The Arise Asia 2026 Congress brought together some 4,000 students and young Christian leaders from over 50 countries in Manila, Philippines, July 27–31, for five days of teaching, worship, and missions mobilization under the theme "For the Joy."
Speaking with Christian Daily International following the closing session of the Arise Asia 2026 Congress, Rev. Dr. David Ro said he believes the global missions world is at the beginning of a shift that will see missionaries from challenging context going out to share the gospel in hard-to-reach places.
An estimated 200 to 300 young leaders stepped forward at the Arise Asia 2026 Congress to commit their lives to long-term cross-cultural mission, answering what organizers described as one of the most significant altar calls in the movement's history.
When Joshua Bogunjoko stepped onto the stage at the Arise Asia 2026 Congress in Manila on the morning of July 30, he opened with a question about how people perceive Africa: "When you hear the word Africa," he asked the participants, "what comes to your mind first?"
Andrew Brunson spent 23 years planting churches in Turkey. When he was arrested on charges of espionage and terrorism and locked in a Turkish prison for two years, he expected to find God close. What he found instead was silence — and what he did with that silence, he told thousands of delegates at the Arise Asia 2026 Congress in Manila, became the most important test of his life.
Lawrence Tong, International Director Emeritus of OM International, closed the third evening of the Arise Asia 2026 Congress challenging participant to confront a stark reality: that the greatest obstacle to world mission may not be distance, difficulty, or danger, but the condition of the heart of those already gathered in the Father's house.
Patrick Fung, Chair of the Global Board of Directors of Arise Asia and Director Emeritus of OMF International, opened the third morning of the Arise Asia 2026 Congress in Manila on Wednesday with an address that pressed delegates to reckon with a truth he said modern Christianity tends to avoid: that joy and suffering do not stand in opposition but always accompany each other in the life of a faithful follower of Christ.
Jemima Ooi, co-founder of Love in Action Mission Global based in Singapore, told approximately 4,000 young Christians gathered in Manila on Tuesday evening that the central mistake of the Christian life is treating God as a destination to reach rather than a companion to walk with — and that purpose, however important, is best understood as a byproduct of his presence.
The Great Commission will not be finished at the rate the church is currently working, Jason Mandryk told approximately 4,000 young Christians gathered for the Arise Asia 2026 Congress Tuesday morning (July 28) — and the numbers, he said, make that conclusion unavoidable.
Pastor Wayne Chen, director of Radius Asia and a former missionary to the Biem people of Papua New Guinea, delivered the keynote address on the first night of the Arise Asia 2026 Congress on Monday, speaking to approximately 4,000 young Christians gathered in Manila from 50 countries under the conference theme "For the Joy," drawn from Hebrews 12:2.
Manny Pacquiao, the Philippine boxing legend turned evangelist, told thousands of Christian leaders in Manila that life is brief and the task of sharing the gospel cannot wait — urging delegates at the Arise Asia 2026 Congress to set specific, annual goals for bringing others to faith.
Some 4,000 Christians from across Asia and beyond gathered in Manila on July 27 for the opening session of the Arise Asia 2026 Congress, a five-day gathering of students and young leaders focused on frontier missions and evangelism.
This coming week, some four thousand young leaders from across Asia and beyond will converge on Manila, Philippines, for the Arise Asia 2026 Congress, held July 27–31. For Rev. Dr. David Ro, the co-founder and executive director of Arise Asia, the gathering is the next big step on a longer journey.
