This week marks a historic moment for Latin American missions as COMIBAM holds its first continental conference since 2017 in Panama City, Panama, from April 22 to 25. The event will be immediately followed by COALA3.0 — the third consultation of the Christ Over Africa, Latin America, and Asia initiative — bringing together a growing coalition of Global South mission leaders to strategize for the next phase of global missions.
At last year's COALA2.5 gathering in Busan, South Korea, Christian Daily International sat down with Allan Matamoros, associate director of COMIBAM and a veteran missionary from Costa Rica, to reflect on the journey of Latin American missions and the urgent need for deeper collaboration among Global South leaders. Matamoros also addressed the gathering with a speech that traced the historical, theological, and cultural foundations of Latin American missions — a movement shaped by pain, resilience, and a deep commitment to share the gospel across cultures.
From margins to the nations
Matamoros began his Busan address by recounting his early involvement in missions in San José, Costa Rica, and his more than two decades serving in the Muslim world. His personal story is closely intertwined with the rise of Latin American missions from a region once considered a mission field to one now increasingly engaged as a mission force.
“To understand how the Latin American church became globally involved in the mission of God,” he said, “we must first understand our own evangelical journey.”
In the early 20th century, during the famed 1910 Edinburgh Missionary Conference, Latin America was deliberately excluded from missionary efforts by Western agencies, deemed “already Christianized.” It wasn’t until the 1916 Panama Congress that Protestant mission efforts were formally launched in the region. A century later, the situation has dramatically changed. According to the Latin American Evangelical Alliance, evangelicals now make up 27 percent of the region’s population—approximately 160 million people.
“The gospel took root among the marginalized,” Matamoros said, “transforming families, values, and societies from the bottom up. That’s the context in which our mission movement emerged.”
COMIBAM and the birth of a continental mission vision
By the 1980s, Latin American leaders were already praying and dreaming about their global role. That vision materialized in 1987, when more than 3,000 participants from across the continent gathered in São Paulo, Brazil, for the first COMIBAM conference.
“It was a week of worship, prayer, and vision casting,” Matamoros recalled. “At the end, we declared something that has become our motto: ‘Latin America, from a mission field to a mission force.’”
Since then, COMIBAM has developed into a robust network of networks, active in 25 countries and coordinating training centers, mission agencies, and local churches. Today, an estimated 30,000 Ibero-American missionaries are serving cross-culturally in over 200 countries and territories and among dozens of unreached people groups.
Their ministries range from church planting to Bible translation, from humanitarian outreach to professional service in hard-to-access regions.
A distinct mission ethos from the Global South
Throughout both his interview and speech, Matamoros emphasized that Latin America’s contributions to global missions go beyond numbers. “Each culture brings something unique,” he said. “We may not have as much money, but we bring trust, joy, and a way of living that connects well with many of the cultures we serve.”
In particular, Latin missionaries have found resonance in Muslim and Indian contexts, where extended family values and relational community are vital. “We live similar lives to the people we’re reaching. We’re not coming from a place of power or privilege — and that makes a difference.”
Matamoros also highlighted the significance of coming from politically neutral nations. “No one knows where Costa Rica is,” he joked. “But that often works in our favor. We’re not perceived as part of any global agenda — just as friends bringing good news.”
COALA: A platform for South-to-South missions collaboration
COALA, which stands for Christ Over Africa, Latin America, and Asia, was formed as a space for leaders from the Global South to build trust, share strategies, and discern God’s mission together. According to Matamoros, COALA’s early phases have focused on building friendships and laying a foundation for long-term partnership.
“Phase one was about understanding one another—personally and ministerially,” he said. “In Bangkok, we issued a declaration of intent. In Panama, we’re aiming to move from conversation to concrete collaboration.”
COALA3.0 is expected to focus on three core areas: mobilizing the next generation of mission workers, facilitating short-term global exchange experiences, and developing long-term collaborative projects in strategic mission fields.
“The fields are ripe — especially in South Asia, which remains the most unreached region according to the Joshua Project and other agencies,” he said. “But the church is present there. COALA is about working together with those who are already on the ground, not assuming that we bring all the answers.”
Reimagining global mission structures
While COALA is firmly rooted in the Global South, Matamoros was candid about the complex relationship with the West. “COALA doesn’t exist to cut ourselves off from the rest of the Body of Christ — that would be impossible and foolish,” he said. “But something needs to change.”
He shared his frustration at seeing dynamic African and Latin American leaders become silent in international meetings, overwhelmed by dominant voices from the Global North. “Too often, we remain quiet — not because we lack ideas, but because we lack resources, or we don’t speak English as well.”
Even logistical issues like language interpretation reflect deeper power dynamics. “Why are Global South participants always the ones wearing headsets?” he asked. “With today’s technology, there are better ways. Let’s create environments where everyone feels they belong.”
Matamoros envisions COALA as a bridge — a safe space for Global South voices to grow stronger and eventually engage more confidently with global partners. While the movement remains temporarily closed to Northern participation, he foresees a future where true partnership becomes possible.
Obstacles and the road ahead
Despite the movement’s growth, challenges remain. Matamoros named several: inadequate support systems for missionaries, financial sustainability, and the need to update training to meet cross-cultural and theological demands.
In response, some Latin movements are pioneering creative support models, such as shared mission funds and bi-vocational strategies. During the Argentine economic crises, for example, COMIBAM launched the SOS Argentina Fund, sustained by offerings from Hispanic churches in the U.S.—many composed of undocumented immigrants.
“Instead of returning missionaries home when support runs out, we ask, ‘What can we do together to sustain them?’” Matamoros said. “It’s not perfect, but it’s our way of being faithful.”
Another pressing need is mobilizing a new generation. “I was 18 when I got involved,” he said. “Now I’m not that young anymore. We need a fresh wave of young Latino leaders to take the mantle.”
A Call to prayer and partnership
As he concluded his speech in Busan, Matamoros offered five key prayer points for the Latin American mission movement:
-
For local churches to embrace global mission as part of their identity and send workers sacrificially.
-
For more missionaries—doubling the current number—who live and share the gospel among the least reached.
-
For engagement with diaspora communities and unreached peoples in all religious blocs.
-
For continued theological reflection shaped by Latin America’s experiences, pain, and journey.
-
For a new generation of leaders who will carry the missionary mandate into the future.
“We’re in a season of transition,” he told Christian Daily International. “The North needs to learn that it won’t always lead the parade. And the South must overcome its insecurity and find its voice.”
As COMIBAM and COALA3.0 unfold this week in Panama, the global church can watch with expectation. What began as a movement from the margins is now helping define the future of missions — not as a shift in geography alone, but as a transformation in how the Body of Christ lives out the Great Commission together.
