NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee adopted a resolution of appreciation for Adrian Rogers for presentation during the SBC’s June 21-22 annual meeting in Nashville, Tenn.
Rogers, who died Nov. 15, was honored upon his retirement earlier in the year as pastor of the Memphis-area Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tenn.
The text of the resolution follows:
WHEREAS, Adrian P. Rogers retired March 6, 2005, after thirty-two years as senior pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tennessee; and
WHEREAS, He is the only person in modern history to be elected as president of the Southern Baptist Convention for an extraordinary three terms; and
WHEREAS, In his first term as president, he took the initial steps that eventually led to a conservative resurgence within the Southern Baptist Convention, giving root to the initiative to return Southern Baptist entities to their historic conservative stance regarding God’s Word, and setting in motion the strategy that would dramatically change the course of history for the Southern Baptist Convention; and
WHEREAS, He served as a worthy model for future presidents, laying a solid foundation upon which successive presidents would build; and
WHEREAS, As a result of his sacrificial service and efforts, and those of the presidents who followed, Southern Baptist seminaries and entities have been restored to their historic theological foundations, reflecting the heart and convictions of the overwhelming majority of Southern Baptists across the nation; and
WHEREAS, Twenty years after his first election, Adrian P. Rogers was appointed as chairman of the Baptist Faith and Message Study Committee, which recommended necessary updates and revisions to clarify the stance of Southern Baptists amidst aberrant theological and societal trends; and
WHEREAS, In 2000, the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Orlando, Florida, overwhelmingly approved this historic confession of faith reflecting Southern Baptists’ unfaltering commitment to, and support of, the Bible as “a perfect treasure of divine instruction … without any mixture of error,” and that “all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy;” and
WHEREAS, As a further result of the leadership of the Committee, Southern Baptists were able to thwart attempts to justify unorthodox beliefs and heretical teachings based upon distorted interpretations of certain clauses in earlier versions of the Baptist Faith and Message; and
WHEREAS, He further served Southern Baptists as president of the Southern Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference; and
WHEREAS, Adrian P. Rogers has been widely recognized as the preeminent pulpiteer among Southern Baptists, deemed by many as the “Prince of Preachers,” and serving as an inspiration to preachers for three generations because of his faithful and engaging exposition of God’s Word; and
WHEREAS, He served as pastor of three churches in Florida and Tennessee over the span of forty-six years, distinguishing himself as a faithful, able, and loving pastor, and endearing himself to those congregations as a compassionate shepherd; and
WHEREAS, During his ministry as pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, the church grew dramatically from nine thousand members to more than twenty-nine thousand members upon his retirement; and
WHEREAS, He founded and serves as president of Love Worth Finding Ministries, a nationally syndicated television and radio ministry, broadcast on more than twenty thousand television media outlets, on 460 radio stations across America, and in more than seventy countries around the world; and
WHEREAS, His broadcast ministries have been honored by the National Religious Broadcasters with the awards of Radio Program of the Year and the Television Program of the Year, and by his induction into its prestigious Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, His passion for proclaiming the good news of the gospel has been at the forefront of his pastoral, broadcast, and international crusade ministries; and
WHEREAS, The Lord has blessed his evangelistic efforts, which have led thousands to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior; and
WHEREAS, He has served on the trustee board of the Focus on the Family organization; and
WHEREAS, He graduated from two distinguished Baptist educational institutions: Stetson University and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary; and
WHEREAS, He has written numerous books and booklets, and has produced scores of cassette albums on various spiritual subjects; and
WHEREAS, He and his wife, Joyce, established a Christian home in which they raised four children: Steve, Gayle, David, and Janice; and
WHEREAS, His contributions to Southern Baptist life have been extraordinary, extensive, distinguished, and remarkable, dramatically shaping the course of the Southern Baptist Convention to the honor and glory of God; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the members of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, June 20, 2005, and the messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, June 21-22, 2005, express sincere, deepest, and profound gratitude to God for the life and exceptional ministry of Adrian P. Rogers; and be it finally
RESOLVED, That the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention express best wishes to Adrian and Joyce Rogers for the years ahead, with prayers for the Lord’s richest blessings.
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