In Sympathy: James Wilson
Rev. James M. Wilson, a member of the Northern Illinois Conference, passed away on Monday, October 6, 2025.
Leading Beyond the Covid -19 Pandemic - May 7 at 10 am with Rev. Adam Hamilton.
As we think about how we will eventually reopen our church buildings and prepare to reconnect with our church communities, Rev. Adam Hamilton, Senior Pastor at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, KS, will be our guest speaker for this online learning event and guide us in a discussion on best ways to move forward.
BIO: 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, earned a B.A. degree in Pastoral Ministry from Oral Roberts and a Master of Divinity Degree from Southern Methodist University where he was awarded the B’nai B’rith Award in Social Ethics.
He was named one of the “Ten people to watch in America’s spiritual landscape” by Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. For his work in racial reconciliation, Adam was awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award. Named United Methodist Person of the Year for 2012 by the United Methodist Reporter for his leadership within the United Methodist Church. He’s received numerous other awards for community service
Hamilton launched The Church of the Resurrection with his wife and two children in 1990. It has since grown to over 20,000 adults and children in 2018 under his leadership. Today the church is the largest United Methodist Church in the United States with an average weekend attendance of over 12,000.
The congregation has a three-fold focus: Connecting with thinking people and inviting them to become followers of Jesus Christ, engaging in acts of justice and mercy in the community, and working to renew the United Methodist Church.
Adam has written over 25 books, published by Abingdon Press and Harper Collins, and Convergent; including The Walk: Five Essential Practices of the Christian Life, When Christians Get it Wrong, Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White, The Way: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus, Making Sense of the Bible, Revival, and his latest book Unafraid: Living with Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times. Adam and LaVon have been married over 35 years and have two adult daughters and a granddaughter.