Forge is Coming to Wichita
Forge is a movement that began in November 2023. It is growing rapidly, and we believe the Holy Spirit is now leading us to expand our mission to Wichita. Before we explain why, let us first tell you a bit more about Forge.
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FORGE
Forge was born in response to one of the most urgent and destructive threats of our time: the breakdown of the Christian family in the face of an anti-family, anti-Christian, and pagan sexual culture. As we fight for the family, we recognize the uniquely leveraged role of men. Thus, taking men as its central, strategic focus, Forge champions the flourishing of the family, and, through the beauty of that flourishing, evangelizes the world.
Forge is for all men, both single and married. We believe men are uniquely positioned to lead the renewal of family life and culture. We support single men because they are valuable leaders in their communities and potential fathers of the future. We fight for married men as they stand at the very center of the FORGE movement, a movement that seeks to heal the family through an emphasis on the father.
Forge is a movement, but what is the movement seeking to accomplish? At its core, our goal is to bring men fully to life. Christ himself said, “I came that they might have life, and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). And Saint Irenaeus tells us, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” We take these words seriously. At Forge, we want to help men become saints and lead their families and communities toward heaven.
More specifically, Forge exists to build men, marriages, and families who are “TAO”: Thriving, Apostolic, and Orthodox.
- Thriving: We want to see men and families flourish in their natural, human capacities—emotionally, intellectually, physically, and relationally. We are particularly interested in building those capacities that make for strong domestic Churches.
- Apostolic: We form men and families who both love their Catholic faith and are empowered to bring others into the Church.
- Orthodox: At Forge we understand the Church to be more than a human institution, but rather a divinely ordained instrument. Insofar as the Church is inspired by the Holy Spirit, she does not err in her teachings. Thus, Forge seeks to build men who are obedient to the teachings of the Catholic Church, without any exceptions.
So, Forge is a movement that advances the TAO. How so? The strategy of a local Forge chapter is to create a “net”; that is, a network of men that “catches” souls for the gospel and supports those who have already received the gospel. The most fundamental unit of the Forge network is a small group. A Forge small group consists of 4-10 men led by a Forge volunteer. That group of men gets together at least once every two weeks to grow in the TAO. Forge groups have a flexible focus. They can choose to engage Forge curriculum or use any outside curriculum. Some are seeking freedom from addiction, some growth in virtue, others a deeper intellectual understanding of the faith. What unites the groups is a desire to advance the TAO in their community.
While small groups are the heart of Forge, we also host large events—men’s nights, retreats, and conferences. These events serve to form, inspire, and connect. They build momentum for the movement and offer space for real relationships to form. In Forge, the large always serves the small. We host professional-grade, winsome large events, but our aim with these events is that they transfer into sustained, regular interpersonal experiences, primarily small groups. We also create worldclass content for those small groups. You can explore samples of our curriculum at www.myforge.org/courses.
FORGE in Wichita
With this background in mind, we can better explain what we believe the Holy Spirit is doing in Wichita.
Eric Doerneman has discerned a call to bring Forge to the Diocese of Wichita. In addition to launching a local Forge chapter, Eric also feels called to contribute to Forge’s broader curriculum. Specifically, he hopes to lead a team in developing a program for pornography recovery—one that would serve not only Wichita but every Forge location across the country. In this sense, we anticipate that the Forge movement in Wichita will be a gift not only to Wichita, but to the entire Church!
Eric’s call comes in the wake of tremendous momentum. In just 18 months, Forge has launched and sustained over 60 men’s small groups across central Iowa—and that number continues to rise. Our courses are being used by men across the country. Recently, Forge was named a “Top 5 Emerging Catholic Apostolates in the U.S.” by SENT Ventures. As a result of this fruitfulness, we’ve received requests from several cities to bring Forge elsewhere. Until now, we have declined those requests. But Eric’s invitation stands out.
Eric is a gifted leader. His passion for men’s ministry and sexual integrity aligns perfectly with Forge’s mission. Given the cultural similarities between Des Moines and Wichita—and the strength of the Wichita diocese—we believe Wichita is the ideal next step. After prayerful discernment, the Forge Board of Directors has unanimously agreed: we are called to empower Eric to lead Forge’s expansion into Wichita. We hope you will stand with Eric as we bring the movement to Kansas!
Among the various cities that have expressed interest in Forge, Wichita seems like the perfect first expansion city. In addition to Eric, one of the things which makes Wichita so attractive is the vibrant Catholic community which already exists in the city. Forge is excited to collaborate with the many commendable initiatives already present in the diocese.
By their very nature, movements are not places to rest. They are places of action. A movement is like a road, and roads make bad homes. Men don’t flourish when they spend too much time on the road. For this reason, FORGE by its very nature seeks to partner with what might loosely be called membership-based organizations or “homes.” As the basic locus of lay Catholic life, local parishes are FORGE’s most privileged organizational partners. But FORGE also collaborates with other established organizations like schools, Knights of Columbus chapters, Opus Dei, etc. Every organization, indeed, every person on earth has been touched by the attack on the family. All are called to throw their weight into the fight.
There are many ways to fight for the family. But, if the mission of FORGE inspires you, we hope you will fight with us. We pray that you will help us build a civilization of flourishing families, families that are alive in love with Jesus and thriving in their human capacities. For some, fighting with FORGE means leading and/or joining a small group. For others, it means promoting FORGE events. For others still, it entails taking a formal volunteer position. There are hundreds of ways to fight alongside FORGE, but almost none of them include any kind of material compensation. FORGE will only succeed if people like you take ownership and advance the mission. It is one thing to be interested in FORGE, but quite another to be committed. If your experience with FORGE has left you no more than interested, that is fine. We appreciate the interest! But if you find yourself more than interested, indeed, if you find yourself committed, then what actions will you take to advance the mission?
Eric Doerneman
I’m honored to serve as Forge’s Director of Mission in Wichita. Before sharing a bit of my story, let me first say how deeply I believe in Forge’s mission. I first collided with Forge through a shared passion for helping men pursue holiness. For years, I’ve informally walked with men battling sexual addiction, and that work ignited a desire in me to serve in men’s ministry full-time. In prayerful pursuit of that call, the Holy Spirit led me to Forge. Forge’s mission is broader than recovery from addiction. At its core, Forge exists to accompany men toward sainthood—no matter what trials mark their path. This journey is enabled and supported through the creation of small groups. I’m excited to bring my experience in addiction recovery to this wider context: helping men recover their true identity as sons of God. In a fallen world, we’re all in some stage of that recovery. Wherever you are on the journey, Forge meets you, walks alongside you, and calls you higher. That’s why I’m so grateful to be part of this mission. Forge gets it.
For those of you who may not have met me or my heart, here’s a brief introduction: I am Catholic. I am Conquered. I am Convicted.
Catholic. My 6’ 7” self was welcomed into the eternal family of God through Baptism just weeks after birth. While that moment changed my life’s trajectory, it didn’t mean my path would be clear or easy.
I grew up the oldest of eight on the west side of Wichita, Kansas. This city is my home: from murals only locals can find, to fantastic hometown fare, to selfies with the riverside troll. And we can’t forget about the Faith. This city rests on a wealth of Catholicism. Many parishes here offer 24-hour adoration, constantly infusing grace into our community.
In today’s internet generation, one thing is certain: sin abounds. Even in this great faith community, something is off. A quiet drift. A lukewarm dulling. Sin–particularly sexual sin–has a vice grip on many of our hearts. When not addressed courageously and effectively, sexual sin slowly infects our hearts, our marriage beds, and our homes.
Conquered. I’m not merely pointing fingers. For over a decade, sexual sin ravaged my own heart and built a stronghold over me, slowly eroding my relationships. My entire faith journey revolved around begging God to take this addiction away–to give me the strength to kill this threat. Still, I fell again and again. With every failure I felt myself becoming more dull and adrift.
But that is not the end of the story. God had a plan–one which He shared in the most shocking place: in the defeated moments after acting out. I’d drag my butt to adoration, unable to do anything but sit in the gaze of my Father. His eternal, patient, loving smile washed over me time and time again. His warm embrace challenged my sense of failure. Slowly, He planted a truth in the depths of my soul.
Our sexual drives are powerful–but they were not meant to be killed. They are an eternal gift from God. Unable to contradict Himself or His own gifts, God does not answer our prayers to be removed from our sexual drives. He has another plan.
Recovery isn’t a kill order. It’s a rescue mission, a reclaiming, an honoring. Sin–no matter how dark–is not the end of our story. It is not the final move. Brought to the foot of the cross, sin is conquered in a way that allows for a recovery of the original gift and power of our sexuality.
Convicted. Christian history shows God often sets aside certain souls to be champions of the faith. These chosen ones–like King David or St. Augustine–are often first given a deep struggle. In their stories, a duality surfaces: the deeper the struggle, the greater the champion. Romans 5:20 echoes this duality: “Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more.”
Today’s online generation is caught in one of the most intense battles with sexual sin the world has ever seen. I am convicted, with every fiber of my being, that this widespread addiction will not be the defining narrative of men today. Rather, I believe God has set aside men of today to become a chosen generation.
Wichita-alum Bishop Olmsted, in his Apostolic Exhortation to Catholic Men, Into the Breach, paints a striking picture: the great saints of old welcoming men of today into heaven, “We dealt with lust in our day, but those 21st century men! These happy few battled the beast up close.”
In response to today’s internet addicted world, Forge serves as a conduit of God’s plan of salvation: unleashing a generation of saints–once conquered, now convicted.
My name’s Eric Doerneman and I’m one of them.
That’s Forge, Wichita, and Eric. We pray that you will support the Forge movement in Wichita, and we wanted to close with a word from Eric’s wife, Jessica.
You might be reading about Eric Doerneman and thinking, “Great—another guy who thinks he’s passionate enough to save the world,” or “He’s just trying to get my money.” But let me tell you something: my husband was made for this mission. When we met in 2018, it didn’t take long for me to see Eric’s deep desire to do full-time ministry. But it was a dream that had to wait. He continued working as an engineer, we got married, and now, two kids later, that long-held dream is finally becoming reality.
Even while solving equations behind a desk, Eric never stopped dreaming—or writing. He quietly trusted that God would bring this calling to life in His perfect timing. Eric is passionate, loud, funny, and deeply charismatic. He can be playful and profound in the same breath, and people are naturally drawn to him. He doesn’t shy away from the mess in people’s hearts—he steps into it with compassion, helping them feel seen, safe, and loved. It brings him genuine joy to go into the places others avoid.
God has called Eric—and our whole family—to this mission with Forge. As his wife, I’m ready to follow wherever the Lord leads us. I couldn’t be more excited for what lies ahead—for our family and for those we’ll meet along the way. Please keep us in your prayers!