Adam Hamilton to Continue Leading Kansas Megachurch After Senate Victory

Adam Hamilton to Continue Leading Kansas Megachurch After Senate Victory

Adam Hamilton, the Democrat elected to represent Kansas in the U.S. Senate, intends to remain senior pastor of his church while serving in Congress. Hamilton, 62, who leads Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, one of the largest congregations in the United Methodist Church, is scheduled to be sworn in as a U.S. senator on Jan. 3, 2027.
  • 54% of Protestant Pastors Say Economic Conditions Are Hurting Their Churches
    More than half of Protestant pastors in the United States say economic conditions are negatively affecting their congregations, as church donations continue to lag behind inflation, according to a new Lifeway Research survey. The annual study found that 54% of pastors believe the economy is hurting their churches, compared with 36% who reported no impact and 8% who described its effects as positive.
  • Pennsylvania Lutheran Synod to Install Its First Female Bishop on Reformation Day
    The Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is set to mark a historic milestone with the installation of its first female bishop on Oct. 31, coinciding with Reformation Day. The Rev. Jennifer K. Dee, who began her six-year term on Sept. 1, will formally be installed as the synod’s fifth bishop during a ceremony at First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem in Pennsylvania.

Multisite Churches Expanding Rapidly Across US, Attracting Nearly 10% of Protestant Churchgoers

Multisite churches are expanding rapidly across the United States, attracting nearly one in 10 Protestant churchgoers, but their growth is increasingly outpacing the development of qualified leaders, according to a new national study. The report identified more than 1,800 multisite churches operating over 6,000 campuses nationwide, highlighting the growing influence of congregations that maintain multiple worship locations under a unified organizational structure.
  • Episcopal Church Membership Falls Below 1.5 Million Amid Decades-Long Decline
    The Episcopal Church continued to experience declining membership in 2025, with its total number of members falling by nearly half a million over the past decade, according to newly released denominational statistics. An analysis of the denomination’s 2025 Parochial Report showed that membership stood at approximately 1.425 million in 2025, compared with 1.917 million in 2015.
  • Highland Park UMC Moves Toward Leaving Denomination With Vote Set for Oct. 25
    Highland Park United Methodist Church (HPUMC), one of the United Methodist Church’s largest congregations, is preparing for a membership vote later this month that could end its longstanding affiliation with the denomination. The Dallas-area megachurch’s Church Council voted Tuesday unanimously to approve a resolution calling for a congregation-wide vote on whether to sever ties with the United Methodist Church (UMC).
  • 2819 Church Draws 80,000 to AT&T Stadium for Prayer and Worship
    Nearly 80,000 people gathered with Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell and 2819 Church at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday for a large-scale evening of prayer and worship. Ed Newton, senior pastor of Community Bible Church in San Antonio, attended the event, known as “ACCESS — That Powerful Hour of Prayer.” Free tickets for the gathering were claimed within eight hours.
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  • Maryland Appeals Court Sides With UMC in Property Dispute Involving 37 Churches

    A Maryland appeals court has rejected a challenge brought by 37 churches against the United Methodist Church’s Baltimore-Washington Conference over property and financial requirements connected to leaving the denomination. A three-judge panel of the Appellate Court of Maryland unanimously ruled in 'The Methodist Church of Cape St. Claire et al. v. The Baltimore Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church, Inc., et al.'

  • U.S. Protestant Sermons Grow Longer as More Churchgoers Favor Extended Messages

    U.S. Protestant pastors are delivering somewhat longer sermons than they did several years ago, while most churchgoers remain generally satisfied with the amount of time their pastors spend preaching, according to Lifeway Research. Four in five pastors, or 80%, said their typical sermon lasts less than 40 minutes. About half, or 52%, said they usually preach for under 30 minutes, while 28% reported messages lasting between 30 and 40 minutes.

  • Josh Howerton Says He’d Use Ladder Illustration Again to Reach People Despite Online Mockery

    Pastor Josh Howerton of Lakepointe Church in Rockwall, Texas, faced online criticism after using two large ladders during a sermon to depict the tension between following Christ and seeking the approval of the world. The illustration came during a Sept. 20 message in his “Fight the Good Fight” series, where Howerton used the ladders to represent the growing divide between biblical authority and cultural pressure.

  • Louisiana UMC Launches $15M Initiative to Pay Church Debt, Fund New Ministries

    The Louisiana Conference of The United Methodist Church has introduced a $15 million program aimed at strengthening its remaining congregations, setting aside $5 million for debt relief and $10 million for ministry development. Known as the Jubilee Initiative, the plan comes after 162 Louisiana churches left the denomination in 2022 and 2023 amid conflicts over same-sex marriage and the ordination of noncelibate gay clergy.

  • Court Dismisses JAFC Lawsuit Seeking Separation From Anglican Church in North America

    A federal judge has rejected a lawsuit brought by a chaplains organization seeking to separate from the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). U.S. District Judge Bruce Hendricks of the District of South Carolina’s Charleston Division issued the dismissal Monday in a case filed by leaders of the Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy (JAFC).

  • CCP Detains Pastors at Beijing Church as House Church Crackdown Expands

    Chinese authorities have detained multiple pastors and church workers from Beijing Jiaquan Church, an independent house church that has operated in the capital for more than two decades. ChinaAid founder and President Bob Fu said his organization is “urgently concerned for the safety, health and legal rights of every Jiaquan pastor and church co-worker who has been taken away.”

  • SBC President Seeks New Baptist Faith & Message Article on Gender and Human Sexuality

    Southern Baptist Convention President Willy Rice has proposed amending the Baptist Faith & Message in response to what he considers cultural confusion over gender and marriage. Speaking before the SBC Executive Committee on Monday, Rice said that marriage has been “redefined in ways unprecedented in human history.”

  • Biltmore Church Baptizes Record 458 People at Annual Outdoor Service

    A North Carolina multisite church baptized 458 people in one day, marking the largest baptism event in the congregation’s 137-year history. Biltmore Church held its annual Outdoor Baptism event Sept. 13 at a private property in Fletcher, North Carolina, where a lake provided the setting for the baptisms.
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