Religious organizations offer a potentially rich pool of caring adults who are driven by their own spiritual commitments and a strong ethic to serve others. Indeed, more Americans volunteer through religious organizations than through any other venue. Religious organizations account for half of all volunteering, with an estimated 60 percent of the members of religious congregations engaging in volunteerism. Similarly, a national survey of volunteer mentors indicated that nearly a quarter (24 percent) did so through religious organizations, second only to school. Finally, recent Census Bureau data tracking volunteer trends revealed that 43 percent of American volunteers who engaged in a mentoring relationship did so through religious organizations. It appears, then, that mentoring, especially through faith-based organizations, has a potentially important role to play in the emotional and spiritual development of youth. A religious congregation represents a rich intergenerational network of parents' friends, extended family members, and spiritual models who can help shape and reinforce not only behavioral and academic outcomes but also spiritual development. In this article, the authors use the term spirituality to describe the experience of discovering universal meaning and beliefs and the term religion to describe the social, organizational, and practical expression of spirituality. They discuss how mentoring through faith-based programs could reach some of the most severely disadvantaged youth and how efforts could be undermined if proselytizing occurs. (Contains 18 notes.)