Get ready for a feast! The delicacies presented in these chap-

ters will nourish you in your ministry for years to come. I feel confi-

dent of that because of the impact these messages have had al-

ready upon the youth workers who first heard them at the National

Convention on High School Discipleship. Held August 5-9, 1983,

on the campus of Colorado State Univerisity, Student Venture s

third youth worker convention drew more than 900 delegates from

30 denominations, 40 states and 5 foreign countries. The feed-

back from these delegates encouraged us to compile this book.

Here are some typical comments from people who already have

experienced the content of these chapters through the Conven-

tion: "It was dynamic!" "This week really turned me around..." "In

40 years of attending conferences I have never been to one where

the spiritual impact was so great."

I must admit this book has had a significant impact upon me --

possibly in a greater way than the Convention itself. Though I was

the director of the National Convention on High School Disciple-

ship, I was usually too preoccupied to listen adequaterly and ab-

sorb the tremendous truth that was being communicated. I think

the Lord wanted to make sure I wasn t "trafficking in unlived truth,"

because in the process of transcribing those messages I had the

privilege of going over the content time and time again! My heart

was deeply moved -- sometimes even to the point of tears, and

many times to the point of action.

My prayer for you as you use this book is that you likewise will be

encouraged in your personal life and sharpened in your ministry to

young people. The need for integrity and excellence in youth

ministry has never been more imperative. That is why the purpose

of this book is the same as the purpose of the Convention: to help

accelerate the cause of reaching and discipling young people for

Christ as never before.

This is a real possibility if we take our task seriously. If we treat

youth ministry as a legitimate lifetime profession instead of a tem-

porary stop on the way to something else. If we focus less on

shortsighted programs and more on long-range disciple-building.