So if you moved to an area without a SBC church, ( say withing a 100 mile radius) what criteria would you use to choose a Baptist church? FBFI, GARBC, BBF, CBA, ABC,ABA, --- Would you discount any of these- which ones would you consider?
(and yes, I know there are at least 57 more....
That is an excellent question. What criteria do we use to evaluate a church that is not part of our denominational preference?
I experienced just such a question when I retired in 2012 and moved to the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
My background is Independent Baptist of a type very similar to Squires. But there were no such churches in the Valley. There were a couple of IFB churches but they were radical KJVO, and had other characteristics I was not prepared to endure.
So we looked at SBC churches. We found one that took essentially the same position as we did on most things. It was even more conservative than many of the IFB churches I was familiar with in the north. There were a couple areas where we disagreed and upon meeting with the pastor we agreed we could work, worship, and witness together without resorting to arguments regarding those disagreements. I agreed not to become a focal point for dissension, and he agreed not to make an issue of the disagreement from the pulpit. We get along fine. In fact I preached all 3 English services this past Sunday.
By the way, our church's doctrinal allegiance is to the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message. I do admit I do not agree with it 100% but it is close enough that we can work together.
In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity. (Rupertus Meldenius, 1627)
