Adam Hamilton is the founding pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas.  He grew up in the Kansas City area, attending Shawnee Mission schools before graduating from Blue Valley High School.  He earned a B.A. degree in Pastoral Ministry from Oral Roberts University and a Master of Divinity Degree from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University.

Adam has received the B’nai B’rith award in Social Ethics, the Denman Award in Evangelism, and the Circuit Rider Award for excellence in church leadership.  He was named Distinguished Evangelist of the United Methodist Church by the Foundation for Evangelism, and he was named one of the “Ten People to Watch in America’s Spiritual Landscape” by Religion and Ethics Newsweekly.  He currently serves as Chairman of the Board at Saint Paul School of Theology.  He lectures on leadership, evangelism and preaching across the country.  He has received two honorary doctorates and numerous community awards.

The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection has grown from four people in 1990 to over 12,000 adult members with an average weekly worship attendance of over 7,200.  The church was listed as the most influential mainline church in America in a 2005 survey of American pastors.  The Church of the Resurrection has a three-fold focus:  1. Reaching non-religious and nominally religious people and helping them become committed followers of Jesus Christ;  2. Equipping and inspiring members to transform the community and world; and 3. Acting as a catalyst for renewing the United Methodist Church.

Adam sees himself as a bridge-builder who seeks to find the truth in, and hold together, often divergent theological, ethical and political views.  He passionately believes that the evangelical gospel and the social gospel must be held together.  He holds that both liberal and conservative are characteristics that every Christian must embody.  And he believes that many issues are not black and white, but best seen in shades of gray.  He is known for listening, building relationships, and offering viewpoints that are thoughtful and which faithfully seek to apply the teachings of Jesus to today’s world.