The following is an abridged version of a longer essay published by the World Evangelical Alliance Mission Commission as a 2026 forecast for global missions leaders. The full version, with links to supporting material can be found here: https://weamc.global/leaders-forecast-2026/.
Major ruptures that have been building for years now appear to be breaking open. Political, economic, and social pressures are reshaping the global order in ways that threaten both stability and the wellbeing of the most vulnerable.
The absence of explicit concern for human rights.
As previously published by CDI, the Canadian Prime Minister warned at the World Economic Forum in January that the “rules-based order” is fading and that power is replacing restraint. Observers noted the absence of explicit concern for human rights in this framing. The concern is that “the weak” is likely to include not only weaker states, but also the marginalized, displaced, oppressed, and those suffering from poverty, persecution, and environmental crises.
1. The corruption of utility
In times of crisis, nations often prioritize expedience over compassion, seeking trade and security wherever they can. This geopolitical pragmatism risks empowering regimes that disregard human rights, worsening the suffering of those under their control.
This same logic of utility can infect personal and spiritual life. When people are valued primarily for their usefulness, productivity, or contribution to outcomes, relationships become transactional. Such thinking corrodes morality, encouraging us to discard people and even environments that appear to hinder our goals.
We can too easily treat brothers, sisters, and neighbors as inventory rather than as bearers of God’s image.
In Christian communities, this can surface in subtle ways. Ministries may measure success primarily by growth, income, outputs, or impact, rather than by the wellbeing of people. The danger is that we can too easily treat brothers, sisters, and neighbors as inventory rather than as bearers of God’s image.
2. The antidote of mutuality
Utility itself is not inherently wrong. Human life depends on using resources and depending on one another. But a corrective to toxic utilitarianism is mutuality. A biblical ethic emphasizes reciprocity rather than leverage, sharing rather than extracting, and investing in relationships as much as benefiting from them. Healthy church, missions, and wider community life needs to be rooted in giving back as freely as we receive.
3. The need of environments
Environmental crises illustrate what happens when reciprocity is ignored. Exhaustive extraction and careless disposal eventually produce devastating consequences, as ecosystems lose balance and resilience.
Global economic forecasts suggest that environmental risks will dominate the coming decade. Extreme weather, biodiversity loss, and disruptions to life-sustaining systems already affect nations across the world, revealing the cost of neglecting creation.
Guardianship, not abandonment, reflects faithfulness to our Genesis 2:15 mandate.
Scripture portrays creation as “groaning,” awaiting restoration, not destruction. Believers are called to care for the world we inhabit, recognizing that people and places are both integral to God’s purposes. Guardianship, not abandonment, reflects faithfulness to our Genesis 2:15 mandate.
4. The promise of positive growth
Amid global instability, there are signs of renewed spiritual openness in parts of Europe, particularly the UK. Research points to increased engagement with Christianity, especially among younger people, suggesting a “quiet revival.”
Leaders caution, however, that this occurs alongside cultural and ideological conflict. The environment is receptive, but contested, shaped by competing narratives and pressures.
By contrast, the United States shows no comparable nationwide resurgence, according to available research. Yet gatherings like the Urbana Conference indicate that crises and uncertainty may still prompt renewed interest in faith among younger generations. Reliable, data-driven research remains essential for understanding what is truly happening.
5. The benefits of an illusion
The post–World War II vision of a stable, cooperative global order brought both gains and distortions. Economic globalization reduced some poverty but widened the gap between rich and poor.
For Christians, the flaw in the neoliberal global economic vision lies in its failure to address human sin and the tendency of powerful people to resist restraint. As political and economic systems unravel, this underlying reality becomes more visible.
The conditions that once favored global mobility have fundamentally changed.
Open borders and cooperation once supported missionary movement and cultural exchange. That era has largely ended, replaced by nationalism, tighter controls, and renewed competition between states. The conditions that once favored global mobility have fundamentally changed.
6. The end of the NGO era
The rise of non-governmental organizations in the 1990s enabled widespread development work and faith-based engagement. Over time, however, scandals, inefficiencies, and political shifts eroded trust in NGOs.
Governments have increasingly reclaimed control over aid and development, and are redirecting funds toward national priorities, especially defense. The withdrawal of major funding sources signals a turning point, leaving many organizations vulnerable or closing.
Private philanthropy also faces uncertainty amid global financial pressures and generational wealth transfers. Longstanding funding streams for missionary and development-oriented ministries may shrink or shift priorities. How Christian foundations and donors will respond to changing global and moral landscapes remains to be seen.
7. The trauma of tribalism
Rising nationalism and shifting alliances threaten to deepen social divisions within multicultural societies. People associated, by ethnicity or country of origin, with nations on the other side of an international conflict may face suspicion or mistreatment.
Churches and Christian leaders are confronted with a choice: defend the marginalized or align with exclusionary identities. A robust theology of compassion and justice becomes essential in times of fear and polarization.
History shows that hardship often drives people toward faith.
History shows that hardship often drives people toward faith. In regions facing persecution and conflict, believers frequently demonstrate resilience and hope that inspire others. These contexts reveal both the cost and the strength of genuine discipleship, from which Christians of so-called “First World” nations can learn much.
8. The lack of theological education
Rapid church growth in many parts of the world has outpaced access to sound theological training. Inadequate catechism (discipleship) and limited resources leave communities vulnerable to misinformation, extreme or heretical doctrines, and fragmentation.
Globally, millions of congregations lack trained pastors, and only a small percentage of leaders have formal theological education. Some governments now require credentials for ministry, increasing the demand for accessible, accredited training.
Ironically, many Western theological institutions and mission training programs are declining or closing. While demand rises in the Global South and East, traditional centers of supply in the Global North (the West) struggle to adapt. This mismatch signals a major paradigm shift in how Christian leadership will be formed.
9. The power of the majority on the move
Christianity has decisively shifted to the Majority World (Global South & East). Most believers now live outside the West or as recent migrants to Western nations, and this proportion is expected to grow significantly in the coming decades.
These believers are not so much a missions force to be mobilized by established institutions. They are already living out their faith where they are, often spreading it organically through migration, displacement, and everyday relationships.
While forced movement brings trauma, it can also open unexpected pathways for the gospel.
While forced movement brings trauma, it can also open unexpected pathways for the gospel. Many believers on the move need training and support, not as formal missionaries, but as laypeople sharing faith in homes, detention centers, camps, and transit spaces. Their role highlights the need for flexible, context-sensitive approaches to biblically faithful personal and ministry formation.
10. The future of missions
The core conviction of missions remains that people everywhere need access to the gospel, especially where it is least known. Increasingly, this access comes through near-culture believers and migrants rather than professional foreign missionaries.
Outside ministers still have a role, but it is best expressed through sensitive support rather than directive leadership. Skills, education, and resources can serve local movements well when offered humbly and collaboratively.
A posture of co-learning needs to replace top-down models. Mutual sharing of experience and insight allows both local and global partners to grow together. This approach reflects a broader vision of cooperation across cultures for the flourishing of faith communities.
11. The challenge of tech
Tools designed to assist can easily begin to shape decisions and relationships themselves in negative ways.
Rapid advances in artificial intelligence and digital technologies present both opportunity and risk for the Global Church and cross-cultural ministries. This is where outsiders can often bring their skills to cross-cultural relationships. But tools designed to assist can easily begin to shape decisions and relationships themselves in negative ways.
Christian thinkers advocate a balanced ethical framework that prioritizes theological alignment, relational impact, justice, sustainability, and transparency. Technology should enhance human connection, not replace it.
Digital spaces now form critical frontiers for outreach and discipleship. Innovative ministries thrive online, often outside traditional mission structures, signaling yet another shift in how faith is shared and formed.
Conclusion
Despite global uncertainty, God is not caught off guard. Political realignments, economic pressures, and social divisions do not negate the deeper reality of God’s purposes unfolding.
The temptation to reduce people and places to their usefulness must be resisted. Instead, believers are called to honor the image of God in every person and the goodness of creation itself, practicing generosity and humility across boundaries.
Missions, as traditionally understood, is undergoing a profound transformation. New, more flexible forms are emerging, especially among younger generations and in the Majority World. While the future remains uncertain, hope endures, and the call remains the same: to live out and share the gospel with faithfulness, compassion, and courage in a changing world.
Dr Jamie Mātenga is a contextual theologian of Māori heritage. He serves as the Co-Leader of the World Evangelical Alliance’s Mission Commission and Opinion Editor for Christian Daily International. Jamie has served cross-cultural missions for over 30 years, with missionary deploying agencies and missions alliances. His passion is to strengthen participation by the people of God in the purposes of God towards co-creating new creation for the glory of God. Jamie keeps a blog and other contributions archived at https://jamiematenga.com.
