Rogers was ordained in 1843 and in 1845 was appointed to the curacy of St. Thomas', Charterhouse, London, where he remained for 18 years, throwing himself passionately into the work of education of his poor and often criminal parishioners. He established a school for impoverished children in a blacksmith's abandoned shed, and he gradually extended it until schools were provided throughout the parish. In 1863 Rogers became rector of St. Botolph's, Bishopsgate, and there he tackled the problem of intermediate, or higher-elementary, education. He advocated secular education and to the cry against “godless education” replied, “Hang theology; let us begin,” earning his lasting nickname. Rogers also reconstructed Edward Alleyn's charity at Dulwich and founded the Bishopsgate Institute.