Kevin Rogers

Name: Kevin Rogers

Birthplace: St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

Home: Puyallup, Washington

Parents: Father, Lynch, public high school mathematics teacher. Mother, Genevieve, mathematics teacher in the same high school.

High School: St. Thomas Seventh-day Adventist School. Graduated in 1984.

College: Walla Walla College, College Place, Washington. After studying engineering for two years, he graduated in 1989 with a degree in theology.

WWC gave him a strong background in biblical languages and provided opportunities for gaining experience in ministry. With a friend, he went as a student missionary and worked in evangelism in the Philippines. “That was helpful because early on, it got me involved in soul winning. Walla Walla also helped me in the general understanding of pastoring and how to go about it.”

Graduate School: Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan. Graduated in 1993 with a Master of Divinity degree.

Turning point: When Kevin was 16, he struggled with the concept of just going through the motions of church. He wondered if God was real and if God was not real in his life, then what was the point? One night he gave God two weeks to show him that He was real. That night was a whole new chapter in his life. He began to study the Bible for himself and came to the conclusion that the teachings of the church were proven in God’s word. He began to experience God in his life in a personal way, which sealed his involvement with the church.

“My grandfather had a great influence on my life and my decision to be a Christian. He helped me understand that God was real, he helped me understand the power of prayer and taught me about life, people and love. When I was at the crossroads of deciding what to do about Jesus, he was the person I wanted to be like, and I asked God to make me like him.”

Occupation: Pastor of the 323-member Mt. Tahoma Church in Tacoma, Washington, and the 86-member Open Bible Fellowship in Lakewood.

Success: “I cannot take personal credit for the good things that have happened to me in my life. I never could have accomplished these things on my own. No pastor works alone, and I thank God for spirit-filled people who have come into my life and who are willing to let God use them.

Spouse: Mernetha Lawrence Rogers. Went to George Fox University in Newburg, Oregon. Graduated with a degree in human resource management.

Married: July 7, 1991. Kevin and Mernetha met at the Sharon Church in Portland, Ore., when he was an associate pastor there.

Children: Karsten, 11, and Ahsan, 7.

Mission: “My personal mission is to know Jesus and to be like Him. My goal, with the power of God’s Spirit, is to help prepare families for His coming.”