Oakbrook Church was planted by Converge Great Lakes in 1994. Our launch team started out meeting in a chiropractic office. Our first public service was held at Ashwaubenon High School on February 5, 1995. For the next four years, we met at Ashwaubenon High School. Followed by three years at the Radisson Inn. In 2001, we bought land and built our current facility located at 3600 Lost Lane in De Pere, WI.   

Our founders are Pastor Terry and Susan Martell. Pastor Terry was Oakbrook’s only Lead Pastor until his retirement in June of 2018. In the early years of Oakbrook Pastor Mark Schmechel served as a Church Planting Intern and Associate Pastor from November 2001 through November 2003 before we he planted Journey Community Church in September of 2004.

Following Pastor Terry’s retirement in 2018, Oakbrook then hired Pastor Shawn Kelly in August of 2019. He served Oakbrook for four years until he felt called back to his hometown in Minnesota.

In February of 2024, Pastor Matt Kadlec felt called back to Oakbrook, and was hired on to be our bi-vocational, lead pastor where he splits time working between Oakbrook Church and Ecumenical Partnership for Housing (EPH) where he serves as the Family Ministry and Housing Stability Coordinator. Pastor Matt’s parents were on the original launch team so he grew up in the Oakbrook family during it’s early days.

Our name is taken from two key scriptures: Isaiah 61:1-3, that declares “They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor,” and Psalm 1:3 which describes a man as a “tree planted by streams (brooks) of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither. Whatever he does prospers.” We desire to be a fruitful tree displaying God’s splendor. Our goal is to help seekers and believers become faithful followers of Jesus Christ, displaying character fruit (Galatians 5:22-23), conversion fruit (John 15:6) and discipleship fruit (2 Timothy 2:2).