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SBC vs. Independent

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gb93433

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North Carolina Tentmaker said:
The attitude of most of the mountain IFB churches is that unless you have relatives in the church already you are not really welcome. They will make exceptions if you look like us, talk like us, have relatives we know, and are willing to conform and not make waves. Outsiders need to stay outside.

There is good in everyone of those churches. Those kind of churches serve two purposes. They put the bad apples in one spot so they do not contaminate others who are good. They also serve as an example of what not to do.
 

TomVols

New Member
John of Japan said:
:eek: :eek:
You must be joking! IFB churches that oppose missions and evangelism? Are you sure they are not Primitive Baptists of some kind?
Nope. Staunch, Sword-of-the Lord reading, KJVO IFBs. Very few PBers in our area. NC Tentmaker is right, although I think he's a little more than 50 miles from me, which means this is more widespread than you'd imagine. When I was in Louisville, KY, I was asked about coming on staff at an IFB church (a very large church I won't name). When I asked about their evangelism/missions practices and beliefs, I discovered very quickly that IFB hostility to evangelism and missions is not just an Appalachian mountain problem.
 
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TomVols

New Member
Squire Robertsson said:
It's worth noting the Primative Baptists split off from the Historic Baptist lineage represented by Rob, John, and myself in the early 19th century. I would say we represent the Fullerite line rather than the Gillite line of theology.
What's wrong with Gill :thumbs:
 
Hey Tom, you were right. I checked with Mapsource and from my house to downtown Knoxville is 53.5 miles so it is a little over 50 miles. (of course that is not driving distance)

IFB hostility towards missions and evangelism may not be limited to our area but I found the problem much worse here then when I lived in South Carolina. Mountain culture is very different and naturaly shy and distrustfull of outsiders. I am sure that makes the problem worse. I would think that a smaller community would also make it worse. In big cities you can always find a stranger to witness to. That is not the case here.

One church in our area that sends members on foreign missions trips every year. I had to ask one time why it was easier to witness to someone in a different culture who spoke a different language than it is to witness to people we see every day. The answer of course is that they don't know us.
 

underscoretim

New Member
gb93433 said:
There is good in everyone of those churches. Those kind of churches serve two purposes. They put the bad apples in one spot so they do not contaminate others who are good. They also serve as an example of what not to do.


talk about extreme separation. this has to be satire
 

dcorbett

Active Member
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North Carolina Tentmaker said:
IFB hostility towards missions and evangelism may not be limited to our area but I found the problem much worse here then when I lived in South Carolina. Mountain culture is very different and naturaly shy and distrustfull of outsiders. I am sure that makes the problem worse. I would think that a smaller community would also make it worse. In big cities you can always find a stranger to witness to. That is not the case here.

Our IFB church members give more than $10000 a year to missionaries. We support about 20 of them. I have been on one missions trip, and my daughter and her husband have been on two.
I cannot imagine a Baptist who doesn't give to missions. What is wrong with those people?
 

mjohnson7

Member
racer84,

I think what you mentioned (offering a year's worth of Bible study on CD) would be of great value to pastors and SS teachers. We have begun using VBS curriculum from a company called TruthQuest. A little background on that.....there is a giant void in the area of good Bible teaching VBS material that is also fun and exciting. There is a lot of fun and exciting stuff.....it's just missing the Bible! VBS at most places has become Vacation Baby Sitting rather than Vacation Bible School! My wife and I were in the process of writing material for a VBS that dealt with a literal 6 day creation, global flood, dinosaurs, and debunking evolution. While in the process of that, we found TruthQuest....and love their material. They aren't KJVO...but neither are we, so that wasn't a problem.

Okay....long story longer....their material comes on a single CD with music on an accompanying CD. Everything you can possibly want or need is on the CD....and it costs 99.00....a good value considering the outrageous cost of VBS "kits".

Anyway, racer84, yes I think their is definitely a market for what you described.

Matt
 

TomVols

New Member
Squire Robertsson said:
Do we reeeealy want to go there?
If it weren't Christmas, maybe I'd say yes for the fun of it...but since it is Christmas, let's not :smilewinkgrin: :thumbsup:
 

John of Japan

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
TomVols said:
Nope. Staunch, Sword-of-the Lord reading, KJVO IFBs. Very few PBers in our area. NC Tentmaker is right, although I think he's a little more than 50 miles from me, which means this is more widespread than you'd imagine. When I was in Louisville, KY, I was asked about coming on staff at an IFB church (a very large church I won't name). When I asked about their evangelism/missions practices and beliefs, I discovered very quickly that IFB hostility to evangelism and missions is not just an Appalachian mountain problem.
Well, folk, this has been an education. Thanks for setting me straight, TomVols and NCT. Just goes to show how any movement will fray around the edges afte a few decades. I have to say, though, that if they are SOTL readers they are just not paying attention.
1.gif
 

JamesBell

New Member
The IFB church I attended in NC was very mission minded, and did a great deal of mission work. (Including a great radio network) Granted, it was in eastern NC by the coast and not in the mountains- but I am very surprised that there is so much difference.
 

NaasPreacher (C4K)

Well-Known Member
TomVols said:
I grew up IFB and am now SBC. Truthfully, there isn't much difference. Here locally, they're identical except SBC churches do missions and evangelism while IFBs oppose both. Someone said pastors have more say so in the IFB churches. The opposite is true in my experience. It's all relative, isn't it?

IFB churches oppose missions and evangelism?

I wonder how I got to the mission field ;)? I even have some support from that general area (the Tri-Cities area north of Knoxville).

I would say that you are dealing with a VERY localised situation.
 
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John of Japan

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C4K said:
IFB churches oppose missions and evangelism?

I wonder how I got to the mission field ;)? I even have some support from that general area (the Tri-Cities area north of Knoxville).

I would say that you are dealing with a VERY localised situation.
Hey Roger, I don't know about you, but deputation was rough enough for me without dealing with that type of IFB church. I used to have to pray for two hours just to be able to call pastors for one hour! Honest! I was lousy at deputation. :BangHead:

Like you say, it has to be a localized situation. I've preached in IFB churches in half the states and never heard of anything like it!

God bless.

John
 

NaasPreacher (C4K)

Well-Known Member
John of Japan said:
Hey Roger, I don't know about you, but deputation was rough enough for me without dealing with that type of IFB church. I used to have to pray for two hours just to be able to call pastors for one hour! Honest! I was lousy at deputation. :BangHead:


John

I thought I was the worst ;).

Merry Christmas John - please greet your IFB family for me ;).

Question for anyone - Do SBC missionaries raise stheir own support in local churches?
 

John of Japan

Well-Known Member
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C4K said:
I thought I was the worst ;).

Merry Christmas John - please greet your IFB family for me ;).

Question for anyone - Do SBC missionaries raise stheir own support in local churches?
Ha! You couldn't have been the worst. I reserve that title for myself. I'm also the lousiest BWM missionary at finances--ha! The board at one point told me we had to have Kathy R. do our taxes, that I had to quit doing my own taxes--long and pathetic story. :tonofbricks:

You and your IFB family have a wonderful Christmas too. Too bad we're not several thousand miles closer or we could get together. Sigh. :wavey:
 

Tom Butler

New Member
SBC Missionaries do not raise their own support. They are completely supported by the International Mission Board or the North American Mission Board, depending on whether they are in-country or out-of-country.

However, most missionaries, when they are home on furlough, will go to various SBC churches to report on their mission work, to rally support for missions in general, but not to raise funds for themselves.

Much of their support comes through the Cooperative Program funds, sent by local churches to the SBC and distributed to various agencies.

But a big chunk of funding comes from a yearly special offering--the Lottie Moon offering for the IMB and the Annie Armstrong offering for the NAMB. These funds go directly to the mission boards, without the state conventions taking a cut for themselves, or the SBC taking out some for administrative expenses.
 

Don

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And that makes them more "missions-oriented" than IFBers?

Being in the military, I've been a member of several different IFB churches, and every one of them had a missions program, had an annual missions conference, and whenever missionaries came through, if they weren't previously coordinated to do the Sunday School lesson or church service, were at least asked to take a couple of minutes at the beginning of the service to introduce themselves and tell us about their work. Some of the IFB churches I've been in even go so far as to brag about how many missionaries they support; some churches support fewer missionaries because they want to be able to provide more support ($100 a month as opposed to $25).

I did visit one IFB church that did not have a missions program; I asked, and it was because they felt they had been "burned" by the missionaries they were supporting at one time (they were sending them money to be missionaries, and to start churches; but the individuals used the money for other reasons). I did not consider being a member of that church.

Overall, I'd say you've made a generality error based on your own personal experience.
 

NaasPreacher (C4K)

Well-Known Member
I'm almost embarrassed to say how well we are treated by churches while we are in the States. At times they can be a bit "over the top" by treating us like some kind of hyper-spiritual heroes. If anything they can carry their love and support of missionaries a little too far.

IFB being anti-missions?

Sorry, I just don't see that one at all.
 
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Dr.Tim

New Member
I think I am pretty well-versed in this area. I am an alumni of both SBC and IFB seminaries, have held every imaginable staff position on both sides and have spent almost an equal amount of time traveling across the country to both types of churches over 21 years.
There is NO WAY you could convince me that the majority of IFB churches are not more mission-minded than the SBC churches.When I saw that being suggested here it really hit me hard. NO WAAAAAAAAAAYYYY!!!!!!!!

In New Orleans, the largest percentage of any of the 147 SBC churches giving to missions when I was there was 21%. One church that I served in, the third largest in the area, gave 7%. MOST IFB churches give 25% or more. You people have to be kidding!!! I just cannot believe someone would suggest this.

Look in terms of deaf missionaries. The SBC has somewhere around 28 missionaries to the deaf worldwide. One mission board in the IFB arena has 63 missionaries to the deaf. BIMI has probably 20 itself. It aint even close.

I cant believe someone would actually put forth that the IFB was not mission-minded. I could count on one hand the times an SBC missionary came to my church and shared his work with everyone.
 
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