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Ten Years ago, Presbyterian minister, evangelist, and church leader Leighton Ford founded Leighton Ford Ministries to identify and develop emerging young leaders. In 1992 he began the Arrow Leadership Program, using a nonresidential, tow-year schedule to train groups of 25 people ages 25-40—many of whom are already in ministry positions—in evangelism and leadership skills. "I sensed a desire among the younger generation of emerging leaders for a highly personalized leadership development program," says Ford. "They hungered for mentoring relationships with older leaders and affirmation between peers—and above all, a program that stressed character development alongside skills for growing ministries."

Ford's advice to the 50 young leaders featured in this issue of CT is embodied in this letter to two students completing the Arrow program.

Dear Danny and Chris,

As you graduate, my thoughts are drawn back to 50 years ago this fall. I was 15 then, and had just been named president of my hometown Youth for Christ. That position gave me the chance to try my own wings in leadership, and it put me in touch with come important evangelical leaders. Oswald Smith, the well-known missionary pastor, taught me to pray. Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision, opened my eyes to the world. Harold Ockenga, the consummate pastor-scholar and itinerant president of Fuller Seminary, inspired me with his biblical and intellectual preaching and in many ways treated me like a son. Billy Graham came to my small city and encouraged me when I saw meager response. Later he became my mentor and brother-in-law.

That generation of post-World War II leaders, which emerged on the national and international scene with tremendous vision and energy, has now largely moved off the stage. Interestingly, I do not see many visionary leaders in their late forties and fifties taking their places; those in that age range tend to be managers of their elders' visions and the organizations they had built. But I do see God raising up a new band of leaders among men and women who are under 40, like yourselves.

British novelist Graham Greene once wrote, "The door always opens and lets the future in." Because of this, you and your peers bring me great hope. The world in which you are assuming leadership, however, is very different from the one in which my peers and I started out 50 years ago. Here is my prayer for the two of you as you assume leadership roles in today's world.

1. I pray that you will be "hopers."
A theologian friend of mine speaks of the "ontological priority of the future." Those are big words that catch a vital truth: God is always ahead of us and moving us on.

In 1946 we were just entering into the Cold War between the East and West. For nearly 40 years the image of the Cold War dominated our thinking as a nation and, to be honest, as christians. We saw ourselves as on a holy crusade against communism and for christ. That in itself was never sufficient biblical grounds for action, but it nevertheless fueled a lot of the energy and money that went into Christian missions.

Today we have moved from the Cold War to cultural wars and religious conflicts within and without nations. As a nation, we fumble around, searching for a purpose. Likewise, our mission as Christians seems more complex and less clear. The "enemy" is not so clearly identified, and the battle goes on within as well as without the church. But our ally is very clear. As a friend once wrote to me, "Remember, Leighton, God really is God. He's not applying for the job."

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November 11 1996, Vol. 40, No. 13