Will the UMC Help Adam Hamilton Discern a Senate Run?

Opinion

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Perspectives

A United Methodist Insight Editorial | Feb. 28, 2026

February 27, 2026, proved a surprising day for The United Methodist Church and the State of Kansas. On that day, the Rev. Adam Hamilton, founder and senior pastor of the denomination’s largest congregation, United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, announced in an email and a video he is exploring a possible candidacy for the U.S. Senate.

Before I get too deeply into this commentary, I wish to make full disclosure of my relationship with Rev. Hamilton. I first met Adam 36 years ago when introduced to him by our mutual mentor, the late Rev. Bob Robertson of blessed memory. A leader in what was then the North Texas Annual Conference and in church communications, Bob predicted that Adam would prove to be a consequential United Methodist leader, and he was right.

Since that day, Adam and I have revolved around one another in our respective orbits. I’ve bought some of Adam’s many books and attended conferences at Resurrection, the United Methodist congregation he founded in Leawood, Kansas, that is now a massive multi-campus ministry. I’ve interviewed him a few times on church issues, and we’ve exchanged complimentary messages about our respective writings. Adam also has contributed financially to this publication at the same level as other clergy, not with any overwhelming gift that implied reciprocity.

Beyond that, our relationship ends. Therefore, I feel it appropriate to notice his announcement, not from a political viewpoint, but from the perspective of his sibling in Christ and someone in UMC leadership.

Polarizing for some

For some, Adam is a polarizing figure. His theology of inclusion, especially in his biblical interpretations, has often angered those who hold more traditional views. He also isn’t much admired by the LGBTQ+ United Methodist community and its allies, who have criticized him publicly for not doing enough to push full inclusion in the UMC sooner than the 2024 General Conference. As someone who tries hard to be an LGBTQ+ ally, I find the latter criticisms to be valid assessments of Adam’s past performance in church politics.

There are also those who find the marketing principles Adam has applied to Resurrection and his ministry to be off-putting. This is particularly true of the many videos, lectures and other appearances in which Adam himself is centered. Yet that quality of – dare I say it? – evangelical spirit translated through modern media tracks consistently with the Great Commission to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).After all, neither the Apostle Paul, Christianity’s greatest evangelist, nor Methodism's founder John Wesley, could be called “meek and mild” personages.

So, like all humans, Adam Hamilton is a “sacred fusion of sorrow and celebration,” as Rabbi Sharon Brous wrote in the Feb. 28 newsletter of Center for Action and Contemplation. As such, it seems to me the duty of all Christians who have been touched by Rev. Hamilton’s ministry to help him and his wife, LaVon, in their discernment whether he should run as an Independent for the U.S. Senate from Kansas.

I confess my own trepidation at Adam’s announcement. I cringe to think of him, who if nothing else is a genuinely moral man, set down inside the cesspool that is the U.S. Congress these days. National political contests cost millions and raising such amounts often comes with significant quid pro quos. A Senate battle in his state likely will be brutal, recalling the history of “bloody Kansas” when it was a battleground over slavery.

No doubt that history plays a role in Adam’s plan to travel his state and listen to the people who may become his constituents. His intention to run as an Independent, should he choose to campaign, speaks to his desire to overcome the political polarization of our time, as he said in his announcement.

At the same time, when the Pharisees criticized Jesus for consorting with “sinners,” Jesus replied that the healthy have no need of a physician. Lord knows that’s certainly true of the U.S. Congress at this time in our history. Rev. Hamilton could conceivably join the Rev. Raphael Warnock, a prominent Baptist pastor and U.S. Senator from Georgia, as a voice for all people, who are made in God’s image.

Faith at the core

Rev. Hamilton’s decision will depend upon many factors, but I believe his promise that his faith will be at the core of his discernment. Given the state of our nation, Adam deserves to have unvarnished support for his exploration from Resurrection UMC, his clergy colleagues in the Great Plains Annual Conference, his bishop, David Wilson, and all those who’ve heard him preach, read one of his books, listened to one of his lectures, or been in his study groups. For what’s at stake here isn’t solely one man’s decision, it’s a challenge as to what kind of leadership we want in the United States.

Do not mistake me: Adam is no savior any more than Barack Obama was a savior when he first ran for president. Nonetheless, Rev. Hamilton is a committed, compassionate minister of Christ who has had an extraordinary career encompassing both failures and successes. He has shown himself to be an adept politician within The United Methodist Church, with an emphasis on achieving compromise for a common good – a trait that upsets both political extremes. Like all candidates, he comes to the possibility of election with baggage. We should remember that, save for Jesus our Christ, every servant God called in the Bible came with baggage – some far more horrific than anything Rev. Hamilton has ever borne.

So let’s help Adam Hamilton with our prayers, our critiques and our counsel for his discernment. We owe him that much as our brother in baptism, and we American United Methodists owe him that for the sake of our country’s soul.

Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded ion 2011 as a media platform for news and views of underserved and marginalized United Methodists.