Featured Story: Eric Stoudt
“Men of Iron gave me the courage to be a leader. Going through the Strong27™ mentorship guide and being challenged by my mentor made me a better person. I started living out the things I knew in my heart I should be doing.”
From recovery houses to broken relationships, Eric’s story radiates redemption. He tells a story of a God who never gave up on him and whose plan was greater than he ever imagined. Today, Eric is a man after God’s own heart.
When Eric first met his wife Rachel, they were both coming out of broken relationships. Both were searching for something more, something greater. They knew this time around the foundation of their relationship had to be God. He had to be the center. It was this desire that led them to GT Church in West Lawn, PA.
As their faith in God grew, so did their relationship. They desired to do church the right way. They got involved, they met with leadership, and they invested in people and relationships. It was then that real life change started to happen.
In the fall of 2015, at the recommendation of friends who had been through the ministry, Eric signed up to be a protégé in Men of Iron’s Strong27™ mentorship ministry. For a man who was already growing, it was the momentum he needed. Strong27™ gave Eric a hunger for more, a hunger for God’s word, and a strong desire to lead.
“The biggest thing is accountability. It allowed me to be more intentional with my wife. I learned a great deal from setting goals and accomplishing them, and even from the goals I didn’t accomplish. Strong27™ gave me somebody, walking with me, who could help me be intentional.”
Intentionality and accountability gave Eric the strength to be a better husband, to be a better father, and to be a better leader in his church. It also gave him the opportunity to be a Strong27™ mentor the following year. Besides being a mentor Eric and his wife Rachel serve the church in other areas. Their willingness and heart to do church the right way has allowed them to serve in high capacity leadership roles within GT Church.
Men of Iron gave Eric the confidence to lead well. He is now more intentional in his relationship with his wife and with his kids. He is now a leader of other men at GT Church, helping to change a culture one man at a time.