Adrian Rogers on Church Growth
by Keith Hinson Vol. VIII, No. 2, February 1995
Not every strategy for growing a church is scriptural, according to Adrian Rogers, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, TN. Speaking during the Jan. 23-24 meeting of the Alabama Baptist Evangelism Conference, Rogers discussed three "church-growth philosophies."
- The first philosophy is "power evangelism" touted by John Wimber of the Vineyard movement, based in California.
"They're saying, if you will show miracles and have an open demonstration of God's power, then you'll reach multitudes," Rogers told the crowd, which was estimated at about 2,000 conferees by an Alabama Baptist official. Referring the group to I Corinthians 1, Rogers said, "I want you to see power evangelism. It's in verse 22. Look at it: 'For the Jews require a sign' - demand a sign - that's literally what the word says. ... 'Come down from the Cross, and we'll believe. Give us a sign from heaven that we might know. '
"With us today, there are the miracle mongers - those who require a sign and require miracles. Now I'm not opposed to miracles. I thank God for miracles. I believe in a God of miracles. I would never deny miracles. But I will never demand a miracle.
"Don't ever demand a miracle. ... We have a generation like that today - and they call that 'power evangelism,'" said Rogers, a past president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Rogers noted Jesus' words in Matthew 12:39: "An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign."
John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit "from his mother's womb," Rogers said, yet "the Bible says John did no miracles - not one. But the Bible says many believed on Jesus because of the testimony of John. Oh, man, that's what I want."
- The second philosophy Rogers described is "the Willow Creek model." According to this philosophy, Rogers said, "What you need to do is to take the average guy, the average Joe, the average Jane off the street, bring them in and say something to them relevant - something they can understand, something that meets their need. Jettison the church jargon, and you will reach people."
But turning again to 1 Corinthians 1:21, Rogers said, "The Greeks seek after wisdom - that's 'felt needs.'"
Rogers acknowledged that both church growth philosophies "work to a degree, but neither of them is new. They are as old as Corinth."
- The third philosophy of church growth is "Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God," Rogers said, again quoting from 1 Corinthians 1.
"The very things that these two [previous] schools of church growth are looking for are found in the Lord Jesus Christ. I mean, He is the power of God, and He is the wisdom of God," said Rogers.
"You're not missing power, you're not missing wisdom when you preach Christ. You're finding power, you're finding wisdom when you preach the Lord Jesus Christ," Rogers said. The salvation provided by Christ is an "ego slayer," Rogers said. "Most of the people in America are egomaniacs, strutting to hell, thinking they're too good to be damned... .
"Do you know what's happening in our preaching today?" Rogers asked. "We're standing up - wittingly or unwittingly standing behind the pulpit and saying something like this, 'Are you unhappy? Are you confused? Are you dissatisfied? Then come to Jesus.' That makes God your servant."
But the "great human dilemma is not what sin does to me but (that) sin is an affront to a holy God and deserves God's wrath. The Cross shows man's total unworthiness, and it shows man's complete inability. ... There's nothing you can do but trust Christ," Rogers said.
In another sermon, Rogers preached on the Old Testament story of a plague of snakes among the Israelites. God provided a remedy, which was a brass serpent raised up on a pole, Rogers noted, and any snake-bitten person could look upon the brass serpent and be healed.
The remedy was available to anyone who would look - or, in the words of Numbers 21:8, "every one that is bitten," Rogers said. "That's the reason I cannot go all the way with these boys who have gone so far with Calvinism," Rogers said. "They have the idea that some can be saved and some cannot be saved.
"Pardon me if I offend you, dear friend, but I want you to know that I believe that Christ is the propitiation for our sins - and not for our sins only, but for the sins of the whole world. And the Lord is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance - and whosoever will may come," Rogers said.
"You say, 'Well, I believe, they're elected.' Well, they may be, but I like to nominate them - and I'll tell you something else: You'd be surprised how many more get elected in a red hot, evangelistic service," Rogers said.
"Some Calvinists and other Christian thinkers are critical of what they call 'easy believism.' Be careful. What do you want? A hard believism?" Rogers asked. "I don't believe in cheap grace, and I don't believe in playing games, but, friend, the gospel of Jesus Christ is gloriously simple, and therefore it is simply glorious. ... The common people heard Jesus gladly; it was easy."
In another message, Rogers told the group, "There are thirsty people all around. If you don't believe that people are thirsty to know Jesus Christ, I'm going to tell you it says something very bad about you."
Rogers told the group to "forget the skeptics and the scorners and come to the seekers and tell them of Jesus. ... There's never been a better day to preach the gospel than now."
Concerning skeptics, Rogers advised the conferees to not "spend too much time arguing with these people. There will always be someone on your church field who will want to argue theology with you, want you to try to prove God, and bring their rationalism and all of this to it. Tell them the Word of God, declare what God has done, and go your way. The cure for skepticism is time.
"Jess Moody says, 'Old atheists never die. They just go to hell.' But when they get to hell, they'll not be atheists there any more," Rogers said. [BP]