SBC-GARBC

The GARBC left the Northern Baptist Convention (now the American Baptist Churches in the USA) over the issues of separation, conventionalism and modernism.

It is operated as an association, not as a convention, and thus does not have an organizational structure with convention-controlled entities as the SBC does. (There is no counterpart in the GARB of the SBC's International Mission Board or North American Mission Board, for example.)

Historically, the GARBC has accepted into fellowship other Baptist churches willing to practice separation and adhere to its statement of faith, which is considerably more strict and wide-ranging than the SBC's Baptist Faith and Message. For example, the GARBC's statement explicitly confirms verbal and plenary inspiration, the historicity of the Genesis account of creation, separation, and premillenialism and the rapture.

Of course, one cannot judge individual churches strictly from their formal policies and statements. A good number of Southern Baptist churches would have no problem with any of the GARBC statement of faith, except for the issue of separation. In fact, the Southern Baptists in Ohio have endorsed the Ohio GARBC's college.

There also are independent Baptists who maintain that the GARBC itself has slipped down the road of modernism and unwillingness to practice separation. I have no first-hand knowledge of the situation and tend to take Baptist-against-Baptist attacks with a grain of salt, although there may be some truth to them.

 

The full story of the "GARBC split" can be found in the book "What Happened to the GARBC at Niagara Falls? It was published by Bethel Baptist Press, 754 East Rockhill Road, Sellersville, PA 18960 phone (215) 536-9200. The book was co-authored by Dr. L. Duane Brown, Dr. Ralph G. Colas, Dr. Richard A. Harris, and Pastor Jack Keep. Several churches withdrew from the GARBC and formed the Independent Baptist Fellowship Of North Americia. However many of the churches did maintained fellowship with the State (Regualr Baptist) Associations. (as opposed to the SBC where many churches in VA and TX have formed Conservtive State conventions) Even though this new group calls itself "Independent" it is still a formal organization.
One of the main differences between the GARBC and SBC is that the Home Misison Board and Foreign Mission Board are under direct control of the SBC and its missionaries are basically sent to the field immeidately, as they are on "salary". In the GARBC they used to "approve" (several) mission boards. The missionary would then spend 12-36 months gatheirng support from local chuches.

The duties of the GARBC's Council of 18 are spelled out in Article 6 section 6: It shall be the duty of hte Council to make recommendations to the Association for the furtherance of its work, and ot implement and put into opertion all actions and policies of the Association. Article VII seciton 1 states: It shall be the policy of the Association to abstain from the creation and / or control of educational, missionary and other benevolent agencies.
Therefore the GARBC only approves these agencies. The problem is that many of the men on the council of 18 are the presidents of the mission, educational and social agencies.
Anotherwards, the fox was guarding the hen house.

Hope this helps some, I know I rambled some but it is 1 am. Please let me know,if you need some clairfaction.
FYI, I was a member of a GARBC for many years, due to military service; I was a member of IFB and SBC as well. I currently am a member of a SBC church, (the pastor is a grad of a GARBC school!)

Let me close with this, Our DOM has stated: "Southern Baptists are more independent than Independent Baptists!

Salty

 

Actually many SBC churches support Indepenent Baptist missionaries in addition to the Co-op program!
My SBC church is one example. Take a tour of First Bap of Atlanta (Charles Stanley). You would be suprised at how many Independent missionaries they support

Salty