Indonesian Church Coalition Aims to Send 30,000 Missionaries by 2033

An Indonesian church coalition has set a target of deploying 30,000 cross-cultural missionaries by 2033, aiming to reverse a centuries-long history of receiving foreign evangelists. The initiative is coordinated by ALUSIA, the Indonesian Alliance for World Mission, which was formed in 2023.

Dr. Bambang Budijanto, chair of ALUSIA and general secretary of the Asia Evangelical Alliance, outlined the strategy during meetings with Indonesian diaspora pastors in Queens, New York. Budijanto noted that people from approximately 120 nations live within a single area of Queens, providing an immediate field for cross-cultural engagement.

Shifting From Recipients to Senders

For nearly five centuries, the narrative of Christianity in Indonesia centered on arrival. The 500th anniversary of that arrival falls in 2034, one year after ALUSIA’s target date for reaching 30,000 deployed workers.

Indonesia received the gospel from foreign missions and now has approximately 30 million Christians. Budijanto stated that the country owes other nations, pointing to a history of domestic revivals—including the 1965 revival in Soe on Timor and subsequent movements among the Dayak people of Borneo and in major cities—as preparation for sending.

Previous attempts to build a national sending movement stalled. Between 1992 and 2002, an initiative led by Budijanto ran a five-week summer mission school in the Netherlands with Fuller Seminary and attempted to send missionaries to China. That effort ultimately dissolved. I think we were not mature enough to work together, Budijanto told Christian Daily International. But now is the time, I think.

Defining the Missional Standard

ALUSIA defines a missionary by intent and discipleship rather than geography. This definition includes serving Indonesian communities abroad, such as those in the United States.

Baseline research found that Indonesia had about 800 missionaries in 2020, with over half serving Indonesian communities abroad rather than other nationalities. The target of 30,000 represents roughly 0.1 percent of Indonesia’s Christian population. Budijanto acknowledged that counting missionaries is difficult because many serve as professionals or migrant workers, so ALUSIA measures progress primarily by how many local churches adopt missional practices.

ALUSIA has established five indicators for a missional church: financial giving to global mission, sending personnel, praying for global mission, building training capacity, and collaborating with external organizations. A congregation meeting four of the five qualifies. Budijanto estimates the country has close to 100,000 churches when counting congregations meeting in shops and other alternative spaces, alongside approximately 73,000 officially recognized Protestant church buildings.

ALUSIA Expands Mission Tours to Indonesian Diaspora Churches

The U.S. gatherings mark the first in a planned series of international tours directed at Indonesian churches abroad. More than 500 Indonesian diaspora congregations exist globally, with over half operating in the United States. Budijanto described these diaspora communities as low-hanging fruit for revitalization through global mission involvement.

Following its 2023 formation and a national launch in Bali, ALUSIA expanded its conferences to Central Java and North Sumatra in 2026, with further regional meetings scheduled in additional Indonesian cities.