Yeah, but all things considered, I would like to know how the non-Calvinists can provide that their theology and understanding of the gospel produces more missionaries and better evangelists. In all fairness, let’s let the critique go both ways.

Anecdote is better than nothing, but your best shot (and it’s only a shot) at changing their attitude is quantitative data.

BTW, if I haven’t made it clear, you’re not trying to change my mind; I’m just trying to help you see what they’re looking for.

Well, I don’t know what else to say. Would it help you to know that the largest seminary in the world is headquarters for Reformed theology in America, and at the same time, the largest seedbed for missionary appointees for the IMB? Anecdotally speaking, this was confirmed when I, in God’s providence, recently sat next to the IMB representative/recruiter for SBTS who himself confirmed this to be the case. In fact, his words were that, where he to double the amount of time here at SBTS to interview candidates for the mission field, he still would not be able to facilitate all the requests. Sounds like that Reformed theology sure is killing missions and evangelism!

Methinks Mr. Wagner needs to check with the IMB before making such a historically and factual error.

The numbers probably don’t exist at this time, but until you can show the folks in the SBC leadership that Calvinists produce more missionaries, you’re not going to get their attention.

Have we ever considered that maybe the popular genre of ‘reformed theology’ in today’s circles is not “truly-not just nominally-Reformed”? That is, maybe some would listen if our actions spoke louder than our words…

I’m sorry that I am a little slow to responding (these posts today have been scheduled prior to posting, so the timing does not reflect me being online).

Regarding current data, I would encourage folks to consider Ed Stetzer’s recent research which can be found here:

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/Calvinism%20and%20Southern%20Baptist%20Church%20Leadership%20presentation.pdf

In it, Stetzer makes five observations from the data:

1. Nearly 30 percent of recent SBC seminary graduates now serving as church pastors identify themselves as Calvinists.

2. In the last year of the study, 34 percent of those serving in SBC churches identified themselves as five-point Calvinists.

3. Calvinistic recent graduates report that they conduct personal evangelism at a slightly higher rate than their non-Calvinistic peers.

4. 27 percent of 1,234 recent seminary graduate respondents serving in SBC church leadership positions “somewhat agree” or “strongly agree” that they are five-point Calvinists, while 67 percent affirmed that God’s “grace is irresistible” and 58 percent said they believe “people do not choose to become Christians, God chooses and calls people who respond to him.”

5. Calvinistic churches, though they baptize fewer persons each year, have a “baptism rate” virtually identical to that of non-Calvinistic churches. Baptism rate is the number of annual baptisms relative to total membership, a statistic used to measure evangelistic vitality.

Other anecdotal data is the fact that the top 2 multiplying churches in the United States are pastored by Calvinists:

http://outreachmagazine.com/docs/25innov_JA07.pdf

Furthermore, the leading church planting efforts, such as Acts 29 and Sovereign Grace, have a confessionally Reformed. You can find more of my previous response to Wagner by going here:

http://timmybrister.com/2008/03/13/responding-to-bill-wagner-on-being-missional/

As long as the SBC uses “decisions” and “baptisms” as the measuring stick, Calvinists are going to be at a disadvantage. I crings whenever evangelism is described as “praying to receive Christ” in our Baptist publications.