In the multi-page list of "How do we Count the Baptists," "A" (ECUMENICAL MAINLINE) would probably be willing to accept most of us, but wouldn't attract many of us.
"B" (CONSERVATIVE EVANGELICAL) are all pretty much alike and like most of us - "Gen. Conf." is Swedish, and CBA is now about 4 groups - started with good churches leaving the old Northern convention (now ABC). "7th Day" obviously limits its outreach for those of us who worship on Sunday, but otherwise wouldn't be much different - a bit legalistic.
"C" "SEPARATIST FUNDAMENTALIST" - some of the state fellowships are part of a larger grouping, but some of these groups would not accept one another's baptisms (about like the Anabaptists in Holland in the 1500's, who baptized more people than the total population of Holland for a few years.) (Mioque, you can read about it in Dosker if you think that's just my "Landmarkism.")
Under "II," REGULAR BAPTISTS (SOUTHERN-ORIENTED),
note that there are now SBC churches in all 50 states and most if not all Canadian provinces, and missionaries in over 150 countries - not quite "Southern-oriented" any more; this is not your father's Oldsmobile! Alliance & CBF are in the process of developing their own annuity plan, or joining the ABC plan, and when that is done our SBC "left wing" will be those of us who are not committed pre-trib rapture folks using Scofield notes & Larkin charts.
In the long lists of "LANDMARK MISSIONARY BAPTISTS" and "SEPARATIST FUNDAMENTALISTS," most are compatible in doctrine, but not in practice; again, many would not honor one another's baptisms or ordinations.
Many of Group III, "BLACK BAPTISTS," are dually aligned with SBC and/or some other largely white group, and most of the National conventions are doctrinally like either Southern or American Baptists. For example, in Kentucky, all the NBC groups have one joint office and work closely with the (SBC) Kentucky Baptist Convention, and we honor one another's letters and ordiinations if the occasion arises. I've been involved in the ordination of some National Baptist pastors and preach often among them, have even taught in their annual (KY) Sunday School Conference.
Among "PRIMITIVES,", "GENERALS," and "FREE-WILLS,"
there is little outside fellowship; General & Free-Will both are Arminian, hold possible loss of salvation, and are pretty much immersed shouting Methodists or Nazarenes more than our usual idea of "Baptists." Note that "Two-Seed-in the-Spirit Predestinarians" are really properly under "Primitives," and so are the Duck River (TN) folks.
Category VI, "REFORMED/SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTISTS,"
differ from the Primitives in a stronger emphasis on sending missionaries, differ from Sovereign Grace Southern Baptists (a growing group) in not wanting centralized convention-type operations.
Diane is right on when she points out that each Southern Baptist church sets its own parameters.
For a helpful summary of more details, see Frank Mead's "Handbook of Denominations" from Abingdon Press (Methodist, but unbiased in its information on each group, lengthy section on Baptists - even longer than this post!)
Happy New Year - Charles - Ro. 8:28
(By the way - I may be missing it, but I don't see the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism in that excellent list, which I've copied to file. ABWE was in the news a while back when some of their missionaries were killed in a plane crash in South America - first time I'd heard of them, but they have an excellent web site. I'll tag it later.)
