New Orleans—New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary trustees have approved the establishment of an Adrian Rogers Center for Expository Preaching.

Additional initiatives also were approved during the trustees’ fall meeting to enhance the training of local church pastors and other church leaders—a Christian leadership major in the doctor of philosophy program and several enhancements to the seminary’s master of divinity program.

“Dr. Adrian Rogers is one of the most significant alumni in the history of NOBTS—well-known for a lifetime of excellent expository preaching,” President Chuck Kelley said following the trustee meeting. “This center will enhance our ability to train students and prepare them to open God’s Word and teach through great expository preaching over the years of their ministry.”

Rogers, who died in 2005 after 33 years as pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tenn., earned the bachelor of divinity (equivalent to today’s master of divinity) at NOBTS in 1958. The Memphis-area pastor and three-time SBC president, launched his radio and television ministry “Love Worth Finding” in 1987. Through Love Worth Finding, millions of people were impacted through Rogers’ preaching.

Building on Rogers’ legacy of expository preaching, the new academic center will promote training and skill development for current students and pastors alike. In addition to providing leadership and promotion for the preaching degrees in the academic program (master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees with expository preaching specializations and the biblical exposition major in the doctor of philosophy program), the Rogers Center will host conferences and lectureships in expository preaching. The center also will develop preaching resources to assist local church pastors.

Led by Adam Hughes, NOBTS professor of expository preaching and dean of the chapel, the Rogers Center will officially launch in January 2017.

The new Christian leadership major in the doctor of philosophy program approved by trustees is aimed at providing a Ph.D.-level learning option for the growing number of NOBTS students in master’s programs focusing on leadership, NOBTS Provost Steve Lemke said.

“The area of leadership has become one of the most popular specializations among students in our doctor of ministry and doctor of educational ministry programs, and we wanted to offer this focused training in our Ph.D. program as well,” Lemke said. (BP)