Retiring Adrian Rogers honored by friends from near & far

CORDOVA, Tenn. (BP) - Ginger Hall has been a member of Bellevue Baptist Church for 26 years. She's spoken to her pastor, Adrian Rogers, and shaken his hand, exactly twice.

"A lot of people tell me they don't know how I could be a member at a church this big, but I love him," Hall said. "I love Joyce. They're our family."

That was a sentiment shared by thousands the first weekend this month, as Bellevue said an emotional goodbye to its pastor after 32 years of service. Thousands on March 4 celebrated Rogers' pastorate at Bellevue. Thousands more on Sunday morning heard Rogers preach his last sermon as pastor of the Memphis-area congregation. And on Sunday night, the throngs gathered to bid a final farewell to their beloved leader.

Bellevue Baptist Church

The men who served alongside Adrian Rogers as deacon chairmen at Bellevue Baptist Church gather around the retiring pastor and his wife, Joyce, to ask God’s blessings upon the couple’s future ministry.

God's man

"Pastor, we knew that you were God's man for this church," said Al Childress, chairman of the pulpit committee that recommended Rogers to Bellevue in 1972. "But we never could have imagined all that he would do in these 32 years," Childress told the audience.

When Rogers became Bellevue's pastor, the church had 8,739 members. Today it has more than 29,000 members. Rogers is heard in more than 150 countries on more than 12,000 television stations and 2,000 radio stations on his weekly program, "Love Worth Finding."

He is a widely published author and has been a key leader in the Southern Baptist Convention's conservative resurgence. Rogers served as SBC president for three terms.

But Rogers also is a spiritual leader outside Southern Baptist circles. He has visited with U.S. presidents and other leaders. Tim Goeglein, a White House spokesman, was at the March 4 service to offer a greeting and to read a letter from President George Bush.

"I commend your dedication to serving others in the Memphis area, and indeed, around the world," the president wrote. "Your efforts have helped put hope in people's hearts and a sense of purpose in their lives."

Steve Gaines, pastor of Gardendale Baptist Church near Birmingham, Ala., hailed him as the "prince of preachers." Jack Graham, pastor of the Dallas-area Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, described him as a "warrior for the Word of God."

Commendations from peers

Other speakers in attendance included SBC President Bobby Welch; Jerry Vines, pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla.; Mike Spradlin, president of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary; Zig Ziglar; and Robert E. Reccord, president of the SBC's North American Mission Board, among others.

Bellevue Baptist Church

Adrian Rogers kisses his wife, Joyce, who thanked him "for teaching me to love the Word of God" during her remarks in special services marking his retirement as pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church.

More praises came, both in person and in video, from family members, church members, former staff members and others whose lives Rogers has touched.

Morris H. Chapman, president of the SBC Executive Committee, among the speakers at a Friday night reception, recounted that when the Southern Baptist Convention needed him in 1979, Rogers was there and became the voice of the conservative resurgence.

Rogers remained cheerful through the tributes and showed no hints of a tear. That changed on Sunday evening, as his wife Joyce stepped to the pulpit to thank him for the 53 years he has been not only her husband, but her pastor.

"Thank you for teaching me to love the Word of God in a way I wouldn't have if it weren't for you," she said.

Throughout the weekend the church showered Rogers and his wife with gifts. They presented him with an antique Scottish grandfather clock, made between 1811 and 1830. They gave him a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis and a trip to Gainesville, Fla., to see his beloved Florida Gators play. They built him a miniature model of the Bellevue building, which opened to reveal hundreds of cards written by church members.

Saying goodbye

Bellevue also voted to designate Rogers as pastor emeritus. In addition, the church announced that the Memphis City Council had agreed to rename part of Appling Road, on which the church sits, as "Dr. Adrian P. Rogers Parkway."

The event was a reunion of sorts for scores of former Bellevue members and staff. Bob Gallina, pastor of Green Hills Baptist Church in LaHabra, Calif., served at Bellevue for 11 years and said the trip back was worth the sacrifice.

"Dr. Rogers is really a key mentor ... in my life and ministry," Gallina said. "I came to honor the man who made such an impact on my life."

On Sunday evening, after saying thanks so many times, Rogers offered his last address to his flock.

"Tonight God has touched and anointed the service," he said. "We've laughed together. We've wept together. We have glorified the Savior. We've expressed love to our brothers and sisters in Christ."