Featured Please explain Baptist and Independent Baptist

So you would be referring to things more like when liberalism got into seminaries like Fuller and into some baptists ones in say 1970s?

 

Independent

As someone "born, bred, and raised" in Independent Baptist Churches of the north (Michigan), I understand the difference to be:

+ Independent = not answering to any governing group or association, although an association of churches may be formed, but the association answers to the churches, not the churches answering to the association

+ Independent = having the freedom to run the church (doctrinally) the way the Pastor / Deacons / Members see fit, answering only to the Bible, not to the policy of an agency

+ Independent = most importantly (to some), the tithes stay within the church proper and the finances of the church are not reportable to a higher authority

In a nutshell, that is what I understand the major difference(s) to be between Baptist and Independent Baptist.

Oh yeah, one more thing:

+ Independent = missions come out of the church and answer to a local church, no matter how large the mission; missionaries / evangelists are accountable to their local church (and its pastor), not to an agency

The way that I understood it growing up, other doctrine never entered into the title of "Independent" except for these issues. IIRC, there was even a local Independent Baptist church held in high esteem that was associating itself with a convention (don't remember which one), but never joined, although doctrinally - except for the independent part - they were quite compatible.

 

Let me make a little correction here:

Southern Baptists = not answering to any governing group or association, although an association of churches may be formed, but the association answers to the churches, not the churches answering to the association.

Southern Baptists = having the freedom to run the church (doctrinally) the way the Pastor / Deacons / Members see fit, answering only to the Bible, not to the policy of an agency.

Southern Baptists = most importantly (to some), the tithes stay within the church proper and the finances of the church are not reportable to a higher authority.

In reality, here is where most of the difference lies:

Independent = missions come out of the church and answer to a local church, no matter how large the mission; missionaries / evangelists are accountable to their local church (and its pastor), not to an agency. [However, this is NOT true in all "IFB" churches.]

Southern Baptists = missions funds are spent as the church desires. Missionaries come out of local SBC churches. Churches may support SBC missions as much or as little as they wish, and may also support independent missions/missionaries if they so desire. Missionaries / evangelists receiving financial support from the HMB/IMB are accountable to the HMB/IMB as their employer.

 

Actually, as an independent Baptist missionary I am accountable to my sending agency as well as my sending church. The agency will inform my sending church in egregious cases (moral or doctrinal failure), but in many smaller matters my sending agency acts for my sending church to keep me accountable. For example, it would be an unnecessary burden on my local church to keep me accountable in all of the minor financial matters that a missionary must deal with, such as reporting ministry expenses to the IRS.