Our Beliefs and Values
We believe the church belongs to God and that the church is, in the words of the Apostle Paul, the body of Christ. The church is to be the physical presence of Christ in the world. As such, our primary aim is to do God’s will. We believe God has called the Church of the Resurrection to the following: (Click Below To Learn More)
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Our Beliefs
At The Church of the Resurrection, we are Christians who are excited to be part of the United Methodist Church.
What is a United Methodist?
United Methodists are the second largest Protestant denomination in America. We are the home to both President Bush and Senator Dole, as well as President Clinton’s family when he was in the White House. Methodists have played a significant role in shaping our nation, and especially the Kansas City area. The Shawnee Mission was started by Methodists. Johnson County is named after Methodist pastor Thomas Johnson. Several of the first public schools in Kansas City were started by Methodists. Della Lamb, reStart, Spofford Home, Kingswood Manor and a host of other community agencies and ministries were started by Methodists. Baker University is one of several colleges and universities in the area founded by Methodists.
United Methodists hold to the historic doctrines of the Christian faith. We are evangelical, but moderates rather than fundamentalists. We value the intellect and modern science, while at the same time looking to the Bible as the authoritative guide for faith and practice. Methodists have a passionate faith with strong convictions, but we also recognize that the world is not always black and white. We are willing to ask questions, to wrestle with difficult issues, and to do so with grace and compassion.
Methodists have been known for our emphasis on a personal faith, lived out in concrete ways in the world. We have historically valued well-informed and passionate preaching, worship that was lively, and small groups where people could grow in faith.
Methodists have open hearts, and open minds--and welcome anyone interested in learning more about the Christian faith.
If you would like to know more about what it means to follow Christ, please call 913-897-0120 and ask to speak to one of our pastors or e-mail us.
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Our Purpose
To build a Christian community where non-religious and nominally religious people are becoming deeply committed Christians.
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Our Vision
To transform lives, to transform our community and to renew the mainline church.
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Our Strategies
The following five broad areas of ministry constitute the primary means of accomplishing our purpose and vision. They are the historic elements of the church’s mission: Worship, Evangelism, Service, Discipleship and Fellowship.
Our first aim is to glorify God in worship; our second is to introduce people to Jesus Christ through evangelism; our third is to help persons of all ages to become deeply committed Christians through ministries of discipleship; our fourth is to build caring relationships and foster mutual ministry among the church family through authentic Christian fellowship; and finally, we aim to train, equip, inspire and mobilize members to live out their faith as salt and light outside the walls of the church through ministries of service.
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Our Values
It is our desire to honor God through our work on His behalf. To that end, we will do His work with the qualities we most value: integrity, grace, excellence, relevance, authenticity, passion, humility, faith, inclusivity, commitment, joy and love.
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Our Limitations
We recognize that certain actions could impede our ability to achieve God's purpose and vision for this church. We therefore resolve and state that the Church of the Resurrection shall not: pursue ministry which is contrary to its purpose; fail to seek to be good stewards of its financial and non-financial resources; do anything in opposition to the spirit and intent of the United Methodist Book of Discipline; stray from biblical principles and scriptures; stop discerning God's vision for Church of the Resurrection.
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Our Story
1990: In June of 1990, Bishop W. T. Handy, of the United Methodist Church, appointed Rev. Adam Hamilton to launch a new mission congregation along the State Line corridor south of I-435. In addition to the pastor’s salary, $3,000 was set aside to help start this new church. By September of that year, a core group of 30 people had committed to help launch the church.
On October 7th, 1990, The Church of the Resurrection held its first worship service in the McGilley Chapel Funeral Home at 123rd and State Line. There were approximately 100 people at this first service.
1991: The church grew rapidly from its inception. Soon there were two worship services and adult Sunday School was moved off-site to the Leawood Elementary School. In the spring of 1991, the church acquired the Stanley Racquetball Center, a defunct health club, to be used for weekday programs, youth ministry and offices.
1992: By the end of 1992 worship service attendance had grown to an average of 230 per Sunday and the church had outgrown the McGilley Chapel. The church moved to Leawood Elementary School. A building campaign for a permanent church home was initiated in 1993 and ground was broken in November of that year.
1994: Resurrection added a third worship service in the spring of 1994 and attendance had reached 640 per Sunday by fall. With great excitement, Resurrection moved into its new church home at 137th Street and Roe Avenue on December 4, 1994.
1995: On October 7, 1995, to honor the fifth anniversary of the church, more than 1000 people attended a single service at the Blue Valley Northwest high school gym, followed by a barbecue and hayride. The church honored the charter years and looked forward to the October 22, 1995, groundbreaking for the church’s new Education wing.
1996: In 1996, Resurrection finally broke ground for a new 24,000 square foot education wing, began a new preschool, and launched of hundreds of other new ministries. The church also received the prestigious Circuit Rider Award for its leadership in evangelism and church growth.
1997: In 1997, the newly opened education wing helped meet the need for additional Sunday School space. Worship attendance soared to nearly 2,000 per weekend. 330 children attended Vacation Bible School and 280 adults entered into a Disciple Bible Study, an intensive 34 week course.
1998: 1998 saw the acquisition of 44 acres of land on the current site to be used for future growth. The new 1600-seat sanctuary was used for the first time on Christmas Eve of that year with 8,400 people in worship.
1999: With the opening of the new building, the overall facilities increased from 35,000 square feet to 110,000 square feet with 2,300 members joining the church. New ministries such as Adult Sunday School classes, Senior Adult Ministries, Single Adult Ministries and Kindermusik were launched.
2000: As 2000 began, Resurrection continued to grow and plan and dream. The congregation and staff laid the groundwork for creating a new campus-like setting - to open in 2004 - that would include a new sanctuary and adjoining educational facility. Membership grew to nearly 8,000 adults and children and attendance at Easter worship services surpassed 10,000. More than 1,000 people participated in Disciple Bible Study.
2001: More than 1500 people were received into membership in 2001. Membership records show that two-thirds of those new members were not active in a church within a year of their first visit to Resurrection. Worship attendance flourished with an average of more than 5,400 worshippers attending per weekend -- amazing growth for a church that was only eleven years old.
2002: In 2002, increasing membership and worship attendance numbers led to the creation of a Sunday morning worship service off-site at the Ritz Charles Event and Conference facility located two miles west of the church’s campus. That spring witnessed Resurrection’s largest capital campaign ever as almost $30 million dollars were committed by its members to fund additional space for worship and education. By summer, construction had begun on a new 3,050 seat sanctuary with adjoining narthex and support areas and a 54 classroom education wing.
2003: Membership, worship attendance, ministry participation and the next phase of construction all grew in 2003. A second worship service was added to Sunday evening, increasing the total to seven services. Average weekly worship attendance was over 6,000 with Christmas Eve worship totaling over 14,000. Sunday School attendance increased class sizes to near capacity, and this only served to heighten the anticipation of the new education space under construction.
2004: Our newest building, completed in March 2004 includes a 3,050-seat sanctuary, additional education space and a chapel. The facility provides much-needed space for those who are searching for a church with relevant messages, warm hospitality and excellent program ministries for every member of their family. Using the new sanctuary, attendance at Christmas Eve worship was over 18,000 in seven services.
2005: Today, more than 100 first time visitors attend the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection on an average weekend. The church has witnessed striking growth, particularly for a church from a mainline denomination. Current membership has grown to include more than 13,000 adults and children. Resurrection is indeed one of America’s fastest-growing churches - and one of the largest churches in the Methodist denomination.
Resurrection offers multiple worship services each weekend. These services enable the church to offer a variety of worship times and styles, including both traditional and contemporary.
Resurrection’s staff and programs have been intentionally organized around the four commitments of its membership, which are to Worship, Grow, Serve and Give. These commitments are essential in Resurrection's effort to lead non-religious and nominally religious people toward becoming deeply committed Christians.