Ed Stetzer talked about recent research from LifeWay and NAMB under the heading of “Calvinism and SBC Leadership and Evangelistic Implications.” My take on Ed’s report is that research indicates that the conservative resurgence is becoming a Calvinistic resurgence. As he put it, “It would be difficult to say that Calvinism is not a growing influence in the SBC.”
The information he presented was very insightful. He will post his findings at his website later tonight. Check it out.
Here are some nuggets from his presentation:
- Five point Calvinists tend to share the gospel weekly slightly more than non-Calvinists.
- Non-Calvinists tend to pastor larger churches in terms of worship attendance than Calvinists.
- The baptism rate (number of baptisms:number of members) is virtually indistinguishable between Southern Baptist Calvinists and non-Calvinists.
Stetzers conclusion: None of us should be overly encouraged by these states. We are not doing a very good job engaging the lostness in America.