Cris Rogers

Christopher "Cris" Rogers (born 4 February 1979) is a Church of England priest. He was among the first to be ordained to the ordained pioneer ministry in the Church of England. He is currently the Rector of All Hallows' Church, Bow, London.

The Reverend

Cris Rogers
Rector of All Hallows, Bow
ChurchChurch of England
DioceseDiocese of London
In office2015 to present
Orders
OrdinationJune 2007 (deacon)
June 2008 (priest)
Personal details
Birth nameChristopher Rogers
Born (1979-02-04) 4 February 1979
Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England
Websitecrisrogers.co.uk

Early life

Rogers was born in Pontefract, West Yorkshire and attended Freeston High School, Normanton, where he gained 10 GCSEs. In 1996, he went on to study for a BTech in Art at Leeds College of Art and Design. In 2000, he received his bachelor's degree in Theology from Trinity College, Bristol.

Christian Ministry

After his bachelor's degree, Rogers went on to establish and lead a Christian Youth Congregation called The Gathering working with St Michael's Church Boldmere in the Diocese of Birmingham under the leadership of the then Vicar Peter Howell-Jones. Whilst leading the youth congregation, Rogers pioneered several creative ministry opportunities including a skate park ministry, which met on Saturdays and involved young people around the area.

In 2004, Rogers went on to study for his Master's degree in Theology from King's College London, and became the lead pastor of Soul Survivor Church in Harrow, North West London.[1]

Rogers was ordained deacon by the Bishop of London Richard Chartres to the Anglican Church in June 2007. He was then ordained as a Pioneer Minister and a Priest by the Area Bishop of Willesden Pete Broadbent in June 2008. Rogers was one of the first to be ordained to the role, which was seen as a breakthrough in creative leadership within the Church of England.

In September 2010 he moved to Devons Road, Bow in the East End of London, where he was Associate Vicar at All Hallows, Church[2][3] before being licensed as Rector to the same church in January 2015.

Other projects

Spring Harvest

Rogers has been a featured speaker at Spring Harvest Christian Easter Conference where he has been involved in theological teaching for young adults. Rogers is also involved in teaching on a local London based theology course called 'Faith'.

Magazine and Radio

Rogers is becoming known for his dynamic bible teaching and was recently quoted in Christianity Magazine speaking about the future of the art form. Rogers was quoted as saying that

"Preaching has come to a desperate state where we now are on borrowed time. Communicating the gospel isn't dead but the traditional forms may well be. We need to put to death the monologue and be re-inspired with two-way communication. I don't think we have the liberty not to be creative anymore."[4]

The article describes Rogers as a dynamic preacher who is always coming up with new ways of teaching the Bible. Cris is creative through appealing to the senses, physically giving people some salt or water if that's what he's talking about, or cooking a bacon sandwich while talking about the food laws of Leviticus. "Jesus had illustrations right there where they were touchable. Yet when we preach so often we simply show a photo or describe a situation. What if we did what Jesus did and actually had the thing that was the illustration there for them to touch smell or taste?"[4]

Rogers has also been a monthly theology writer for YouthWork Magazine, writing for youth workers to understand the background to the books of the Bible.

Author

In January 2004, Kevin Mayhew Publishing published Rogers' first book, Naked Christianity: Helping young people grasp issues of faith. Rogers undertook a speaking tour across the UK also titled "Naked Christianity" in the same year.

Television appearances

In December 2004, Rogers was also involved with Teachers TV when he was interviewed about how to communicate effectively in the RE class room while using one of Teachers TV’s discussion resources as an example.

Kingdom Rise

Rogers worked with Rob Peabody on a series called Kingdom Rise. A new way forward in Christian resources, this small group study combined Bible study with films and a worship album promoting issues of worship and justice.

The Pursuit

Rogers worked with Peabody on The Pursuit conference,[5] a four-day, 24/7 worship, prayer gathering discussing community and justice issues. It is a weekend of retreat for people to engage with God and people in a real and authentic way. The first conference was in May 2015 and there are plans for another to be held in 2016.

Personal life

Rogers and his wife, Beki, have two children and live in Bow, London. She is also Associate Rector at the church.[2]

The family are keen science fiction fans, and have gained media attention for combining this interest with church activities.[6]

Books by Cris Rogers
  • Naked Christianity: Helping young people grasp issues of faith (Kevin Mayhew, 2004) ISBN 978-1-84417-341-9 (out of print)
  • Am I A Freak (Kevin Mayhew, 2005) ISBN 978-1-84417-480-5
  • A Monkey's Orientation, A Book About Holiness (Authentic, 2008) ISBN 978-1-85078-782-2
  • Practising Resurrection: The church being the hands feet and heart of Jesus (Authentic, 2010) ISBN 978-1-85078-860-7
  • The Bible Book by Book (Monarch, 2012) ISBN 978-0-85721-016-6[7]
  • The Rebel's Guide to the Good News (Elevation, 2013) ASIN B00CEU8IQM

Footnotes
  1. Not to be confused with Soul Survivor Church in Watford, a distinct church.
  2. Clergy moves August 2010 Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Diocese of London
  3. The Revd Christopher Rogers, Diocese of London
  4. Christianity Magazine, May 09
  5. www.thepursuit.co.uk
  6. Florence Taylor (16 December 2015). "Pop-cultural appropriation: how the church is using Star Wars to spread the gospel". Christian Today.
  7. Book review: The Bible Book by Book by Cris Rogers Archived 7 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Baptist Times, 24 June 2012
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