Joseph Allen Rogers

Born January 5, 1931 to Harry and Edith Rogers in Cudahy, California. Joe attended Bell High School in Bell, California, graduating in 1949 and then graduated from Azusa College (Azusa Pacific University) in 1958. His siblings were Kenneth, Ruth and Marylin.

Joe married his sweetheart from high school Marilyn Gloeckler in 1953 and has three sons, Daniel, Donald and John and eight grandchildren, Ricky, Rachel, Joshua, Nathaniel, Hope, Alex, Jayden and Gracie. He loved singing and cars, was a mechanical genius and always had a sense of humor! He sang first tenor and was the preacher for the college quartet “The King’s Envoy’s” as they traveled the country for four summers Anywhere he could, he would find a quartet to be a part of.

Accepting the Lord and feeling a call to ministry as a teenager, he began preaching at the Los Angeles Mission at the age of 16. During his college years his burning heart for the lost and concern for young people kept him awake until he obeyed God and launched the area wide Youth for Christ program in the San Gabriel Valley, CA.

He served the pastorate for ten years in various positions from minister of youth, pastor of missions and youth, to being senior pastor of several large churches until God broke his heart for the world.

During eleven years as a regional director for OMS (One Mission Society) in Portland, Oregon he served as a missionary evangelist, helping missionaries raise support and raising the vision for world missions in the local church, challenging youth and adults to service. Many serving overseas today responded to the task.

In 1978, Joe received his honorary Doctorate of Divinity (D.D.) from Western Evangelical Seminary in Portland, Oregon for a career devoted to missions around the world.

As an international evangelist, missionary and President of World Gospel Crusades (WGC) for nineteen years, he was instrumental in coordinating cooperative evangelistic efforts with numerous mission and Bible organizations, resulting in entire countries such as Ecuador, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile and Colombia, South America being reached with the Word of God and the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. Dr. Rogers has seen many come to know the Lord through fifty years of ministry.

His was a life well lived with a heart for the world, always being a servant and encourager in every stage of his life.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be directed online to empoweringlives.org A ministry in Kenya directed by Don Rogers.