Adrian Pierce Rogers (1931–2005). Born on September 12, 1931, in West Palm Beach, Florida, to Arden and Rose Rogers, Adrian Rogers was a Southern Baptist pastor, author, and television preacher who led Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, for 32 years. Raised in a Christian home, he converted at age nine and felt called to preach at 14 during a revival. He earned a BA from Stetson University (1954) and a Master of Theology from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (1958). Ordained in 1955, Rogers pastored churches in Florida before joining Bellevue in 1972, growing it from 9,000 to over 29,000 members by 2005 with his dynamic, expository sermons. A key figure in the Southern Baptist Convention’s conservative resurgence, he served as SBC president three times (1979, 1986, 1987), championing biblical inerrancy. His television and radio ministry, Love Worth Finding, launched in 1987, reached 150 countries, broadcasting sermons like “The Pathway to Blessing.” Rogers authored 18 books, including The Power of His Presence (1995), Mastering Your Emotions (1996), and What Every Christian Ought to Know (2005). Married to Joyce Gentry since 1951, he had four children—Steve, Gayle, Philip, and David—and nine grandchildren. Rogers died on November 15, 2005, in Memphis, from cancer and pneumonia, saying, “The Bible is God’s Word, and it’s worth finding and sharing.”