Abstract
Surprisingly, despite the litany of crises that ushered in the twenty-first century, the rhetoric of despair that once typified the conversation about mainline Protestant youth ministry shows signs of softening. This article traces three developments that have gathered momentum in the last thirty years to set the stage for a rhetorical change of heart surrounding youth ministry. Today's conversation about ministry with young people aligns itself with practical theology as well as Christian education, claims as its context global postmodernity as well as youth culture, and interprets its curriculum as the spiritual practices of the Christian community, and not simply as youth programs. Armed with a broader purpose, a broader context, and a broader curriculum, the present discourse surrounding youth ministry suggests an emerging "rhetoric of hope" as it sets out to redefine the church as well as youth ministry itself.
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