Forged for Mission: Peter Herbeck on Challenge, Brotherhood, and Saying Yes to God
Peter Herbeck comes across like the kind of man you’d want at your side on a long, brutal hike in the cold: steady, honest, a little battle-scarred, and absolutely convinced that God still calls men to heroic lives. A longtime leader with Renewal Ministries and one of the original hosts of Crossing the Goal on EWTN, Peter has spent decades shoulder-to-shoulder with men—from high school boys on NET retreats to young adults rucking under barbed wire to bishops riding Harleys. He’s seen the drift, the father wounds, the internet seduction, and the quiet passivity of a generation. But he’s also watched ordinary guys come alive when they’re challenged, led well, and rooted in Christ.
“Men are men. Men are just like we always have been… you want to do something heroic, you want to do something bold, you want to make sacrifices, you want to do it on a team.”
Below are three big themes from Peter’s story and mission—each one a call to get off the sidelines and into the fight.
1. Men Haven’t Changed—But the Culture Around Them Has
Peter’s story goes back to his early 20s, when he was “baptized in the Spirit” and jumped into what would later become NET Ministries. Back then it was the “Blitz teams”—twelve young adults crammed into a van in January, grinding through 23 retreats in 24 days across the Diocese of Fargo, just to reach high school boys.
It was cold, uncomfortable, and intense. And he loved it.
He quickly realized he had a particular fire for young men. Everywhere he went, he saw the same hunger: guys who wanted something more than comfort, something worth bleeding for. That passion followed him into Renewal Ministries, where for roughly 40 years he has taken every chance to speak to men—because he knows the stakes.
“I considered it a priority because of the role men play in their own family life and how critical it is when men are able to lead things spiritually.”
If you rewind a few decades, you see rooms full of men in Knights of Columbus regalia, parish halls packed for men’s events, the Church respected publicly. Peter is blunt that those days of “cultural momentum” are gone. You can’t just rely on the system anymore.
But he insists the masculine core hasn’t disappeared. The desire for challenge, heroism, sacrifice, and brotherhood is still wired in. It’s just been hijacked.
“There’s too many young guys right now that are, you know, on the internet every day all day… they’re kind of dialed in to their phones and games… a lot of young men have lost their way.”
So the question isn’t whether men want a mission. It’s who is discipling that desire: YouTube ideologues, shallow influencers, and pseudo-alpha voices—or Jesus Christ and a band of brothers who actually bleed for one another?
For Peter, the answer starts with conversion, not just content.
“Unless you’re converted… you’ve really come to encounter the man Jesus Christ… given your life to him, you’re willing to die for him. That’s the game changer.”
2. Challenge + Brotherhood + Worship: How Young Men Come Alive
If you want to know what Peter believes works with young men, look at his camps. They’re not spiritual summer vacations. They’re more like basic training wrapped around the Eucharist.
He describes junior high and high school guys, led by older high schoolers and young adults, thrown into a week of physical challenge, team competition, and serious worship—adoration, confession, Mass, real preaching.
“The camp… it’s got a high call to it. There’s a lot of physical challenge in it, there’s a lot of teamwork in it, there’s a lot of brotherhood building, there’s a lot of fun… and serious worship, adoration, sacraments.”
The formula isn’t complicated:
Physical challenge that pushes them.
Teamwork and brotherhood that binds them.
Mission and prayer that give it all meaning.
The result? Guys stop hiding. They step into the light about their sins, addictions, and shame. They start to believe God’s mercy is real and that they can actually change.
“Men will follow good leaders. That’s the critical thing number one. Number two, they have to be challenged… to come into the light with their life… and when men do that, they start experiencing the mercy of God, the grace of God. They start getting free.”
Peter shared one story that hits like a gut punch. A young leader named Xavier—“a very high impact young man… very dedicated to the Lord, a born leader”—drowned in a swimming accident in Lake Michigan. The loss rocked the community.
But the young men he had led didn’t crawl into themselves. They responded in his spirit. On his birthday, they organized a 10K in his honor, hoping for 100 runners. Five hundred people showed up.
Xavier had a habit in races: he’d finish near the front, then run back to find struggling teammates and push them across the line—“You can do this, you can do this.” The guys imitated him at the 10K. They crossed the finish line, then ran back to pull others forward. Even a young priest, a serious runner, did the same—blazing ahead, then turning back to bring guys home.
Later, these same young men did a grueling “rucking” event—obstacle courses, mud, rocks, teamwork under pressure—wearing shirts with their brother’s name and a crown of thorns. A top competitor who watched them summed up what he saw in one word: unbelievable.
That’s the kind of masculine spirituality Peter is fighting for: rugged, Christ-centered, unembarrassed about suffering, and rooted in brotherhood.
“The band of brothers thing is real… if they’re doing it for a purpose and they’re not alone in it. It’s powerful.”
3. From Soviet Streets to Your Backyard: Mission Starts With an Invitation
Peter’s vision isn’t limited to camps or conferences. Renewal Ministries has worked in around 75 countries—especially in the former Soviet bloc—always with the same strategy: find high-capacity local men and women, mentor them deeply, and support their mission.
He tells the story of a hidden priest in Communist-era Slovakia who quietly discipled young men one-on-one. They didn’t even know each other existed. But when the Iron Curtain fell, those men stood up—and suddenly it was clear he had been raising a small spiritual army in secret.
Some of those men ended up planting missionaries as far away as Kazakhstan, evangelizing in Russian, interceding for their nations, and even leading worship on Danube River cruises packed with Christian politicians and leaders.
“Part of our fruitfulness around the world is finding the right men on the ground that you can invest in… high-capacity people but just need mentoring, coaching and support.”
But Peter is quick to bring it back home. You don’t need a passport to live like that priest in Slovakia. You probably just need to knock on your neighbor’s door or call that guy from work.
He loved hearing about a simple invitation: one board member invited his atheist friend to a God Squad men’s conference with the pitch, “You get a free lunch, come on.” That man ended up entering the Church at Easter. Months later they buried him “as a devout Catholic,” a living parable of the workers hired at the eleventh hour.
“That one invitation sparked a journey… God is giving us glimpses that the work that we’re doing is making a difference.”
For Peter, evangelizing men comes down to this rhythm:
Small groups where guys pray, share life, and grow.
Personal invitations—coffee, a call, a ride—to men who’ve drifted.
Shared mission that gives them something to sweat for together.
And underneath it all: a diocese or parish with clear priorities—missionary disciples, encounter, and supporting families—like he’s seen in places such as St. Benedict’s Parish in Halifax.
Give God Permission—and Step Through the Door
In the end, Peter’s message to men is simple and sharp. You don’t have to be a TV host, a global missionary, or a camp director. But you do have to say yes.
“Each one of us is called to mission. We’re not all called to do the exact same thing, but we’re called to be open.”
That starts in prayer:
“Say, ‘Lord, what is it you want me to do?’… ‘Lord, I invite you. I want to do what you want me to do.’”
Then come the baby steps—listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, letting brothers help you discern, and walking through the small doors that open in front of you: starting a group, inviting a neighbor, mentoring a younger guy, joining a mission that fits your gifts.
It won’t always be easy. There will be late nights, awkward conversations, spiritual resistance, and moments of loneliness. But Peter insists the reward is far greater than the cost.
“When you start moving in what God’s called you to do… it transforms your life. And you feel like, wow, I wish I would have known this a long time ago.”
The call is on the table. The team is forming. The course is marked out.
Now it’s your turn to lace up, step to the line, and give God permission.