Adrian Rogers

Adrian Rogers was born on September 12, 1931, in West Palm Beach, Florida. He grew up in a family that struggled, and as a boy he sold newspapers and worked at odd jobs. He heard the gospel as a teenager and gave his life to Christ. He felt called to preach almost at once and began to speak at small churches while he was still a boy. He studied at Stetson University and then at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

He pastored churches in Florida, among them First Baptist Church in Merritt Island, where he grew a small congregation into a large one. In 1972 he accepted a call to Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. Bellevue was a good church that had settled into a steady pace. Under his preaching it grew over the next three decades into one of the largest congregations in the Southern Baptist Convention, with thousands in attendance and a major ministry to the city. He remained there for thirty-two years.

His preaching was marked by a warm voice, plain speech and an unwavering stress on the Bible as the Word of God. He did not follow the fashions of the day. He preached the cross, the blood of Christ and the need to be born again. He often outlined his sermons in memorable points that people could carry home. In 1987 he began a radio and later a television ministry called Love Worth Finding, which carried his messages to millions around the world.

He also played a central role in the controversy that reshaped the Southern Baptist Convention. In 1979, he was elected president of the convention, and he served three terms, in 1979, 1980 and 1986. He stood for the full inspiration and authority of Scripture in a denomination where many leaders in the seminaries had come to doubt it. The movement that followed is known as the conservative resurgence. It was bitter in places and left deep wounds. Rogers held his convictions firmly. He was also criticized by some for contributing to the divisions. He believed the conflict was necessary for the sake of the truth.

He wrote several books, including Ten Secrets for Success and Inner Peace and The Passion of Christ and the Purpose of His Coming. He was an open and cheerful man who loved his wife Joyce and his family. In his last years he battled cancer and continued to preach as long as he was able.

He died on November 15, 2005, in Memphis. Thousands attended his funeral. His sermons continue to be broadcast and read. His life shows how a man with a clear conviction and a plain gift can serve one church faithfully for a lifetime and still reach the world.