The newly revamped site at www.elmbrook.org is being used to form small groups and to post devotional materials for a 50-day season of spiritual renewal that starts this weekend, said Senior Pastor Mel Lawrenz.

"We want to be more aware of our heritage as a church," Lawrenz said. "But the number of years a church has been in existence isn't really the age of a church. A church is a continually renewing body of people."

Started by five families in 1957, Elmbrook has grown into a church whose average weekend attendance has stabilized at 7,000 to 8,000 adults and children. It has 23 pastors and more than 100 full-time support staff.

But it was, and remains, a pioneer in the use of small groups to create a sense of fellowship and involvement. Today, at least 60% of those who attend its services also meet with a small group, Lawrenz said.

"Years ago, people were content to have a gathering, some coffeecake, a Bible discussion and a little prayer," Lawrenz said. "Today, people are realizing the benefits of a group that goes much deeper in its study, relationships and prayer."

The site helps visitors navigate more than 800 new or revised Elmbrook Web pages by offering links to related content after they click on "ministries," "small groups," "events" or other topics and subtopics.

In the next few weeks, there will be another alternative to Web site menus. Fill out a profile, and the site will alert you to new and existing Elmbrook programs or events that fit your age, gender, marital status, interests and other factors.

"Once you register and set up a profile, you will be able to go in and get ministry information pushed to you rather than having to go and dig it out yourself," said Senior Associate Pastor Dick Robinson, who expects to add hundreds more Web pages.

"We're looking at relationships between content, the idea being if you don't know it's there, you're not going to look for it," said Herb Guenther, vice president of Lanex LLC, a Web development company in Brookfield that helped Elmbrook design the site. For example, he said, "I didn't realize that Elmbrook had a skateboard ministry. But when I went into an area for middle school, that came up."

"We looked at hundreds of church and ministry sites," said Guenther, who met weekly with Georgia Joseph, Elmbrook's communications director and Web project manager. "We haven't seen it anywhere else."

The 100 missionaries worldwide that Elmbrook supports with $1.7 million a year also can update their own Web pages. The church reports a growing interest by Elmbrook members in doing and supporting mission work.

"Fifty percent of the people at our worship services have been at the church five years or less," Lawrenz said. "On the other hand, a lot have been there more than 20 years. We want to mark the 50th year, but not as dating the church at a certain age. We're picking up on the Old Testament theme of jubilee, once every 50 years as a time of spiritual renewal."

Some people have left to start one of the nine independent "Brook" churches Elmbrook has planted in the metro area, Lawrenz said. Some have moved or are part of the modern phenomenon of church shopping.

Scott Summa, a sociologist of religion at Hartford Seminary, said one trend among megachurches is toward satellite campuses instead of independent church plantings.

"Many will open three or four campuses around a city or within a state and televise services, simultaneously or (delayed)," Summa said. "Worship service happens in each site, but everyone sees the same senior minister giving the sermon."

Elmbrook's Sunday services are full at 9:30 and 11 a.m., but it continues to plant independent churches rather than expand its sanctuary or start satellites.

Elmbrook began in 1957 as First Baptist Church, and then as Elmbrook Baptist Church, holding services in the former Leland School in Elm Grove before building a 200-seat church in 1964 at 3675 N. Calhoun Road, Brookfield. By 1968, it had become the non-denominational, evangelical Elmbrook Church.

Growth continued in the early 1970s when longtime Senior Pastor Stuart Briscoe, now minister at large, arrived. In 1975, Elmbrook held its first service in a new 1,380-seat sanctuary at 777 S. Barker Road, Town of Brookfield. Expansions have included construction of a 3,200-seat sanctuary in 1994.

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