COALA history

The Birth of the COALA Movement

The COALA Movement traces its origins to the 8th National Congress on World Evangelization (NCOWE), hosted by the Korean World Missions Association (KWMA) in May 2023 at Alpensia, Pyeongchang, Korea. Approximately 600 Korean church and mission leaders gathered under the theme “Rethinking Korean Missions in World Christianity Today and Beyond,” to reflect critically on the past trajectory of Korean missions and to discern new directions in the era of World Christianity. The congress culminated in the Pyeongchang Declaration, which publicly articulated a call for paradigm shift and renewal in Korean missions.

As part of this process, KWMA invited 14 mission leaders from the Global South to engage in dialogue with Korean leaders on repentance, reorientation, and future collaboration. Among them were Cristian Castro(COMIBAM), Isac Raja(IMA), Nono Badoy(PMA) and Manik Corea(SCGM) etc. These leaders were deeply moved by the openness, humility, and sincerity demonstrated by the Korean church, and a strong sense of friendship and shared calling emerged.

The Birth of COALA: From Conversation to Conviction

The idea of COALA was first sparked informally after the NCOWE Congress, during a visit by the Global South leaders to Changdeok Palace in Seoul. In a lighthearted moment, Ryna Lee (Hyo Jin Lee), a missionary serving in Mexico, jokingly remarked that she was thirsty and wanted a cola, suggesting—half in jest—that Korea and Latin America should form a mission cooperation called “KOLA.”

The conversation continued playfully when Manik Corearesponded that Asia must not be left out, proposing “KOALA.”What began as humor, however, took on deeper meaning later that evening. Cristian Castro thoughtfully reflected on the conversation and presented a hand-drawn concept for a genuine collaborative mission network, initially framed as KOALA (Korea, Asia, and Latin America).

At that point, Jonas Kang, a Korean mission leader, suggested a crucial theological refinement: replacing “Korea” with “Christ,”emphasizing that the movement should not be centered on any nation, but on the lordship of Christ. With broad affirmation, Africa was intentionally included, and the name was finalized as:

COALA – Christ over Asia, Africa, and Latin

Thus, COALA was born—not through strategic planning or institutional ambition, but through shared discernment, friendship, and a collective recognition of God’s leading. The movement emerged as a Global South–initiated, Christ-centered, partnership-based mission network, seeking to serve the transformation of both Korean missions and global missions in the post-Christendom era.

A Brief History of the COALA Movement

June 2023 | COALA 1 – Pyungchang, Korea

COALA 1 was formally initiated in May 2023 in PyeongChang, Korea, in close connection with the 8th National Congress on World Evangelization (NCOWE)hosted by the Korean World Missions Association (KWMA). The NCOWE Congress gathered over 600 Korean church and mission leadersunder the theme “Rethinking Korean Missions in World Christianity Today and Beyond,”calling for reflection, repentance, and reorientation in Korean missions.

As part of the congress, KWMA invited 14 mission leaders from the Global Southto engage in dialogue on the future of missions. Global south Leaders were deeply moved by the humility and openness of the Korean church. Out of these conversations emerged a shared conviction for a new collaborative platform, leading to the formation of COALA (Christ over Asia, Africa, and Latin)as a Majority World–initiated mission networkcommitted to continued dialogue, cooperation, and partnership in global missions.

COALA 2was held in May 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand, hosted by the Korean World Missions Association (KWMA). Gathering 38 mission leaders from 20 countries, the meeting was conducted under the theme “From Christendom to Polycentric Missions.”Beyond the initial gathering in Korea, COALA 2 became the first meeting in which the movement took on a clear and practical shape.

Through active and substantive dialogue, Majority World mission leaders examined the current realities of Global South missions and discerned new directions for the future. This process culminated in the COALA 2 Communiqué (the Bangkok Communiqué), which embodied a significant step toward unity and shared vision among Majority World mission movements. The Bangkok Communiqué offers substantial guidance on the direction in which global missions must move in the polycentric era.

COALA 2.5 was held in September–October 2024 as a post-Lausanne gatheringfollowing the 4th Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization. The meeting was convened through the collaboration of the Korea Lausanne Committeeand Sooyoungro Church, bringing together over 100 Global South mission leaderswho had participated in the Lausanne Congress.

COALA 2.5 provided a significant space for reflection and discernment, where participants collectively recognized and affirmed the COALA Movementas a valuable initiative offering new direction and vision for global missions. The gathering marked a visible transition toward a new phase of Majority World mission collaboration, rooted in partnership, mutual respect, and shared leadership.

Hosted by COMIBAM (Latin America)

COALA 3was held in April 2025 in Panama City, hosted by COMIBAM, marking the first COALA congress held beyond Korea and Asia. As host, the Latin American mission movement held full ownership and final decision-making authority, embodying in practice the principle of polycentric mission.

The congress further developed shared theological and missional frameworks for Global South missionsfrom a Latin American context and culminated in the proclamation of the Panama Declaration, affirming partnership-based, locally grounded, and polycentric approaches to global mission. Participants experienced the dynamism, practicality, and relational cultureof Latin American missions, making COALA 3 a formative space of mutual learning and trust.

COALA 3.5was held in October 2025alongside the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) gathering, under the theme “Empowering Local Partnerships in the Polycentric Era: A Cooperative Model through Network Sending.”The gathering brought together approximately 50 Majority World mission leaderswho were participating in the WEA assembly. COALA 3.5 served as an important platform to introduce the COALA Movementwithin the WEA context, fostering awareness of partnership-based, polycentric mission approaches and strengthening relational networks among Global South leaders.