Westbrook Church

History

The Westbrook story began with several small neighborhood groups of people who attended Elmbrook Church in Brookfield. In 1981 worship services were held on Sunday evenings at Cushing School in Delafield with average attendance between 25-30 people. In 1982 slow growth had leaders set to hold Westbrook’s final service due to low attendance. However, seventy-five people who wanted to know when the church would be started showed up, saving the church. In 1983 Westbrook was officially born as a church plant of Elmbrook and worship services were held at Delafield Town Hall. Also that year, International Ministries was founded with the mission “to know Christ and to make Him known”. In 1985 Westbrook started meeting at the Walmart Center strip mall in Delafield and began supporting their first four missionary families. In 1986 the church supported eight missionary families.

In 1988 the church purchased the 25-acre (100,000 m²) cornfield in Hartland where the church is currently located and added an associate pastor. In 1989 growth led to a second worship service being added, services moved once again to Wales Elementary School, and Westbrook hired its first youth pastor. In 1993 Westbrook broke ground on Phase I of its new campus and temporarily moved yet again to Kettle Moraine High School. In 1994 Phase I was completed and the church moved into its first permanent building, with worship services held in the gym. By 1996 the congregation had doubled in size since moving into the new facility. In 1999 plans began for adding a worship center and additional classrooms. In 2002 the debt on Phase I was retired allowing construction to be planned for Phase II. In 2005 Phase II was completed, consisting of a new 1,000 seat worship center. In 2008, Scott Grabendike became the new lead pastor of Westbrook.