Welcome to CLIMB Intercultural!

CLIMB Intercultural Society is a registered Canadian charity which provides equipping and coaching for Christian leaders of a variety of ministries including churches and focused outreaches. We are committed to growing a network-based organization that is sensitive to the changing cultural context of Canada while remaining true to the unchanging Gospel of Jesus Christ.

"And entrust what you heard me say in the presence of many others as witnesses to faithful people who will be competent to teach others as well"

2 Timothy 2:2

Values and Beliefs

Unity Emphasis

We believe that Christian leaders should have more of a Kingdom focus rather than merely what God is doing in any one group or denomination. Christlikeness requires seeking unity with those who adhere to the core of the Gospel rather than causing division over secondary issues: In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; and in all things charity.

Mentoring Relationships

We believe that Christian leadership is not about using authority for one’s own purposes but rather to use God-given influence to develop others through mentoring relationships. Coupled with servant leadership, this is the most effective way to develop leaders.

Team Approach

We believe a team approach to ministry is a biblical approach to fulfilling the Great Commission. Teams reflect a tangible model of servant leadership and provide an example of mutual accountability. Effective leaders are those who function well within teams.

Servant Leadership

We believe that reproducing leadership can only happen within a context of servant leadership. Following the principles of leadership modeled by Jesus, leaders should seek to serve rather than be served; pursuing God’s purposes, not their own.

Catalytic Influence

We believe that the role of the leader is to be a catalyst. Rather than holding on to power and position they should be releasing others to be effective in their own context so that those they serve will reach their God-given potential. We value people and their development above buildings and programs.

What we Believe

In an effort to reflect our value of unity we want to express our beliefs in a way that promotes unity among those who believe in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, the authority of God's Word revealed in the Scripture and the Mission given to the Church by Christ. It is with this in mind that we have chosen to adhere to the Lausanne Covenant established in 1974 and signed by Evangelical leaders from more than 150 nations.

Our Ministries

Connecting Point Church (Church's website)

Connecting Point is a local church that serves the tricities region (Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody) of the Vancouver lower mainland. We gather on Sundays at 10:30 am at Victoria Drive Hall, 3435 Victoria Drive, Coquitlam, BC.

We participate in fulfilling the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20) by CONNECTING with God, with one another and with our community; by GROWING as followers of Jesus through understanding and obeying the Scriptures; and by SERVING those within our sphere of influence.

Why Connecting Point? The church is the people, not a building. It is those who profess Christ as their Saviour. Church is a process, not an event. It is people coming to know Christ, growing in their faith, and fulfilling their unique Kingdom purpose. We describe this process as connect, grow, serve. The name reflects this process. Connecting Point is not just the name of our church it is a description of each person in the church. The name helps all of us to understand and remember that we don’t go to church... we are the church. You are the connecting point!

“And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation.”

2 Corinthians 5:18

Got Game

Got Game is a ministry that introduces youth to Jesus through basketball leagues, camps and workshops in Abbotsford, BC.

Participants not only hone their athletic skills but also are mentored in very well organized life skills and leadership training programs.

Through the mentoring program called Players to Leaders, students are challenged to grow in character and leadership, and they also can become Got Game coaches. Those in the program range from middle school to college age.

Micah 6:8

Micah 6:8 is a ministry that offers spiritual, emotional and physical support to leaders in various places in the world. Making disciples is a lifelong journey which involves many steps: prayer, connecting, building relationships, conversion, mentoring, equipping, empowering and sending. In order to be the most effective in making disciples, we feel lead to support leaders who have come alongside the nationals in partnership and to serve them in whatever way is needed. Whether the mission field is in one's own city or in a different country, we firmly believe in servant leadership - being Jesus' hands and feet.

Stand Firm

Stand Firm is a program that teaches broken people and people in recovery from addictions to become well in every area of their life. Focus begins with a spiritual foundation and develops to emotional and mental wellness and relational health. Topics include the role of feelings and how to manage stress and strong emotions and grief. We consider healthy communication and conflict management and forgiveness. Relational wellness topics include building a healthy long-term relationship and healthy family dynamics.

The program and materials are presently offered at local recovery homes over eight weeks, 1-2 hours per week. It has been developed by Rebecca Friesen over ten years ago and has proven success. For more information contact Rebecca at rebeccafriesen@protonmail.com.

Ministry Coaching

Through ongoing consultation MCNet coaches will assess ministry and organizational health and help guide churches and ministries through renewal and transition toward increased effectiveness and replication. This is based on the mentoring and coaching materials produced by and available from ICM Canada.

Coaching materials for each phase have been developed by and are available through International Christian Ministries Canada.

Click here for a flow-chart overview of our ministry coaching process

The MCNet Movement

MCNet is a global community of coaches that Coach Ministry teams that Mentor Servant Leaders who Reproduce Healthy Churches.

The Ministry Coaching Network (MCNet) is a movement that was initiated by ICM Canada. It is a movement of like minded leaders who share similar vision, values, and strategy to equip the next generation of leaders. It is committed to coaching ministry teams that will mentor servant leaders who will then be able to reproduce healthy ministries, in every region we serve.

As a ministry that has been engaged in leadership training for several decades, it has been our experience that we are still trying to catch up to the great need for equipped leaders. However, it has also been our experience that, even in the evangelical church, we have taken models of leadership from the societal institutions around us rather than Jesus’ model of servant leadership. This has led us to unhealthy leadership and consequently unhealthy ministries and churches that are not sustainable and reproducible.

We believe that in order to have a ministry that can be reproducible and growing, it must be healthy. In order for it to be healthy is must have healthy teams and healthy teams are only possible if the leaders are healthy. And the model for reproducing healthy servant leaders is the process of relational mentoring. It is our deficiency in doing this that has led to top-down, power-based leadership in the church and Christian ministries and since this is a worldly model, it does not produce life which is reproducible.

Our goal is to equip servant leaders to reproduce healthy leadership through the process of mentoring and then coach teams who will be able to evaluate the health of their ministry and guide them through the changes that may be necessary. As the leaders go, so go the institutions, and as the institutions go, so goes a nation.

CLIMB Intercultural Society, as part of the MCNet global community, is a ministry committed to equipping and empowering leaders to fulfill their passion to reach a new generation in Canada.

Lifelong Leading

In 2015 my wife Rebecca and I began serving as leaders of CLIMB Intercultural Society. The name CLIMB is an acronym that stands for Christian Leaders In Mission Building. One of our goals in ministry is to help Christian leaders serve and finish well in whatever God has called them to do. Leaders emerge from every walk of life and often from unexpected circumstances. We have spent much time considering topics such as what qualifies someone to lead, how are leaders developed, what is successful leadership and how can leaders finish well. One of the discouraging realities, researched and quantified by Dr. J. Robert Clinton (bobbyclinton.com), is that about seventy percent of Christian leaders do not finish well. There are various degrees of not finishing well. Some leaders fall because of sins that disqualify them from the place of ministry in which they were serving, others are sidelined for other personal reasons or circumstances that arise in their relationship with the organization. Is it possible for leaders who have failed or have been injured somehow get back on track and still have a chance at finishing well?

In response to several high profile leaders who have fallen because of immorality in recent times there exists a body of material discussing whether or not Christian leaders, particularly pastors, can or can’t be restored and if restoration is possible what is the process.

Based on the fact that the Bible presents significant examples of leaders who have failed and then been restored (Moses, David, Peter), we have taken the position that leaders can be restored. However, it should be noted that we take sin seriously and that leaders are to be "above reproach" and serve as an example of holiness to those they lead.

Lifelong Leading is ministry of CLIMB Intercultural Society that focusses on restoring church leaders who have been sidelined from ministry as a result of painful circumstances.

MCNet Christian Leadership Institute

The MCNet Christian Leadership Institute is a global Competency Based Mentorship for those called to full time Christian Ministry. It is an initiative of International Christian Ministries and CLIMB and based upon the Coaching thru Intentional Relationships program. Completion provides a Certificate in Christian Leadership and an Advanced Certificate in Christian Ministry. This is an innovative new approach of formalized ministerial training that goes beyond just focusing on time based or credential-based learning. The Ministry Coaching Network (MCNet) is a global community of leaders who share the values of servant leadership and mentoring as a foundation for reproducing healthy churches.

The advantages of competency based learning include the following:

Applying Competency Based Learning to Christian Leadership Training will include the following:

Christian leadership competencies are an integration of godly character and lifestyle, leadership, relevant knowledge and necessary skills and abilities.