Leadership Journal

Adrian Rogers was a highly respected preacher and leader in his church and denomination. As pastor of the mammoth Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, Rogers was also a force behind the conservative resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention. He died on November 15, 2005, at the age of 74.

In ministry today, we are hearing the argument for raising the expectations for church membership and participation. In 1989, Rogers participated in a Leadership roundtable discussion with Maxie Dunnam, Don Finto and Duane Litfin. Here are some of Rogers's comments on the topic of commitment: How much is enough?

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Leadership: When you think of committed people in your church, who comes to mind?

Adrian Rogers: A man I greatly admire, Marvin Nelli. He operates a service station. He's not a gifted speaker, but Marvin is perhaps the best personal witness I've ever met. He gets off work and visits in the hospitals, listening and sharing. Hardly a Sunday goes by that he doesn't come forward with somebody he has led to a commitment to Christ. Sometimes it will be a whole family. His commitment is not so much to the infrastructure as to what the organization is there to produce.

Leadership: The rub comes, though, because not everyone is this committed. What's the "minimum weekly requirement" for the average member? Do people know these expectations when they join?

Rogers: The only thing I look for when a person comes to join our church is commitment to Christ. Romans 14:1 says, "He who is weak in the faith, receive." A newcomer is a babe, and I think every family needs a lot of babysitters. You can't say to a baby, "We'll let you into the family if you do the dishes, make the beds, mop the floors, bring in income." He's not equipped. He has to be nurtured and trained. So we keep a low threshold for new members.

Leadership: If you keep entrance requirements at the infant level, what prevents you later from having spiritual teenagers who refuse to do any chores?

Rogers: The difference is between what we desire and what we require. You can't require dedication, anyway. You can require some forms of legalism, but they won't be a reality in people's lives.

I believe you have to keep the theological standard high; the Lord said, "Be perfect," and the leaders have to be striving for that standard with all there is in them. They are the spiritual fathers, John says. But always there are the "little children" John refers to. They ought to grow rapidly, but you don't screen them out on the front end. A church is an incubator, a nursery, a grade school. You start where people are and move them to where they need to be.

Leadership: When new people come, is it better to get them serving right away, so they don't get programmed for inactivity? Or is it better to get them grounded in the Word and worship first?

Rogers: To me it depends on what you get them to do. When I meet with our new members, I tell them, "Every person has ...