The Adrian Rogers Pastor Training Institute

2002

The dream for training pastors was birthed in the heart of Adrian Rogers. He shared this dream with his son, Steve, and together, they began creating the materials that would later become the Pastor Training Institute curriculum.

2003

The Adrian Rogers Pastor Training Institute is organized as a division of Love Worth Finding Ministries. The first three-day conference is held at Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, TN. With enrollment limited to 50 pastors, the conference is “sold out” within days, and a waiting list is created for future conferences.

2004

A scheduled spring conference is delayed until the fall of 2007, due to Dr. Rogers’ open-heart surgery and subsequent recovery. Due to demand, the enrollment is increased to 100 pastors. Again, Bellevue Baptist Church hosts a capacity crowd.

2005

Dr. Rogers announces his retirement from the pastoral ministry in February, and makes plans to devote his full-time energy to the Pastor Training Institute. Plans are made to do a full-scale professional videotaping of the upcoming April 2005 conference, again held at Bellevue Baptist Church. In March 2005, Adrian and Steve Rogers re-work the existing curriculum and add new sections on leadership and creativity. The conference, previously billed simply as Three Days Up-Close and Personal with Adrian Rogers, is re-christened as What Every Pastor Ought To Know.

The April 2005 conference, taped before 120 pastors from across the country, finds Adrian Rogers, fully recovered from his 2004 open-heart surgery. Dr. Rogers’ teaching is powerfully anointed, as witnessed by all in attendance. As a communicator, he is at the peak of his game, both mentally and physically.

In May 2005, in a routine physical, Dr. Rogers is diagnosed with colon cancer. He undergoes surgery, and begins chemotherapy. Despite his treatment, Dr. Rogers is relatively free of pain, and holds two more pastor training conferences, in Sevierville, TN in August, and in Naples, FL in October.

On November 6, 2005, Dr. Rogers goes into the television studio to record what would be his final message—The Top Three Truths For The Next Generation. The next day, he is hospitalized with double pneumonia, and graduates to glory on November 15.

2006

Editing and post-production begin in earnest on the DVD-Based What Every Pastor Ought To Know curriculum at the PTI headquarters in North Palm Beach, FL. The 10 disc course is designed for individual study, but invitations start coming in for the Pastor Training Institute to hold a “videoconference,” using the taped sessions on the DVDs.

The Pastor Training Institute’s first videoconference is hosted by Dr. Jack Graham at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, TX in May 2006. Between June and November of 2006, the Pastor Training Institute receives invitations from three separate missions organizations to hold overseas conferences, using the What Every Pastor Ought To Know course.

A 75th Birthday Celebration is held by the Pastor Training Institute in Memphis, TN to honor Adrian Rogers. A capacity crowd of 750 is in attendance, and over $200,000 is raised in donations towards the ministry’s ongoing endeavors.

2007

The PTI team travels to Nairobi, Kenya with Abiding Above Ministries, to host a series of Pastor Training conferences throughout local villages.

The “What Every Pastor Ought to Know” video-based curriculum concludes postproduction and is officially released in the United States. Immediately, invitations from Africa, India, Romania, Russia and other international regions come in, requesting that the PTI team host conferences in these nations where the curriculum can be presented to local, un-schooled pastors.

2007 concludes with the PTI team (with David Rogers) voyaging to assorted provinces throughout India, training over 1000 pastors.

2008

The Pastor Training Institute officially launches as an independent, non-profit ministry seeking 501 c 3 status in its new office space.

Throughout the first half of 2008, the PTI team remodels what was previously a beauty salon and art gallery into the ministry’s cutting edge South Florida headquarters.

In July, Steve Rogers embarks on a missions journey to Nigeria Africa with PTI Board Member, Rev. Chris Hodges. There, they minister to hundreds of pastors—hosting a series of dynamic pastor training conferences—and Steve is given the opportunity to deliver the commencement address for the graduating class of a local Nigerian Bible School.

In September, the North Palm Beach headquarters officially opens to the South Florida ministry community with a celebratory “open house” event. The day following is the inaugural Pastor Training Institute Board of Directors meeting.

Also, in honor of Dr. Rogers’ 77th birthday, the PTI team orchestrates a special memorial birthday party at Mid-America Seminary where the progress and future goals of the Pastor Training Institute are presented to family, friends and supporters of the continuing global ministry of Adrian Rogers.

Towards the close of 2008, the Pastor Training Institute releases over 7,000 copies of the complete Pastor Training curriculum to ministry leaders throughout Fiji, Manila, and the Philippines.

2009

In January, the Pastor Training Institute receives its official 501-c3 certification status from the IRS.

Throughout the first quarter of the year, the PTI team gave presentations and provided a ministry presence at a variety of pastor’s conferences featuring some of the most notable speakers and Bible teachers of this present generation. 

Also, in the first quarter of the year, Steve Rogers joins Rev. Chris Hodges again for a life-changing journey to Ethiopia. There, the Pastor Training Institute provides hundreds of copies of the “What Every Pastor Ought to Know” course for those attending the pastor training conferences. Steve was also asked to lead the music portion of a citywide crusade, where thousands came out to hear and respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.


March commences the Adrian Rogers Legacy Library campaign, starting with an inaugural meeting of select Christian leaders at the Rogers home in Memphis.

In May through December, six additional Legacy Library meetings are held at the Rogers home, where pastors, Christian leaders, family and friends are presented with the vision for the Adrian Rogers Legacy Library and given the opportunity to help perpetuate Dr. Rogers’ legacy of preaching and teaching to the next generation, across the Earth.