The Cause - Church of the Nazarene

The Cause: A Missions Movement for the Next Generation

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What Is The Cause?

Something is stirring across Africa. In churches large and small, from Nairobi to Dakar, a generation of young adults is ready to say yes to God’s mission. The Cause exists to meet that moment — to empower the next generation to step into the purpose God has for them.

The Cause is a movement — not a program — of the Church of the Nazarene, mobilizing young people ages 30 and younger into cross-cultural mission opportunities lasting up to two years, whether that means two weeks, two months, or two years. More than a call to go, The Cause is a call for the whole Church to identify, invest in, and send the next generation.

The primary challenge facing missions today is not a lack of calling among young people. There is no shortage of young Africans ready to respond to His call. The opportunity is in creating pathways for them — and that is exactly the invitation The Cause extends to the Church across Africa.

Short-term goers become long-term, global-hearted leaders. That is the ripple effect The Cause is designed to create.

Tuko Pamoja — We are together in this Cause.

Ways to Go

Cause Events

Your first step into missions doesn’t have to be a big one. Cause Events are short, accessible, and often life-changing.

Single-day community service opportunities
Cross-cultural short-term engagements
Love Your Neighbor events — organized locally throughout the Africa Region and beyond – June 2027

Mission Teams

Structured, cross-cultural deployments that take you into the field alongside local leaders — serving, learning, and experiencing the global Church as a living reality.

The Gambia — March 2027
Tanzania NYI Trip
Urban Ministry Immersion — Johannesburg & Nairobi
Nigeria National Conference Team — August 2027
South Central Field NYI Trip – November/December 2027

Organized through Nazarene Missions Teams

Developmental Opportunities

Immersive, formational placements for young adults ready to go deeper — combining training, hands-on ministry, mentorship, and real spiritual growth.

Pioneer Ministry Training — 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months, or 10 months in North Africa.
Urban Ministry opportunities

Where calling gets tested and strengthened.

Cause Pathways

Strategic placements that align your specific calling and training with real ministry needs across the Africa Region. If you have a skill, there is likely a place for it.

Projects Specialist
Administration
Communications
Finance
Facilities & Maintenance

These two year service opportunities provide a place for every yes.

Explore Opportunities

Why Africa? Why Now?

Of sub-Saharan Africa is under the age of 30 — the youngest population of any continent on earth.

Growth expected in Africa’s youth population by 2030 — positioning Africa at the center of God’s global mission strategy.

1 in 3 of the world’s young people will be African by 2050. The working-age population will rise from 849 million today to 1.56 billion — one of the largest demographic shifts in human history.

THE AFRICAN ADVANTAGE

Africa’s young people are not the future of the Church. They are the mission force for right now. Globally connected, entrepreneurial, and culturally fluent in ways that are genuinely rare, this generation is uniquely equipped for cross-cultural ministry. Africa has the highest rate of entrepreneurship in the world — young Africans are already innovators and builders. They navigate multiple languages, cultures, and histories as a matter of daily life. They are natural bridges: between generations, between communities, between the Church and the world it is called to reach.

God is raising them up on this continent, in this moment. The Cause walks alongside the Church as it sends them.

How to Get Involved

For Young Adults

Say Yes.

Pray — Ask God if He’s calling you. You don’t need a perfect plan. You just need an open hand.
Explore — Browse the opportunities and find one that matches your season of life, whether that’s two weeks or two years.
Apply — Take the first step. The application process is designed to help you discern, not just to select.
Prepare — Your sending church, your leader, and The Cause team will walk with you. You don’t go alone.
Go — Show up. Be present. Let God use you in ways you didn’t expect.

For Churches & Leaders

Pray. Identify. Support. Send.

Pray — Ask God to reveal the young people in your congregation who are ready to say yes.
Identify — Look for those with a heart for missions. You know who they are.
Encourage — A word from their pastor or youth leader can be the invitation they’ve been waiting for.
Support — Walk with them as they apply, prepare, and go. They don’t go alone.
Celebrate — When they return, give them space to share. Their story strengthens your whole church.

”The Cause allowed me to say 'yes' to God's call and to be transformed while serving and learning alongside a beautiful community.
AnonymousCause Participant in North Africa

”God worked greatly in my life and also used me to make Jesus known. I am so grateful to The Cause for supporting me and believing in my calling.
MitziCause Participant in North Africa