Southern Baptist · Late 20th Century

Adrian Pierce Rogers

September 12, 1931 – November 15, 2005

Senior pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis from 1972 to 2005 and three-time president of the Southern Baptist Convention. A key leader of the Conservative Resurgence within the SBC.

Tradition

Southern Baptist

Era

Late 20th Century

Preserved Sermons

2,700+

Biography

Adrian Pierce Rogers was born in West Palm Beach, Florida, the son of a milkman, and was converted at fourteen. He was educated at Stetson University and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and pastored congregations in Florida and Tennessee before being called to Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis in 1972 — a position he held for thirty-three years until his retirement just months before his death. Under his preaching Bellevue grew from 9,000 members to over 29,000 and relocated in 1989 to a new 7,000-seat sanctuary in Cordova. In 1987 Rogers founded Love Worth Finding, a media ministry distributing his daily radio and television teaching across the United States and to more than 150 countries. Rogers was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1979 — the first conservative elected during the SBC's denomination-defining 'Conservative Resurgence' — and again in 1986 and 1987. His preaching combined classical Southern Baptist evangelistic structure with vivid alliteration, scriptural authority, and a rich, expressive voice that became instantly recognizable on American Christian radio.

Legacy

Rogers's role in the Conservative Resurgence helped redirect the largest Protestant denomination in the United States. His Love Worth Finding broadcasts and his What Every Christian Ought to Know doctrinal series remain widely circulated. Bellevue Baptist's sermon archive and LWF together preserve nearly his entire pulpit ministry — a rare completeness for a 20th-century preacher.

Notable Sermons

Copyright & Usage

All sermons by Adrian Rogers remain copyrighted by Love Worth Finding Ministries. The archive below links to the official ministry site where sermons, devotionals, and study materials are freely accessible for personal study but not redistribution.

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