This article argues that if youth ministry is intrinsically missionary, it must also be intentionally kerygmatic: it must propose rather than presuppose faith by inviting young people into an encounter with the living Christ. Re-reading Pope Francis’s Christus vivit in dialogue with Evangelii gaudium and the Aparecida Document, the essay demonstrates that the kerygma lies at the heart of Francis’s vision for youth ministry and functions as a principal motif that underlies its two fundamental dimensions of outreach and growth. The article situates this insight within the Church’s broader magisterial understanding of the process of evangelisation as articulated in Ad Gentes and given normative expression in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. It argues that because this evangelising process is applicable not only to the unbaptised but also to many baptised young people who have not yet personally appropriated the grace of baptism, youth ministry requires a missionary (and so catechumenal) orientation. The essay further examines Pope Francis’s understanding of the content, characteristics, and purpose of the kerygma, highlighting its role in fostering personal encounter, conversion, discipleship, and mission. Finally, it proposes several practical implications for a kerygmatic youth ministry that seeks to form young people as missionary disciples within the life and mission of the Church.