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Building Bridges #1 Stetzer

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:

  1. Five point Calvinists tend to share the gospel weekly slightly more than non-Calvinists.
  2. Non-Calvinists tend to pastor larger churches in terms of worship attendance than Calvinists.
  3. 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.

Tom Ascol has served as a Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, FL since 1986. Prior to moving to Florida he served as pastor and associate pastor of churches in Texas. He has a BS degree in sociology from Texas A&M University (1979) and has also earned the MDiv and PhD degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas. He has served as an adjunct professor of theology for various colleges and seminaries, including Reformed Theological Seminary, the Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary, African Christian University, Copperbelt Ministerial College, and Reformed Baptist Seminary. He has also served as Visiting Professor at the Nicole Institute for Baptist Studies at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. Tom serves as the President of Founders Ministries and The Institute of Public Theology. He has edited the Founders Journal, a quarterly theological publication of Founders Ministries, and has written hundreds of articles for various journals and magazines. He has been a regular contributor to TableTalk, the monthly magazine of Ligonier Ministries. He has also edited and contributed to several books, including Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry, The Truth and Grace Memory Books for children and  Recovering the Gospel and Reformation of Churches. He is also the author of From the Protestant Reformation to the Southern Baptist Convention, Traditional Theology and the SBC and Strong and Courageous. Tom regularly preaches and lectures at various conferences throughout the United States and other countries. In addition he regularly contributes articles to the Founders website and hosts a weekly podcast called The Sword & The Trowel. He and his wife Donna have six children along with four sons-in-law and a daughter-in-law. They have sixteen grandchildren.
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