Adam Hamilton (pastor)

Adam Hamilton is an American United Methodist pastor, author and Democratic politician who founded the Church of the Resurrection in 1990 and leads it as senior pastor; it is the largest United Methodist church in the United States. In November 2026 he was elected U.S. Senator from Kansas, defeating incumbent Roger Marshall Roger MarshallRoger Marshall is an American Republican politician and obstetrician-gynecologist who represented Kansas in the U.S. House from 2017 and has served as a U.S. Senator from Kansas since 2021. In November 2026 he lost his bid for re-election to Democrat Adam Hamilton.Open the full entry.

Contents11 sections

Key facts

Family Background and Early Life

Hamilton is a fifth-generation Kansan. His great-great-grandparents settled in Dickinson County, Kansas, in the 1870s and helped build the towns of Hope and Elmo; his maternal grandparents came to Wichita to work at Beechcraft, and his grandfather later flew for the airline that became TWA.⁠[1][2]

He grew up in Prairie Village, in the Kansas City suburbs, and married his high school sweetheart, LaVon, the week after graduation.⁠[2][1]

Education

Hamilton graduated from Oral Roberts University in 1985 and later earned a Master of Divinity from Southern Methodist University.⁠[3][4]

1990Founding the Church of the Resurrection

In 1990, at age 25, Hamilton was assigned by his denomination to start a church for nonchurchgoers in suburban Kansas City; he and LaVon began with four people, first meeting in a funeral home chapel.⁠[4][1]

The congregation is the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood. As of April 2026 it had nine campuses, a 76-acre main campus and about 22,000 members, making it the largest United Methodist church in the United States; its Christmas Eve mission offering has sometimes exceeded $2 million.⁠[4][3]

Hamilton has been the church’s pastor since its founding, 36 years as of 2026. His campaign website says the church funds a mobile dental clinic serving about 2,700 children a year and supports low-income elementary schools, and that its members are roughly evenly divided among Republicans, Democrats and independents.⁠[2][4]

2013–2017National Prayer Service and White House Advisory Council

In 2013 Hamilton preached at the National Prayer Service for Barack Obama’s second inauguration. During Obama’s second term he served on an advisory council on faith-based and neighborhood partnerships.⁠[4][3]

February–April 2026: Senate Campaign Launch

Hamilton began exploring a U.S. Senate bid in February 2026. He was unaffiliated at the time and first considered running as an independent before re-registering as a Democrat. Before deciding he consulted Governor Laura Kelly and former Governor Kathleen Sebelius and held an 18-city listening tour.⁠[3][4]

On April 30, 2026, in Prairie Village, he announced his campaign as a Democrat against Republican incumbent Roger Marshall, calling himself “an independent-minded Democrat” and saying “things are just not right in our country.”⁠[3]

He said he would likely stop preaching during the campaign and would decide his role at the church if elected.⁠[3]

August 2026Democratic Primary

On August 4, 2026, Hamilton led the 11-candidate Democratic primary with 35% of the vote in preliminary results, and the Associated Press called the race with only a fraction of precincts reporting; Christy Davis was second with 14% and Noah Taylor third with 13%. Roger Marshall won the Republican nomination the same day.⁠[5]

November 2026Election to the U.S. Senate

On the evening of November 3, 2026, the Associated Press called Kansas’s U.S. Senate race for Hamilton, who defeated Republican incumbent Roger Marshall.⁠[6]

Writings

Hamilton has written more than 30 books on faith, doubt and everyday life, and his video-based Sunday school lessons are used by many congregations.⁠[1][4]

Policy Positions

Hamilton has said the prices of health care, gas and housing “are killing us,” and has made lowering living costs and bipartisan cooperation central to his campaign.⁠[3][1]

He has described himself as “a liberal conservative and a conservative liberal.” On abortion, he said he voted in 2022 against a state constitutional amendment that would have enabled tighter restrictions.⁠[4]