SBC vs. IFB

The Southern Baptist Convention (not Conference) has no authority at all over any local church. There are as many different kinds of SBC churches as there are kinds of IFB churches, if not more. The only way to really know about any given SBC church is to attend services and talk to the staff and members.

Do you have any specific questions about the SBC?

 

SBC church's are as independent as IFB church's. We simply 'cooperate' to do missions. SO simply put the main structure differance is our missiological aproach. Like any Baptist church, our church's are as differant as the people who are in them. However, we have as a convention very much returned to a Conservative and in some cases even fundamental theological foundation. The average SBC church however compared to the average IFB church would not be as 'convictional' in areas of dress, hairstylr, bible versions and disponsational eschatology. As a SBC Pastor I have great fellowship with a lot of BBF guys and the circles I run in overlap with a lot of independent folks.

This is just a start...but we are in short a confesional, non conectional, mission minded, evangelistic and thank the Lord in the last 25 years, a people devoted to the Blood, the Book and the Blessed Hope convention.

J

 

The average SBC church however compared to the average IFB church would not be as 'convictional' in areas of dress, hairstylr, bible versions and disponsational eschatology.........woman or gay preachers.

 

I guess you have not read the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 in order to see the official SBC position on "women and gay preachers."

See this link for information on the SBC and the Baptist Faith and Message 2000:

SBC BF&M2000 Link

 

With an inflammatory statement like that - and one that is utterly false - I doubt Shiloh has any interest in truth as far as this matter goes.

 

Yeah, right. And all IFB churches are perfect, huh?

 

Must have rubbed the cat the wrong way. I never said IFB were perfect! There are no woman preachers or gay preacher in the SBC?

 

Perhaps the most asinine and ridiculous post I have ever read on this board, and believe me, in my short time here I have read some doosies.

Shiloh...there is a BBF church (which is IFB) in my home town. Their Pastor left his wife for a 19 year old girl that had come out of his youth group...he was 41...guess that means IFB church's are not convictional when it comes to adultery and dating former youth members..

again, ridiculous!!!!

J

 

Don't you remember when Jimmy Carter made a big fuss when the SBC said no to women preachers?

The SBC also broke its affiliation with the BWA that permitted membership of churches that did not oppose homosexuality.(just one of many issues they had with it)

LINK

 

I see nothing wrong with this comment. I have never ran across a gay preacher, but have seen a woman preach on Sunday mornings before in our church.

My church is in the SBC and honestly the manner which it holds to personal holiness is not really encouraging. Women and teens come in dressed like they are going to a night club. I find my pastor will use any version of the bible to make his point. From the NASB to the Message. If it says what he needs it to say to make his point he puts it up on the big screen. Sometimes using up to 9 to 10 bible versions in a sermon.

I have no clue about a IFB church because I have never been in one but I can tell you about my church and how it puts out a seeker friendly message that I find replusive. I know the church I attend is not the only type of church in the SBC. My comments were made to point out that the above comment does have truth to it, but it does not describe every church in the SBC.

 

I have a question about the SBC - can an SBC church intentionally give nothing to the Cooperative Missions Program and still be in the SBC? And how does a church become SBC? By signing something, etc?

 

Then why in the name of Gomer Pyle would you stay there? I would "HIT THE BRICKS!"

J

 

Maddox....I never said the IFB were perfect or even good for that matter. Examples.....MAN, I could give you many examples of IB preachers that ought to be shot! However I don't remember of ever sending any of our folks money to the IB corporate headquarters!

 

According to a report from 2000 .08% of SBC churches have women pastors.
LINK

In the BFM adopted in 2000 it says:
VI. The Church

<snip>
While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.

BFM 2000

Now I don't know how strictly a church has to adhere to the BFM, but just wanted to point out what the official SBC position is.

 

I'm a former SBC person, and not particularly pleased with them, but these allegations have little to do with reality:

Convictional? Does that mean that these churches spend their time trying to "convict" people of their sins instead of connecting people with God and training them on how to live a life in God's Kingdom?

Certainly clothes can be an issue for believers, but if this is the "women cannot wear pants" false doctrine, then I'd say that most SBC churches are innocent of this.

Some SBC churches are still reacting against long hair, but I don't think you can make a blanket statement either way.

Most SBC churches are not caught up in the false doctrine of KJVO, but unfortunately, there are always a few churches in a region who have more faith in their Bible translation than they have faith that God can adequately get His message across to believers who seek him through "modern" translations.

You can't make a blanket statement about this either. Lots of people are caught up in dispensationalism (especially since the "Left Behind" books because such a hit), but it is by no means the only common viewpoint.

Most SBC people I know have enough faith to trust God with the details and keep working for the day when faith shall be sight.

You're really off the rails with this one. The SBC specifically rejected women as pastors and homosexual activity in their BF&M 2000.

That being said, I don't think that there are any female pastors in the SBC anymore, although I imagine that there are a large number of women who publicly proclaim the name of Jesus before groups (preach) inside and outside church meetings -- just like in the New Testament church.

As far as gay preachers, there ARE gay preachers in the SBC, but they are very secretive. (I feel certain that there are gay IFB preachers too.) Homosexual activity is condemned (rightly so), especially in vocational ministers, so it only comes out when there are scandals.

In my years in SBC life and in friendship with several IFB preachers, I've discovered that IFB members often have a faulty and negative view of Southern Baptists. Often, there is not that much different between the groups except that Southern Baptists tend (in theory) to cooperate in a more trusting and open way that IFB.

The biggest difference I have seen is that IFB folks seem to think that God is judging them according to the sins of their coworkers instead of actually judging them for freezing out people who desperately need to hear the gospel.

 

Baptist Believer, you are correct. I would imagine saying that there are no gay Baptist preachers of any kind, is about as true as saying that all Catholic priests are celibate.

 

As someone stated above, each local church is completely autonomous. However, if they are part of the SBC and profess to agree with and abide by the BFM 2000, then they should not have a woman or gay preacher. However, there are those churches that send their annual support to the SBC and yet allow women and/or gay preachers, by doing so they reveal to the watching world the truth regarding their stance on Christian Ethics. Local associations and/or state Southern Baptist Conventions have and continue to disfellowship such churches.

[ May 03, 2006, 01:38 PM: Message edited by: Bible-boy ]