Resurrection, A United Methodist Church also known as The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, or simply Church of the Resurrection, is a multi-site, United Methodist megachurch in Kansas City metropolitan area.[1] The original campus is located in Leawood, Kansas, with additional locations in Olathe, Kansas, downtown Kansas City, Missouri, Blue Springs, Missouri, Overland Park, Kansas, Brookside, Kansas City, Missouri.[2] It is one of the largest United Methodist congregations in the world and reported a membership of 15,359[3] in 2020. The United Methodist Saint Paul School of Theology moved its facilities from Kansas City, Missouri, to the Church of the Resurrection in fall of 2013.
The Church of the Resurrection’s founding and senior pastor is Reverend Adam Hamilton. Hamilton started the congregation in 1990. Hamilton is committed to the renewal of the mainline church, especially the United Methodist Church.
History
In 1990, Church of the Resurrection started as a small church with a goal to welcome thinking people not actively involved in a church. Resurrection met for its first worship service in McGilley Funeral Home, with approximately 10 people in attendance. By 1992, attendance grew and the church began meeting at Leawood Elementary School.
They moved into their first permanent sanctuary in the fall of 1994, which is now the Wesley Covenant Chapel. As growth continued, the church constructed a larger sanctuary in 1998 that currently serves as the student center. The continued growth made way for a 3,050-seat sanctuary, an educational wing and prayer chapel in 2004. Live web streaming of worship services began in late 2008 for those unable to worship at a physical location. Since the launch of live streaming, groups around the city and country gather to watch the services online. By 2011, Church of the Resurrection was noted as one of the ‘Top Churches to Watch in America’[4] and held 24 Candlelight Christmas Eve worship services between its four campuses, with 27,936 people in attendance.
In 2017, the church opened a new sanctuary which seats 3,500 and includes a large stained glass window called The Resurrection Window. The Resurrection Window was designed by Judson Studios to tell the biblical story, capturing themes of scripture including creation, sin, redemption, and restoration. The church now averages an attendance of over 1,704 per weekend.
Image gallery
-
Exterior of church, Note very large size of stained glass window -
Judson Studios monumental work - A Story of Three Gardens -
Detail of the head of Christ
References
- ^ Hartford Institute for Religion Research Archived January 24, 2009, at the Wayback Machine "Megachurch search results" (listing)
- ^ The Pitch "Christmas Eve at Adam's House" By Kendrick Blackwood, December 19, 2002
- ^ "UMData". www.umdata.org. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
- ^ "Top Churches to Watch in America".
External links
- Church of the Resurrection Website
- Resurrection Leawood
- Resurrection West (Olathe)
- Resurrection Downtown
- Resurrection Blue Springs
- Adam Hamilton's blog
- Sacred Spaces Website (information about the church's sacred art and architecture)
