Evolve Church Has Cafe, Bucks Cachet

A fast-growing church with connections to the Milwaukee Bucks is developing a new home on Milwaukee’s Northwest Side.

Evolve Church is transforming the aging shopping center at 6550 N. 76th St. into a modern church facility.

The church was launched in 2018 by pastor Kenneth Lock II, who also serves as the Bucks’ team chaplain and barber, and his wife Krystel Lock.

A well-attended groundbreaking ceremony was held Saturday that drew a number of politicians and professional athletes, including Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, County Executive David Crowley, Senator Lena Taylor, Representative Dora Drake, Alderwoman Chantia Lewis, Police Chief Jeffrey Norman, developer Kevin Newell and Bucks players George Hill, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday.

The redeveloped facility is intended to house more than a Sunday worship service. “It’s really more of a community center because we’re going to be serving the community all the time,” said Kenneth Lock on Sunday during the church’s worship service.

Evolve Cafe is intended to be a seven-day-a-week public cafe with a 3,000-square-foot play area for children. A 14,000-square-foot community room will host events. After-school mentoring for children and adult education programs will also operate from the facility. The worship space is intended to hold 1,500 people.

“Evolve Church & Community represents a departure from the traditional way of doing things. We are an organization that will impact the community economically, socially, environmentally as well as spiritually,” said Lock in a statement announcing the groundbreaking. “We are a church of millennials who love God and love his people. We express our love for Him through service.

HGA is leading the building’s design. Catalyst Construction is leading the general contracting.

Kenneth, during Sunday’s service, said he was looking for a sign from God to move forward with the new church. Krystel said that sign came literally. After holding an outdoor service on the property, an Evolve sign that was left behind was placed against the building by a maintenance worker. She later spotted it.

The church purchased the property in June for $2.88 million. According to city assessment records, the 101,680-square-foot building was constructed in 1967. A portion of the building was remodeled into office space by Goodwill Industries in 1999 for the Wisconsin W-2 program.

A 2020 broker’s listing brochure for the facility said Rainbow Shops, Cosmo Beauty and WOW Furniture were active tenants, but 55% of the building was vacant.

The property is visibly part of a larger shopping center that stretches north from W. Mill Rd. to W. Acacia St.

The church currently holds its Sunday worship services at Vincent High School, 7501 N. Granville Rd.

Evolve is offering a fundraising campaign, via Tithe.ly, that is seeking to raise $5 million.

Prior to launching the church, Kenneth Lock served as an assistant pastor at Open Door Christian Worship Center alongside his father Kenneth Lock Sr.

The younger Lock was one of the most visible leaders of the summer 2020 racial-justice marches.

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