Who We Are
How we started & where we're going
Over 30 years ago, people started praying for a church to begin in Mukwonago that would reach people who are far from God. Over the years, a grassroots movement began amongst families from Elmbrook Church (Brookfield, WI). Some of them began to gather in homes to pray that God would start a new church in Mukwonago. On April 29, 2007, a group of people came together for the first time to dream of what God could do through this church. 167 people showed up! Over the next 9 months, a launch team met, formed tight community through small groups, and started reaching out into the community through service projects. On January 6, 2008, Brooklife’s doors officially opened to the public at Clarendon Avenue Elementary School. God blew us away that first Sunday as hundreds of people poured through the doors to check us out. Just two months later on March 16, 2008, Brooklife added a second worship service.
In 2009, Brooklife launched “Imagine”, a fundraising initiative, to support the renovation of an old Walmart into our new, permanent space. After much prayer and hard work in July 2011, Brooklife Church finally moved to its new home.
Our dream has always been to help people experience Jesus, His love and His truth. We want Brooklife to be a safe place where you can ask your questions, decide what you think about Jesus and find the transforming power of God. We are A Place For Everyone to Experience the Love of Jesus, Find Life-Giving Relationships and Pursue Your God-Given Purpose. We have a building, but Brooklife is not a building. We are a movement. We are the people of God moving to bring the love of Jesus to the over 50,000 people in this area, and we will not be satisfied until each and every person has experienced it.
Our Beliefs
God, the Father, is coequal with the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. He is more powerful than we can imagine and bigger than our thoughts can comprehend. (Genesis 1:1, Genesis 1: 26-27, Genesis 3:22, Psalm 90:2, Matthew 28:19, 1 Peter 1:2, 2 Corinthians 13:14)
The Father
God the Father is coequal with the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit. He is more powerful than we can imagine, bigger than our thoughts can comprehend. He is completely holy, completely good, right and just. He reigns over all. He is also our perfect Father who loves us with an unconditional love. (Leviticus 19:2, Genesis 1:1, Romans 1:20, 1 John 3:1, 1 John 4:8-9, Exodus 3:14, Isaiah 6:1-3)
The Son (Jesus Christ)
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is coequal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He reveals God to us in His life and teachings. Jesus lived a sinless, human life. He offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven and will return again someday and reign as King. (Matthew 1:22-23, Isaiah 9:6, John 1:1-5, John 14:10-30, Hebrews 4:14-15, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Romans 1:3-4 , Acts 1:9-11, 1 Timothy 6:14-15)
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is coequal with the Father and the Son. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, gifts for serving, understanding of spiritual truth, comfort in hard times and guidance in doing what is right. As Christians, we seek to live daily under His control. (Acts 1:8, John 16:7-13, John 14:16-17, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, Galatians 5:25, 1 Corinthians 2:12, 1 Corinthians 3:16, Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 5:18)
The Bible is God’s Word to us. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs about living. Since it is inspired by God, it is truth without error. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Psalm 12:6, Psalm 19:7-11, Psalm 119:105, Psalm 119:160 Proverbs 30:5)
Human beings are made in the image of God and are the pinnacle of His creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin”. Sin separates us from God and causes many problems in our lives. (Genesis 1:27, Psalm 8:3-6, Isaiah 53:6a, Romans 3:23, Isaiah 59:1-2)
Salvation means God rescues us from the penalty of sin and restores our relationship with Him. We cannot save ourselves through self improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved. It is then that we turn over control of our lives by faith to Jesus and allow Him to lead us. Eternal life begins at the point of salvation. (Romans 6:23, Romans 10:9-10, Ephesians 2:8-10, John 3:16, John 14:6)
The church is the representation of Jesus Christ to the world. It is composed of all people who are followers of Jesus. Through the church, people experience meaningful community where they encourage, support and challenge each other to become more like Jesus. The church is God’s agent of change in society sharing the story of God’s salvation, breaking down walls that typically divide people and serving those whom others often ignore. (Acts 2:42-47, Acts 4:32-35, Matthew 16:18, Matthew 25:31-46, Micah 6:8, Isaiah 1:12-17)
Water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances to be observed by the Church during this age. They are, however, not to be regarded as means of salvation or prerequisites for church membership. (We practice believer’s baptism by immersion.) (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:38, Acts 8:12, Acts 8:35-38, Colossians 2:12, Luke 22:19-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-29, Romans 6:1-14)
Human beings are created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. Hell is eternal separation from God. Heaven is eternal union with God. Heaven and Hell are real places of existence. (John 3:16, John 11:25, John 14:1-6, Romans 6:23, Romans 8:17-18, Revelation 20:15-21:8)
Who we are
Pastors
Directors
Support Staff
Elders
As the Brooklife’s Lead Pastor, Rob provides leadership and direction for our church. He serves as the main communicator for our Sunday services. Rob passionately promotes and invests in small group environments where people can rub off on one another in intentional relationships designed to promote spiritual growth. Rob married his beautiful wife Rachel in May of 1999, and they have three beautiful daughters.
Some Favorites: Volleyball, John Ortberg, Marvel, golf, chimichangas, Michael Crichton, Tombstone, family and sci-fi
Julie has been a part of Brooklife from the beginning. She serves as the Executive Pastor, where she integrates all aspects of Brooklife around the dream God have for us to be A Place for Everyone. With her highly creative, relational and organization skills, she leads the staff and church on the journey of fulfilling that dream. She is endearingly known as the “Mom” of Brooklife. Julie and her husband, Dan, were married the summer of 1988. They enjoy spending time with their 3 adult kids: Joe, Jake and Anna.
Some Favorites: Hiking, cooking, crafts, dinner with friends, purple, sports, cold pizza for breakfast and traveling.
As the Worship Arts Associate Pastor, Lance is passionate about helping people experience and connect with God. He is a strong believer that worship isn’t just something you do on Sunday, but it’s a way of life. He loves finding creative ways for people to engage with God, not only at our weekend services but throughout the week as well. He and his wife Karie have been married for 18 years and have 4 kids that keep them on the move.
Some Favorites: Golf, boating, 24, Taco Johns, and watching kids activities
As the NextGen Associate Pastor, Joey has the pleasure of overseeing all children and student ministries. On a larger scale, Joey empowers parents and families with tools and resources to take the lead in their family’s faith journey. Joey loves having the chance to collaborate with and build young leaders. Joey married his wife Carrie in June of 2008, and they have three young children.
Some favorites: camping, traveling, movies, visiting new coffee shops and restaurants, and spending time with the family.
