Stuart Briscoe obit

Author, Pastor Stuart Briscoe Passes Away at 91

 He was not on the list.

Author and megachurch pastor Stuart Briscoe passed away on Wednesday from natural causes. He was 91.

 

The Briscoe family confirmed the news in a statement on Thursday, writing, “It is with deep sadness we inform you that Stuart Briscoe died of natural causes unexpectedly during the evening of August 3. For many of you, he was preacher, pastor, mentor or friend. To us, he was ‘Stu’, ‘Dad’ and ‘Poppa’ and we already miss him achingly.”

The family added that information regarding a memorial service for Briscoe would be announced at a later date.

 Briscoe was born on November 11, 1930, in Millom, Cumbria, England. After leaving his career in banking, Briscoe decided to pursue international ministry through the Capernwray Missionary Fellowship of Torchbearers. By the 1960s, Briscoe was a youth minister and a popular conference speaker in the United States. In 1971, he became the senior past of Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin. According to Briscoe’s ministry, Telling the Truth, Elmbrook eventually grew to be the largest evangelical church in the state.

 Briscoe’s sermons soon became so popular that he began recording them using a reel-to-reel tape recorder and selling them. With the money from the tape sales, Briscoe was able to purchase local radio time, which launched the Telling the Truth radio program.

 In the 1990s, the ministry expanded its reach overseas, airing on London’s Premier Christian Radio station.

 Today, Telling the Truth airs online and on SiriusXM in the United States.

 Briscoe served as Elmbrooks senior pastor for 30 years before moving on to concentrate on reaching out to pastors, missionaries and church leaders as a Minister-at-Large, with his wife, Jill.

 Briscoe also wrote over 40 books throughout his career, including Brave Enough to Follow, A Countercultural Life, and He’s Still on the Throne.

 Briscoe is survived by his wife, their three adult children and their 13 grandchildren.

At the end of Stuart Briscoe's days, the renowned Wisconsin pastor, speaker and author said he hoped someone would look back on his life and say:

 "Stuart Briscoe served God's purpose in his own generation, and now he has fallen asleep and is ready to meet his Lord" — a reference to the biblical figure of David in Acts 13:36.

 "I'd be thrilled if that was the conclusion," he told the Journal Sentinel in 2020.

 Wednesday was Briscoe's time to meet his Lord. The 91-year-old Oconomowoc resident and former Elmbrook senior pastor died "of natural causes unexpectedly," he and his wife Jill's media ministry, Telling the Truth with Stuart and Jill Briscoe, shared on their Facebook page Thursday.

 For many of you he was preacher, pastor, mentor or friend," the post, signed by the family, said. "To us, he was ‘Stu,' ‘Dad’ and ‘Poppa’ and we already miss him achingly."

 Stuart is survived by his wife, Jill, their three kids — Dave Briscoe, Judy Briscoe Golz and Pete Briscoe — their spouses, 13 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, said Mel Lawrenz, Elmbrook's teaching pastor and the individual who had succeeded Briscoe as senior pastor.

 Briscoe stepped down as senior pastor in 2000, but remained involved in the church and continued his ministry work. In 2019, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, but was in remission after receiving treatment.

 A memorial service will be held at a future date at Elmbrook Church, 777 S. Barker Road, Brookfield.

 "Stuart had an enormous influence on untold thousands of people throughout Milwaukee and literally around the world," Lawrenz said. "He was known for his character and integrity, the clarity that he helped us all have about life. And in a time of self-centeredness in our culture, his whole life was about Christ-centeredness. Everybody that knew him was delighted by his wit and wisdom. And he helped all of us raise our vision above ourselves and our circumstances."

 Back in 2020, Stuart and Jill's eldest son, Dave, described his father as "a very gifted and important person" who could have been very proud, but instead was very humble.

 "He's helped me with everything," Jill said in a previous interview. "It's been such a privilege to be married to the man. He's the love of my life and always will be till we're together in heaven."

 Asked why he dedicated his life to ministry, Briscoe simply said, "I believe that's what God has called me to do."

 In 1970, he moved to the United States from England to become senior pastor of Elmbrook Church — long before it became the megachurch it is today.

When Stuart started at Elmbrook, he had said there were between 300 and 400 churchgoers. By the time he stepped down as senior pastor in 2000, he had recalled preaching to as many as 7,000 people on a given week.

 During those 30 years, he preached and taught, mostly at Elmbrook. He also preached internationally and did personal counseling.

“I just have immense respect for him," longtime Elmbrook member George Bogdanovich told the Journal Sentinel in 2020. "Watching and learning from him, there’s just been such a consistency with how a Christian ought to live his life. He’s easy to love because he serves others with everything he is."

To Bogdanovich, Briscoe was much more than a pastor. He was a mentor, favorite author and friend.

Following Briscoe's time as senior pastor, he and Jill remained "deeply involved" with the church. They continued with international ministry work — with Elmbrook as their home base — wrote or co-wrote over 60 books, and ministered through various media platforms with Telling the Truth, which they founded in 1971. Telling the Truth — which used to be part of Elmbrook Church but now operates independently — features recorded sermons delivered by Stuart and Jill that air on radio stations around the country and in London.

Growing up, he and his brother worked at their parents' grocery store. Their father was also a lay pastor.

Briscoe was brilliant in many ways, including academically. He graduated from high school at the age of 16. Since he wouldn't be permitted to attend university until he reached the age of 18, he got into banking and youth ministry.

When he turned 18, he was drafted into the military during the Korean War and joined the Royal Marines.

When the war ended, he returned to banking, and helped out at a nearby youth center, Capernwray Hall, in his spare time. It was at that youth center where he met his wife, Jill, who was also doing youth ministry work, when they were both in their 20s.

The two married in 1958.

They spent years working with the center and youth ministry organizations all over the world. Around 1970, Briscoe was invited to speak in the U.S., which ultimately led to Elmbrook.

"I just look back and am amazed at the opportunity I had to meet him, to marry him, and together, to be able to minister is such a joy," Jill said in a previous interview.

The family got to meet many inspiring individuals over the years, including evangelist Billy Graham (who visited their home), Corrie ten Boom, Joni Eareckson Tada and Reggie White, Dave said in a previous interview.

After each of Stuart's kids graduated from Brookfield East High School, he'd take the graduate on a trip — in part a mission trip — "anywhere in the world" they wanted to go, Dave had said.

Stuart, who preached on every continent, carried on this tradition with many of his grandchildren.

Stuart and Jill's children have each, to an extent, followed in their footsteps.

Dave was an associate pastor at Elmbrook for 25 years and is now pastor of Grace Church in Delafield, Judy Briscoe Golz has her Ph.D. in psychology and is a college professor, and Pete was senior pastor at Bent Tree Bible Fellowship in Carrollton, Texas, for nearly 30 years.