Daniel N. Rogers, Sr.

320 Grimes Golden Road, Linden, VA  22642
540-272-8327 • danrogers32@gmail.com

 

The following is a summary of my general philosophy of ministry.  The outworking of this foundation may take many forms specific to the circumstances and characteristics of ministry roles.

The Bible

The Bible is foundational to all we do in life and ministry.  It is the final authority for faith and practice, and is without error in all that it says.

The Uniqueness of the Bible

The Bible is the collection of sixty-six books from Genesis to Revelation, which as originally written (Autographa), not only contains and conveys the Word of God – it is the very Word of God (Ps 19:7-11; 119:105,160; Jn 17:17).

The Inspiration of the Bible

God interacted with the human writers of the Bible so that every word of the original texts (Autographa) was exactly as He wanted and without error (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Pet 1:19-21).

The Preservation of the Bible

God has preserved thousands of ancient manuscript copies which provide reliable evidence of the content of the original manuscripts (Autographa) of the Bible (1 Pet 1:23).

The Interpretation of the Bible

Whereas there may be several applications of any given passage of Scripture, there is but one true interpretation. The meaning of Scripture is to be found as one diligently applies the normal, literal, grammatical-historical method of interpretation under the illumination of the Holy Spirit. It is the responsibility of believers to use discernment to carefully understand the true intent and meaning of the Scripture in order to correctly apply the Word to daily living (Rev 22:18-19). The teaching of the Bible is based then on the following hermeneutical (interpretive) principles:

1.  Normal – understanding the words of the Bible in their common usage unless otherwise indicated by the context.

2.  Literal – understanding the meaning of the Bible in its ordinary sense unless the context requires a figurative interpretation.

3.  Grammatical – using the recognized rules of grammar to interpret the text.

4.  Historical – understanding the words of the Bible in the context of the times in which they were written.

5.  Systematic – categorizing and comparing the teaching of the Bible with the whole of God’s Word in view.

The Mission of the Church

The mission of the church is to honor God by making disciples of Christ, baptizing them and teaching them obedience to the Word of God resulting in transformed lives for Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20; I Corinthians 10:31; Romans 12:1-2).  

The following functions of the church, illustrated in Acts 2:40-47, demonstrate this mission:

1.         Worship:  The local church exists to offer the body of believers the opportunity to exalt God together.

2.         Discipleship:  The local church exists to edify believers to follow Biblical truth and establish a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

3.         Service:  The local church exists to equip believers to discover their spiritual gifts, and to encourage them to become participating members of the body of Christ.

4.         Fellowship:  The local church exists to encourage believers to develop close relationships within the body for friendship, spiritual growth and accountability.

5.         Outreach:  The local church exists to evangelize those facing a Christless eternity in Hell.  Believers are encouraged to seek out those who do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ and look for opportunities to share the good news of salvation.  This includes involvement in domestic and foreign missions.

Counseling

Biblical/nouthetic counseling is integral to the discipleship ministry of the church.  Nouthetic is a term coined by Jay Adams to describe an approach to biblical counseling.  The term comes from the New Testament Greek word noutheteō, which can be translated as “admonish,” “correct,” “exhort,” or “instruct.”  The noun form, nouthesia, is “the training by the word, whether of encouragement, or, if necessary, by reproof or remonstrance” (W. E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words). The Word of God is sufficient to counsel the believer in every area of his or her spiritual life (2 Pet 1:3-4; 2 Tim 3:16-17) and is the heart of biblical or nouthetic counseling. 

Sound Doctrine

The church must preserve the doctrines as taught by the apostles (Acts 2:42; 1 Tim 4:6; 2 Tim 2:2; Titus 1:9, 2:1).  It shall be the responsibility of the elders (of which the pastor is one) to teach the Word to the church, to care for the spiritual condition of the church, to guard the purity of doctrine within the church, and to oversee the doctrinal content for the church.

The Pastor

According to the New Testament, elders lead the church, teach and preach the Word, protect the church from false teachers, exhort and admonish the saints in sound doctrine, visit the sick, pray, and judge doctrinal issues. In biblical terminology, elders shepherd, oversee, lead, and care for the local church.  The full-time pastor (senior pastor, lead pastor, solo pastor, etc.) is one of the elders who is supported financially so he can commit full-time to the equipping of the believers for the work of the ministry and the edifying of the body of Christ (Eph 4:11-12).  Much of the pastor’s time is spent discipling and shepherding the elders, deacons, and other leaders within the congregation.