5 potential missional consequences of COVID-19 (from a colleague in Asia) All 5 are an acceleration of trends already being felt...
1. A shift away from Western-led mission, as funding bases derived from Western-based economies are undermined by the economic collapse
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2. Renewed emphasis on local approaches to mission, Benedictine models of mission, emphasizing stability and locatedness within a community framework, are likely to re-emerge.

This represents a huge challenge to current models of global organizations which exist around modern management structures. This potentially calls for more embedded, long-term, incarnational approaches, rather than ‘hit and run’ short term, project style mission

3. A challenge from religious extremism, xenophobia and anti-immigration movements. In all likelihood, religious extremist groups will ally with nationalist movements to influence the political arrangements in States where the economic impact has been pronounced.

This is likely to result in greater restrictions on mission in many contexts. Arguably, the greater threat may come from extremism within Christian communities, linked to ethnic supremacy movements

4. A need for mission to be more integrated with social and economic concerns, and at heart, to be able to respond to the uncertainty around what it now means to be human. This not only demands a new practice of mission, but a renewed and revised theology of integral mission.

A core question may well be: what does our mission have to do with rebuilding societies, economies, and emotional resilience in the current era? If so, what kind of theological, intellectual and technical resources will be needed to engage in communities who are suffering?

5. An urge to retreat into traditionalism, sectarianism and, essentially, the past. There's a danger of turning mission activity into some kind of ‘heritage industry’, creating or maintaining a kind of familiar haven in which to shelter from the realities of the world around us.