Our Story

True Pursuit’s mission is to rescue the hearts of men from their personal prison of regrets, hiding, self-doubt, hatred, fear, and shame. To offer each man a pathway into a life of freedom that only comes from embracing and living out of their true identity as beloved sons of God. We believe the only way to do this is to face the wounds and shame that come from our personal stories and invite Jesus to heal and transform these places. This is the very process that I (Pete) began to walk through in 2003.

Primarily through the ministry of Wild at Heart, I began to understand why I had been so angry most of my life, and why I hated myself, and why I always felt like a huge disappointment to God and to others. It was at a Wild at Heart Boot Camp in 2003, that began to learn that there was more to my relationship with Jesus than just trying harder. It was there that I learned that we are all wounded, and those wounds have a direct impact on how we view Jesus and his deep love for each of us.

Over the next couple of years, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work on going back into my story and asking Jesus to help me discover the defining wounds, and how they had shaped me. I was so ready to receive healing, that honestly, I was like a kid on Christmas morning opening one gift after another. The more I surrendered, the more Jesus poured out his healing. Everything was changing in a dramatic way. My wife, kids, co-workers, friends, and even the “man in the mirror” were all noticing a difference and asking me what was going on?

On that same Wild at Heart weekend in 2003, while sitting on a boulder in the Rocky Mountains, I heard God say to me, “Pete, you are going to be a rescuer of men’s hearts.” This was so unnerving that I didn’t mention that moment to anyone for over a year. In 2005, I gathered a handful of men in my living room and asked them if they would join me in this mission of rescuing the hearts of men. They all said yes, even though they had no idea what that meant, and within 8 months, with the support of my wife, I left my job with Young Life and started True Pursuit. Since September of 2005, we have been creating safe environments for men to be honest about their brokenness so they too can begin the journey of healing and restoration.

Our mission and message have not changed that much over the years; however, we have gotten more clarity about what it is that we uniquely bring to the world. At the end of the day, True Pursuit is primarily a mission that helps men get unstuck, come out of hiding, and begin a journey to wholeheartedness. To make Jesus beautiful again in the midst of this secular culture, and to help them become more intentional apprentices of Jesus Christ.

Pete Emhoff • Founder & President