Mel Lawrenz is the former senior pastor and current Minister-at-Large of
Elmbrook Church
Elmbrook Church is a non-denominational, Evangelicalism, evangelical Christian megachurch located in the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield (town), Wisconsin, Brookfield, Wisconsin, in Waukesha County. Since the church's founding in 1958, it has become ...
in
Brookfield, Wisconsin
Brookfield is a city located in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. It had a population of 37,920 in the 2010 census. Brookfield is the third-largest city in Waukesha County. The city is adjacent to the ...
. He began serving at Elmbrook in 1980 and the church currently averages 6,000 people in attendance per week, making it one of the 100-largest churches in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
Lawrenz became the senior pastor of Elmbrook in 2000 after serving under former senior pastor
Stuart Briscoe
D. Stuart Briscoe (9 November 1930 – 3 August 2022) was an evangelical Christian author, international speaker and senior pastor of Elmbrook Church, in Brookfield, Wisconsin, United States. Elmbrook is the largest church in Wisconsin, averagi ...
's leadership for twenty years and resigned in 2010.
He received his
B.A.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in English from
Carroll University
Carroll University is a private university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Established in 1846, Carroll was Wisconsin's first four-year institution of higher learning.
History
Prior to its esta ...
, his
Master of Divinity
For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...
from
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) is an academic divinity school founded in 1897 and located in the northern Chicago suburb of Deerfield, Illinois. It is part of and located on the main campus of Trinity International University. It’s ...
, and his
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
in historical
theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
from
Marquette University
Marquette University () is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Henni, John Martin ...
. He is the author of thirteen books.
On April 18, 2009, Lawrenz announced that he would be stepping down as senior pastor in 2010, to serve as Elmbrook's third Minister-at-Large. He transitioned into the Minister-at-Large role in early 2010, developing resources and networks for leaders through The Brook Network.
References
External links
Elmbrook Church Official WebsiteThe Brook Network WebsiteWordWay Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrenz, Mel
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
American evangelicals
Carroll University alumni
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School alumni
Religious leaders from Wisconsin
American Christian clergy
Marquette University alumni