ABSTRACT
In the past 20 years there has been a rise in the number of youth workers being employed by faith organisations in Britain. This has been accompanied by institutions offering faith-based training and providing forums to debate the ethical considerations accompanying this training. The literature also reflects these trends, with expositions on interfaith work, spiritual development and how this affects the political context. The range of faith-based employment for youth workers has also expanded from ‘a youth worker for our place of worship’ to a whole host of project work where issues of faith are central to the role of youth workers. It is where youth work meets faith that ethical issues emerge that have to be discussed. ‘Youth workers as converters’ is a very powerful concept. It invokes a whole range of assumptions about the role of youth workers and the outcomes of the youth work they undertake. As more and more youth workers are appointed in faith-based settings this is no longer of marginal interest but affects a considerable proportion of all professional youth workers employed.
