Adrian Rogers Biography

Adrian Pierce Rogers was born in West Palm Beach, Florida on September 12, 1931. It was there that he felt the call to the ministry and surrendered his life to the Lord as a high school football star.

Lying face down on the field one night with his face on the ground, young Adrian prayed, “Lord, I want you to use me.” When he felt that this was not humbling himself enough, he dug a hole in the dirt, put his nose in it, and prayed again, “Lord, I want you to use me!”

Adrian was subsequently ordained to the ministry by his church when he was a 19-year-old college student. God granted his prayer in a mighty way!

After serving several pastorates in his native Florida, Rogers came to be the Senior Pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church of Memphis, Tennessee in 1972. He served in this ministry for 32 distinguished years, during which time Bellevue grew to become one of the nation’s largest churches, with more than 29,000 members. He was also elected three times as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the world’s largest Protestant denomination. He holds the distinction of being the only man to be elected three times to this office.

In 1987, Dr. Rogers extended his teaching ministry to an international audience when he founded Love Worth Finding Ministries—which has become one of the premier Christian broadcast ministries. From its debut with a one-hour television broadcast on 17 stations and a 30-minute radio broadcast on 19 radio stations, today Love Worth Finding can be heard weekly on a worldwide television network of over 14,000 outlets and daily broadcast of nearly 2,000 radio stations and translators.

The broadcasts can also be heard in more than 150 countries around the world, including the Spanish broadcast, El Amor Que Vale.

In 2001, Dr. Rogers celebrated 50 years in the ministry. He and Joyce, his wife of 54 years, have four children: Stephen, Gayle, David and Janice. Dr. and Mrs. Rogers also have nine grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Dr. Rogers has been active in national leadership and has personally consulted and prayed with five presidents of the United States. He has visited and had the privilege of sharing the platform with President George W. Bush in the White House on the National Day of Prayer for America.

He has written 18 books, and is also the editor of 49 published booklets (18 in Spanish) and 79 message albums that have ministered to people around the world. His books are:

Family Survival in an X-Rated World (Broadman & Holman Publishers)
What Every Christian Ought to Know (Broadman & Holman Publishers)
Love Worth Finding --The Life of Adrian Rogers and His Philosophy of Preaching (Broadman & Holman Publishers)
The Passion of Christ and the Purpose of Life (Crossway Books)
Unveiling the End Times in Our Time (Broadman & Holman Publishers)
Standing for Light and Truth (Crossway Books, Division of Good News Publishers)
The Nature of Hope (Broadman & Holman Publishers)
The Incredible Power of Kingdom Authority (Broadman & Holman Publishers)
The Wonder of It All (Broadman & Holman Publishers)
God’s Hidden Treasures (Tyndale Publishers)
The Lord Is My Shepherd (Crossway Books, Division of Good News Publishers)
A Family Christmas Treasury (Crossway Books, Division of Good News Publishers)
Believe in Miracles but Trust in Jesus (Crossway Books, Division of Good News Publishers)
Ten Secrets for a Successful Family (Crossway Books, Division of Good News Publishers)
The Power of His Presence (Crossway Books, Division of Good News Publishers)
Mastering Your Emotions (Broadman Press)
God’s Way to Health, Wealth and Wisdom (Broadman Press)
The Secret of Supernatural Living (Thomas Nelson Publishers)

Other biographical details of Dr. Rogers that will be of interest to the reader include:

Education:
Palm Beach High School, West Palm Beach, Florida – Graduation 1950.
Stetson University, Deland, Florida – B. A., 1954.
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans, Louisiana – Th.M., 1958

Honorary Degrees:
Doctor of Divinity, Trinity College, Dunedin, Florida – 1972
Litterarum Doctor, California Graduate School of Theology, Glendale California – 1979
Doctor of Divinity, Toccoa Falls College, Toccoa Falls, Georgia – 1984
Doctor of Sacred Theology, Southwest Baptist University, Bolivar, Missouri – 1985
Doctor of Divinity, Hannibal LaGrange College, Hannibal, Missouri – 1985
Doctor of Sacred Theology, Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary of Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA – 2003

Honors:
Voted Most Likely to Succeed by classmates at Palm Beach High School
Senior Class President, Palm Beach High School
Captain of his Football Team, Palm Beach High School
Class Officer, Stetson University
Distinguished Clergyman of the Year – awarded by Southern Baptist College of Walnut Ridge, Arkansas
Outstanding Alumnus, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Who’s Who in America
Invited Guest, State Dinner at the White House, Ronald Reagan, President
Invited Guest aboard Air Force One, George H. W. Bush, President
First Defender of the Family Award, SAV-America Foundation
Clergyman of the Year, awarded by Religious Heritage of America
Broadcaster of the Year, awarded by the Bott Broadcasting Company
National Religious Broadcasters Hall of Fame
Tennessee’s Outstanding Achievement Award
Keynote Speaker – Anniversary of the United States Marine Corps, National Cathedral, 2003
Distinguished American Award – awarded by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Memphis Chapter, 2003
Numerous civic awards, including the naming of a Memphis public road – The Dr. Adrian P. Rogers Parkway.

What Others Have Said About Dr. Rogers:

Billy Graham: “We need for ministers of the Gospel to defend the Bible as the infallible Word of God… I believe in my heart that Adrian Rogers is such a man. I know him personally. I have walked with him and prayed with him…I know God’s hand is upon Adrian Rogers as he proclaims the Bread of Life from his church and through radio and television…I praise God for his ministry!”

James Dobson: “ Adrian’s contribution to this ministry over the years has been incalculable. As a member of our Board of Directors, he has provided godly wisdom and counsel on countless occasions. We couldn’t have a better leader filling that vital position – God has blessed us significantly in giving us Dr. Rogers.”

U.S. President George H. W. Bush: “Here is a man whom Southern Baptists have kept coming to. He served them earlier as president of the Convention and now again. On top of everything else, he pastors one of the largest churches in the world…There are many who presume to speak for the evangelical movements, but surely Dr. Rogers is one of the handful who truly represent them. He is a great man with a lot of influence and a lot of wisdom…”

Chuck Colson: “In my opinion, Adrian Rogers is one of the truly great preachers in America today – and a beloved friend. This is God’s man with God’s message.”