Mission Leaders in Singapore Agree to Shift Away from Western Funding Models
Mission leaders from Asia, Africa, and Latin America gathered in Singapore from October 5 to 7, 2026, to adopt a new strategy focused on locally sustained church movements and reduced reliance on Western financial backing. Meeting for the fourth major summit of the Christ Over Asia, Latin America and Africa network, known as COALA 4.0, 76 participants from 25 countries and 24 local Singaporean leaders issued the Singapore Statement, christiandaily.com reported.
The document addresses a historical legacy wherein many Majority World mission organizations rely on Western institutional support and theological training. While expressing gratitude for past contributions, the text warns that this dynamic maintains unequal power structures unless replaced by polycentric partnerships, mutual resourcing, and horizontal accountability across the Global South.
Singapore Statement Establishes New Principles for Global Church Work
The Singapore Statement sets out precise definitions across three core pillars: sustainability, missionary training, and South-South collaboration. On sustainability, the statement defines successful ministries as those that are locally led, resourced, and multiplied without critical dependency on foreign support. It encourages movements to utilize local church backing, bi-vocational work, and business-based models while freeing younger leaders from traditional scarcity mindsets.
Regarding training, the framework prioritizes spiritual formation, missional obedience, and discernment over academic achievement, urging programs to move away from seeking Western validation in certification and branding. On collaboration, the network cautions against reproducing patron-client dynamics within its own regional relationships, calling instead for joint field projects rooted in mutual humility and reciprocity.
Four Memorandums of Understanding Signed on Final Day
Practical implementation began on October 7, the final day of the gathering, when delegates signed four memorandums of understanding. The Singapore Centre for Global Missions hosted the event and signed bilateral agreements with the Indonesian Alliance for World Mission, known as ALUSIA, and another mission organization. The Korea World Missions Association also signed an accord with ALUSIA. A fourth multilateral agreement united the Singapore Centre for Global Missions, the Korea World Missions Association, ALUSIA, and the Movement for African National Initiatives, alongside another organization. Paul Noh, COALA’s international secretary, told participants that practical projects under the agreements would begin immediately.
COALA Shifts Focus Toward Regional Meetings and Focus Groups
COALA will replace its traditional global gathering in 2027 with regional and national meetings to broaden participation among church and mission leaders. Confirmed upcoming regional meetings include sessions in Jakarta, Indonesia, from September 23 to 24 hosted by ALUSIA; in Fiji from November 10 to 12 hosted by Mission Interlink New Zealand; and in Taipei, Taiwan, from November 17 to 19 hosted by the Global Chinese Missions Association. The Singapore gathering also launched four focus groups tasked with examining South-South partnerships, diaspora communities as agents of mission, local church ownership, and the leadership of women and younger generations. Manik Corea of the Singapore Centre for Global Missions explained that the network aims to bring the diversity of the Majority World together to collaborate and act in global missions. Peter Oyugi of the Movement for African National Initiatives expressed hope that the network will help African mission leaders build lasting friendships across continents. Allan Matamoros, a Costa Rican serving with COMIBAM from Spain, noted that Latin America has transitioned from a traditional missions field into an active missions force.
In his opening address in Singapore, Patrick Fung said COALA does not aim to set a Majority World Christianity apart from the rest of the Church, but to foster a truly global Christianity.
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