Under the biblical motto of 2026: “Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5), the General Secretary of the United Evangelical Mission (UEM), Rev. Dr Andar Parlindungan, has published a theological interpretation on the renewal of the church and society here as a YouTube video. The video is in German with English subtitles.
The new begins today and in this world
In his interpretation, the Indonesian theologian makes it clear that the biblical promise does not describe a distant vision of the future, but speaks into the midst of the reality of suffering, injustice, and exhaustion – then as now. He connects the motto for the year with his own biography and the history of mission, which has brought hope, education, medical care, and community across continents.
“This new beginning does not start in heaven, but in the concrete stories of people who had the courage to try something new,” emphasizes the UEM General Secretary. Above all, this gives rise to gratitude for God's work, which often reaches further than the actors themselves could have imagined.
At the same time, Parlindungan clearly identifies the challenges of the present: growing anti-Semitism, racism, right-wing extremist ideologies, ecological destruction, sexualized violence—including in church contexts—global wars, and the wounds of colonial history that are still felt today. It is precisely in this reality that God's promise speaks: “Behold, I make all things new.”
Return of mission as a healing and learning movement
The General Secretary of UEM does not want mission to be understood as a colonial project or as the export of truth, but as participation in God's new creation. This results in a clear stance on the part of the church: a clear “no” 2 / 2 to hatred, exclusion, and everything that degrades human beings. “The gospel cannot remain silent where people are degraded,” says Rev. Andar Parlindungan.
With regard to Germany and Europe, the leading theologian speaks openly of a crisis in the church. While churches are growing in many parts of Africa and Asia because faith and mission are alive there, the term “mission” is often stigmatized in this country. However, where the joy of the Gospel is lost, the Church loses its vitality.
That is why a return to mission is needed, not in its old, arrogant form, but as a healing, listening, and learning movement. Today more than ever, the Church in Europe is dependent on missionaries and co-workers from the Global South. Voices from Africa, Asia, Black communities, and people of color bring a spirituality that is carried by hope, trust, and lived faith. Their presence does not mean a relapse into old dependencies, but rather a “spiritual return”—an ecumenical blessing and a visible sign of mutual mission.
He emphasizes that it is not people who renew the world or the church. Renewal is God's work, and everyone is part of his work. The task of the church here is to give space to this newness and to bear credible witness to it. Pastor Andar Parlindungan concludes his video message with a New Year's greeting on behalf of the 39 members of UEM in Africa, Asia, and Germany.
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