We\u2019ve seen a record number of early registrations as excitement builds for this year\u2019s Climb Small Church Conference in Dallas - Fort Worth, Texas.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Leadership&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Leadership","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/leadership\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/climb-conference.png?fit=1200%2C874&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/climb-conference.png?fit=1200%2C874&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/climb-conference.png?fit=1200%2C874&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/climb-conference.png?fit=1200%2C874&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/climb-conference.png?fit=1200%2C874&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22031,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/last-chance-to-register-for-climb-small-church-conference\/","url_meta":{"origin":28455,"position":5},"title":"Last Chance to Register for Climb Small Church Conference","author":"dtadmin","date":"November 2, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Only a few more weeks before we gather together for encouraging fellowship and life-changing teaching at the Climb Conference in Texas.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/climb-conference.png?fit=1200%2C874&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/climb-conference.png?fit=1200%2C874&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/climb-conference.png?fit=1200%2C874&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/climb-conference.png?fit=1200%2C874&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/climb-conference.png?fit=1200%2C874&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/climb-conference.png?fit=1466%2C1068&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28455"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28525,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28455\/revisions\/28525"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28455"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=28455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}