Senator-elect Adam Hamilton will keep his pulpit even as he takes a seat in Washington. According to the Christian Post, Hamilton will continue serving as senior pastor of Church of the Resurrection, one of the largest congregations in the United Methodist Church, while he serves in the United States Senate.

The 62-year-old pastor will move from full-time to quarter-time employment at the church. He is expected to preach about 12 to 18 weekends a year, including Christmas and Easter, and to continue mentoring church leaders.

Hamilton's election has drawn wide attention because his teaching has long been a source of debate among Christians. In a 2020 sermon, he called his congregation to repent of habits he said contribute to climate change, including fossil fuel use and eating beef. That same year, following the death of George Floyd, he urged his congregation to repent over what he described as white privilege.

More recently, his remarks about the virgin birth of Jesus drew sharp criticism. In October, Hamilton affirmed that he personally believes in the virgin birth, but he suggested that a person could follow Jesus without accepting the doctrine as historically true. His campaign later said he believes in the virgin birth and encouraged people wrestling with doubt to keep pursuing Christ.

For many believers, that distinction is the heart of the matter. The virgin birth is not a minor detail of the Christmas story; it is tied to who Jesus is. The Gospel of Matthew records that Mary was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit, and that the child would be called Immanuel, meaning God with us (Matthew 1:18-23). Luke tells the same account, with the angel Gabriel announcing that the Holy Spirit would come upon Mary and that the child to be born would be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35).

Hamilton's supporters point to his long record of leading a large and growing congregation, and to his desire to bring a pastor's voice into public life. His critics say a pastor who softens a core doctrine of the faith should not be the one shaping the church's witness, in the pulpit or in the Senate.

What is not in dispute is the weight of the two offices he will now hold at once. A pastor is charged with feeding the flock of God, and a senator is charged with serving the people of his state. Both callings demand time, attention, and a clear conscience before God.

The church will be watching how he divides his days between Washington and the congregation he has led for decades. So will the watching world, which often judges the truth of the Gospel by the lives and words of those who preach it.

Believers should pray for Senator-elect Hamilton, for the congregation he continues to lead, and for the leaders God places over this nation. And they should hold fast to what the Scriptures plainly teach, testing every teacher by the Word, whatever office he holds.