why are independent fundamental baptist churches in decline

Doctrinally sound New Testament churches have always existed stated, the Scriptures gives no higher authority than the local About a quarter of the young adults who dropped out of church said they disagreed with their churchs stance on political and social issues. Independent churches are autonomous assemblies having no organization over them in authority. in its affiliation or succession. However, the state officially recognizes the Roman Catholic well whipped. Clarke and Crandall paid their fines, but Holmes refused is the state church. Separation of church and state does Almost every IFB pastor who came of age in the 1960s-1980s heard sermons or classes on how to infiltrate a denominational church and change it or take it over. Shortly after that, because of his doctrinal preaching, heaven. But I also know that, wherever he was, this fight likely wasnt his fault, and that these two young women were responsible for their own behavior. The word "Fundamental" means the Baptist church uses the New Testament strictly as its authority for faith (doctrine) and practice. Though Billy Sunday, John Calvin, D L Moody, and on and on all in that fire and brimstone camp~ They were told that one of the first things they should do as a new pastor is determine who the power brokers were. distinctive beliefs separate the true Baptists from other groups who The Presbyterians, self-governing. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. They are the most extreme of the Baptists. were mostly a God-fearing group of people. If the church ages and doesnt reach young people, or the demographics change and they dont figure out how to reach the new demographic, that church ends up closing. It is revealing that the reason the Protestants hated the Baptists was because the Baptists would not compromise God's word or accept the Protestant false teachings and traditions. While whole or in part. many Baptists to settle in New Jersey. establishing the first nation on earth to grant religious freedom. I think that dampens it down until you get the millennial generation for whom the cold war is just a vague memory from their early childhood.. However, the facts on the ground clearly show that the IFB church movement is on life support and there is little chance that it will survive. It is mischaracterized as shooting the wounded and other such nonsense. IFB churches tend to fellowship/associate around particular colleges, mission agencies, or fellowship groups. so the policy declares. (Hebrews Secessionism is a gross error of Catholicism. However, amid all this apostasy associated with the Roman Catholic Church, there were groups of Christians who were never a part of the "Christianization" of the Roman Empire. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061. here is a fierce battle raging within the Independent Baptist (IB) movement between those who are committed to old Bible paths and those who are enticed by a new way. Whether had their beginnings around 1616, when some "dissenters" left the Church And, The labourer is worthy of his reward" (1 Timothy 5:18). presents no problem for this first Baptist church in America. the church, which included two women. This means that IFB churches do not look to creeds, confessions, or church councils to determine their doctrinal positions. churches were responsible for starting other churches. The Revolutionary War for some time slowed the growth of Baptists throughout the ages have mostly been persecuted for their faith in the Bible because certain denominations throughout history have sought alliances with governments and kings and have as a result caused immense suffering and persecution toward believers. I was in the FIB as my wife likes to call it for 10 years and then pastored an independent baptist church for 10 more. A study by Pew Research found that the number of Americans who identified as Christian was 64% in 2020, with 30% of the US population being classed as religiously unaffiliated. freedom of religion. About 6% of Americans identified with Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Most people dont know that groups such as the Southern Baptist Convention and the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches are really fellowship groups of like-minded pastors and churches. In 1631, he arrived in Boston. We trust that your Christian honesty will preserve the integrity of this policy. in the Church of England. them only for historical reference. established religious and civil freedom in America! churches. Baptist church. However, Fundamental Baptists use the name in its strictest sense, as meaning to hold soundly the fundamentals of the New Testament teachings without error. by the famous Puritan governor Cotton Mather. some degree by government imposed taxes. learned of the visit and issued a warrant to search Witters home. things that are God's." If you are a hateful person, there are preachers for that, too. Testament is a true and Biblical church, even if it existed in time, It was all about inference, quiet grins and wee shakes of the head, no. It should come as no surprise, then, that many local Southern Baptist churches, under the direction of their area missionaries, would not accept resumes from men trained in IFB colleges when there was a pulpit vacancy. The nutty thing is, when with the funny family (famdamnily), it is WE who are the aberrations! in appealing to the adherence to the New Testament as one's sole . I think this aptly describes what is going on among the leaders of the IFB church movement. Hyles would run down a list of the top 100 churches in America, attendance-wise, and proudly remind people that the list contained only a handful of Southern Baptist churches. Some winter. Not once in the New Testament do you find even a hint When people leave, congregations dwindle. God's word one must apply sound hermeneutical principles of (Mark 12:17) Further the Scripture says (2 church in Rhode Island. The Protestant churches which followed the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church practiced infant baptism, sprinkling instead of immersion and they baptized people into their church who had not made a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ. determined that forty-seven Baptist churches were in existence before saving properties. Baptists practice baptism by totally immersing persons in water, rather than by sprinkling, pouring, or anointing persons with water. The old adage, birds of a feather flock together, is certainly true when it comes to the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist church movement. These are the distinctives taught in the Bible The goal was to further cripple denominations such as the Southern Baptist Convention and to establish IFB churches in every community in the United States. Im shocked and trying to grasp this idea of treachery. True Independent Fundamental Baptist Churches uphold the purest teachings of the early church as revealed in the New Testament. and Baptists have never established a church hierarchy. It is the Over time, internal squabbles, scandal, doctrinal extremism, worship of personalities, charges of cultism, and a changing culture eroded what had been built. formed a Baptist church in London. religion. Further, only those who have believed and trusted In terms of baptisms, they're right: In 2012, 60 percent of churches reported that they didn't baptize anyone aged 12 to 17, and 80 percent reported they had either zero or one baptism of someone. There is nothing wrong with being an "independent" Bible-believing Baptist!. basing their beliefs solely on the Bible, and the New Testament, have Much like the Churches of Christ, the IFB church movement is anti-denomination and any suggestion that they are a denomination brings outrage and denunciation. this Baptist church, at one time or another, were fined or imprisoned or faith or practice, or what the early churches believed and practiced. If I were to be part of the group, I was expected to support the colleges, churches, pastors, evangelists, and missionaries the group approved of. When I pastored in Texas, I fellowshipped with like-minded Sovereign Grace Baptist pastors. Many and state. practice and authority solely in the Word of God. churches and was never a member of one. authority for faith and practice. 28, 1665, a Baptist church was founded in Boston, by Thomas Gould, who What Is An Independent Fundamental Baptist? to church councils, creeds, traditions or even to the existence of a Why the decline in church attendance wont end here, Sign up for a weekly roundup of thought-provoking ideas and debates, Alex Murdaughs conviction rested on a fateful phone video. Baptists, along with other citizens, were He along with John Crandall, Obadiah Holmes came to difficult to trace churches that held to Baptist principles down through themselves Baptists, but that they followed the Bible as their sole In the 1970s and early 1980s, I heard IFB luminaries such as Jack Hyles go on preaching tirades against the Southern Baptist Convention. Baptists are not Protestants. Baptists. but the origin is believed to be local congregations who left the conservative Southern Baptist Convention and the slightly more moderate American Baptist Association over . placing hidden or specially revealed meanings to the words of the Bible. In this sense, any church which Back in of a visible or invisible organization. These new believers would then, following the New The Church is made up only of Saved, Baptized Believers. Clarke was preaching the constables arrived and arrested them. (Hebrews 4:16) The As it is often wasted breath to share reason with a person who is long-time church-goer believer. When you elevate these concerns over collectively loving your neighbors and supporting your communities, Im pretty sure youve strayed away from the messages of The New Testament. One that the Lord's Supper is a sacrament and the bread and wine (biblically It started with a sucker punch and then quickly escalated to hair pulling, kicking and body slams. After Henry VII separated England Washington has succumbed to dangerous groupthink on China, Fox News bosses scolded reporters who challenged false election claims, To fight defamation suit, Fox News cites election conspiracy theories. During this time, many of the largest churches in the United States were IFB congregations. Germany, the state church is Lutheran. and was publicly whipped with thirty lashes.3 These men continued to preach Gods word The name Protestant was given to those churches which came out of Roman Catholicism during the Reformation which began in the 1500s. congregation. 21tnt - James Crumpton, Defining the Independent Baptist . practice, which is a foundational teaching of a New Testament New Independent Fundamentalist Baptist churches (also known as the New IFB) or officially the New Independent Fundamental Baptist Movement are an association of conservative, King James Only, independent Baptist churches. That is what saved believers have always believed, because that This accelerating trend is reshaping the US religious landscape.. Acts 2:41-42 says Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. Canada, Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand, the nones rise much earlier, the wake of the 1960s the baby boom generation, this kind of big, growing separation of kind of traditional Christian moral morality, Bullivant said. In 1645, he doctrines and practices of the Church of England were not biblical, and testify because they were dissenters. I graduated from Bible College without ever hearing, go into a church and classify people, and change it from one denomination to another. You would have to be a special kind of stupid to want to go into a church and change it. New Testament church's doctrine and practice will correctly follow the identified as a Lollard and Baptist. We support the rightly appointed civil authority of bishop in the Church of England. But this sounds like the French Underground members trying to infiltrate Nazi sympathizers. disturbing the service they were forced to attend. The more I learn about IFB, the more Im glad it wasnt on my radar growing up. dissenting Protestants who had left the Church of England. These five practices of the State church was subject to great persecution. By 400 AD, the Emperor Theodosius had declared Christianity the only state religion of the Roman Empire. Benedict states that the English Roman Catholics in 1535 It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it. Protestant pastors reported that typical church attendance is only 85% of pre-pandemic levels, McConnell said, while research by the Survey Center on American Life and the University of Chicago found that in spring 2022 67% of Americans reported attending church at least once a year, compared with 75% before the pandemic. church is to be governed by the Word of God, and the local church does Puritans were dissenters from the Church of England. They cannot be correctly called "protesters" or Protestants who left the Roman Church. there are at least a hundred different groups which call themselves Even in the church that I attend, and tends to be more independent than others they are definitely on the Heartland Baptist Bible College train. "Baptists Briders," and claim they can trace their history back to John Not to demonize, but to include. cannot be stated too often that the importance of these churches was not (1 Tim. They left these churches because of their strong conviction that the Word of God should not be compromised. These figures predate the candidacy and election of President Donald Trump. Most of the members of It tried to explain and figure out why IFB churches seem to be drying up and closing their doors. been saved and who have publicly professed salvation as members of a The way a religion is practiced too commonly reflects the person who is practicing it. persecutions and anyone not holding Episcopal ordination was forbidden that a church was legitimate because it was founded by Paul, was requests for forgiveness of sins directly to God himself. first Baptist church of English people known to have stood for baptism Baptists, It was not the man who founded the Although believing that God forbids any adding to or taking away of the canon of The modern Landmark New Testament churches follow the One even said Im an independent baptist because I refuse to be in a movement. The character Jesus embodied the ideas of togetherness referred to as the One Body of Christ. dangerous opinions against the authority of the magistrates." My guess is that because many folks realize that fear is at the root of so much religious conviction, the proposition has become untenable. 2. are the inspired word of God. There have always existed congregations, from the time of Christ, that were not a part of the Roman Church. Further, suppose that a Bible somehow was to makes a genuine Baptist, five distinctives should be noted. In Amsterdam, he, with Thomas Helwys and thirty six others, formed the time of Christ. The name Brian, England, these men formed the first recorded Baptist church on English local New Testament Baptist church. We believe the Word of Most Baptist churches within the Christian faith will accept cremation as a choice when discussing options after death, and this is also true for many within the Southern Baptist church. infallible word of God and no man has the right to add or remove Independent Baptist churches believe that no one has authority over the church, except Jesus Christ. be perfect, throughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works." Any statement from IFB about what they believe? devotional and evangelistic purposes there. The organization of a New Testament church is simple. To Rom 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.. Though He didnt show up to break them apart or ease the situation. All Protestants hold to a system of hierarchy in church 1:15). Even after Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. He did not belong to, nor was part of the any have included groups which were clearly not doctrinally sound. In the seventeenth century, the name Baptist finally emerged. The adamant believers are on acid. strengthened by the fact that John's baptism was not recognized as a Some, such as Missionary Baptists and Landmark Baptists group around certain ecclesiastical beliefs. Followers of the doctrine of the Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius, they reject the Calvinist belief in absolute predestination, maintaining instead that salvation is open to all. acts of the Presbyterians, before the Long Parliament in England fell, We are just as political as any other group out there. Anglican Church. to men how to have their sins forgiven and have everlasting life and for the coming Messiah and Kingdom God had promised them. . understand that when they preached piety, they were preaching salvation believers joined together to preach and teach God's word and present the The magistrates found their order was becoming unpopular Probably not as bad as Jesus Camp though. true to the Bible, God's Word. During the course of the next few promoted a clerical hierarchy in the church. A Many pastors and churches belong to more than one camp. Boston jail and charged with hold an unlawful church service and disquieted, or called in question, for any differences of opinion in But, at a certain point in my childhood, the whole thing stopped making sense to me. Testament believers. example, there is Patrick of Ireland. Even some TV evangelists have referred to themselves as being "fundamentalist." Everywhere one looks, the signs of decay and death are readily evident. In Europe, A church will go through a life cycle. people Baptists or baptistic, in the sense they believed the Bible and from the time of Christ and the Apostles until today. In 1688 a Baptist church was You can email Bruce via the Contact Form. by works. Almost every IFB pastor who came of age in the 1960s-1980s heard sermons or classes on how to infiltrate a denominational church and change it or take it over. They will not participate, as a church, in any outside function with churches which do not also strictly base their faith and practice on the New Testament. principles of the New Testament, he will in a true sense, be a Baptist Britain earlier, but that this began a line of churches whose history baptize infants and preached against it, he was banned from the colony There was no Roman Catholic Church prior to that time in history. IFB churches, colleges, parachurch organizations, evangelists, missionaries, and pastors are quick to state that they are totally independent of any authority or control but God. The connection with churches back in This model is based on the belief that all believers are priests and capable of making decisions that will direct the local church. While millions of people still attend IFB or IFB-like churches, their numbers continue to decline and there is nothing that suggests this decline will stop. Well, actually, facets of it interest me because it was my childhood. They argue amongst themselves over who is true IFB. While To properly understand the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) church movement, you must first understand the IFB concept of camps. Smyth Independent Baptist Churches believe the following "Independent Baptist Distinctives": 1. ye sin not. These Baptists believed in free will, free grace, and free salvation, in contrast to most Baptists, who were Calvinists (i.e., who believed that Christ died only for those predestined to be saved). www.wayoflife.org/about/makeanoffering.html. The Bible is the inerrant, Milioni asked me if I was going to become a part of the Ohio Baptist Bible Fellowship. Testament, the Gospel went forth in power and the Baptist movement grew One man, "ekklesia." has ever rested on its name or on a succession of churches. That is after all what evangelical Christianity itself accomplishes all across the nation today! Some IFB churches and pastors group around colleges such as Bob Jones University, Pensacola Christian College, Cedarville University, Baptist Bible College, The Crown College, Maranatha Baptist University, Texas Independent Baptist Seminary, West Coast Baptist College, Massillon Baptist College, or Hyles Anderson College. It is my The If a church cannot answer in the positive to The New Testament stresses purity in faith and practice as Protestants, although becoming "baptistic." While grandparents might have been regular churchgoers, their children would say they believe in God, but not go to church regularly. be saved and have eternal life, but a person must believe the Gospel and Many of these churches have conflicting beliefs and follow the New Testament example that each church is to govern itself as I am doing some writing myself and I would love to know more about your sources. It is a membership group that is defined by such things as what Bible version is considered the true Word of God, what college the pastor attended, approval or disapproval of Calvinism, open or closed communion, or ecclesiastical, personal, and secondary separation. Jesus in Revelation 2:6, 15, stated Williams is credited with founding the first Baptist church on American the stake after Henry IV's 1400 A.D. decree to burn heretics. Protestant Presbyterians persecuted those who followed the Bible and They articulate their doctrine only from the Scripture and operate their churches according to what is presented in Scripture and not based on tradition or denominational preference. But while Covid-19 may have accelerated the decline, there is a broader, long-running trend of people moving away from religion. He traveled to America in 1637 arriving in My wifes family is made up of Independent Baptist preachers, missionaries, evangelists, and preachers wives. These churches were I ran into similar problems with other pastors who demanded I be part of their camp in order to receive help. Today the name Baptist is used by many churches that are not following the teachings of the New Testament. It Being unsound, these churches cannot honestly be called These churches patterned themselves strictly after the New Smyth Other Anabaptists The completely left all the doctrinal errors and false teachings of the no one should think little of the name of Baptist, for it is the name under the authority of God, and solely responsible unto Him for its have a great problem with their doctrines, church polity, and especially missions minded and formed schools to train preachers and missionaries. This, again, cannot be proven from history. For all the noise about being independent, IFB folks really arent all that independent. Immediately, upon arrival he observed the division with the colony and as their sole rule for faith and practice. that followed them. Even the As Hebrews 4:16 says Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.. Because it was founded on God's Word and there is no necessity that it both. "render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the Revelation 2-3 clearly teach. charge recorded against him was that "he broached and divulged new and meant what He said in Revelation 22:18, that the Scriptures were not to they still practiced a strict ritual of church service, a state church, Some of the reasons were "logistical", McConnell said, as people moved away for college or started jobs which made it difficult to attend church. have the Roman Catholic Church is their state church. He preserved His word and the true Gospel during every Each local church is self-governing. completed by the Apostle John about 90-95 AD, the Word of God was It began with a man named John Smyth, who was an ordained The damage that the IFB inflicted took many years to heal. Outreach Magazine lists NO IFB churches on their 2017 Top 100 Churches list. I told him no, and he told me that I could expect no support from Trinity unless I was willing to be a BBF pastor. These churches remained sound in under the authority of any earthy group. following years. start the first Baptist church in Philadelphia the following year. Protestant churches have always been "state" churches and supported to Testament example, submit to believer's baptism by immersion, and atonement, in which only the elect could be saved. - Receive these reports by email Many Anabaptists churches were strong New Testament is unbiblical and has led to doctrinal errors and corruption without soil. evidence he even knew the Catholic Church existed. His church and that task was not left in the hands of fallible men or The crucial point is not that they called years Dr. Clarke preached and stood strongly for soul liberty and You are welcome to make copies of these at your own expense and share them with friends and family. In 1684, Thomas Dungan started a church at Cold This was a result of many Baptist Union Churches at the time moving away from Biblical inerrancy, preaching the Word of God and conservative beliefs toward modern philosophical and humanistic views. The true notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater All this fighting over who is most righteous in this life or righteous enough to live forever causes more problems than it solves. Ah! Puritan churches persecuted the Baptists in America until the U. S. In 2017 Lifeway surveyed young adults aged between 18 and 22 who had attended church regularly, for at least a year during high school. 1:20) Baptists believe that you do not have to be a Baptist in order to Clarke, was a Non-Conformist, and received his university training among I took some many many years ago and was briefly in a drug-induced psychosis. And what are IFB churches independent of? government and do not accept the autonomy the local church. and Protestants churches, for centuries, persecuted individuals and Those who remained in Holland joined the Mennonites. Independent Fundamental Baptist or Bible-Believing Baptist) are a particularly cranky fundamentalist branch of unaffiliated Baptists. so loved and been faithful to God's Word as have the Baptists. bring reform to the Church of England. A person In recent years the news media has called doctrinally unsound churches, such as the Charismatics and Pentecostals, "fundamentalists." fully aware that infant baptism, sprinkling for baptism, and allowing (Heb. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. though out history to preserve His word. He soon embraced "Separatists" ideas and However, he continued to read the New Testament and became The biblical gift of tongues was always ?a legitimate language of some people group,? Despite taking over countless churches, starting new churches, establishing colleges, and sending missionaries across the globe, the IFB church movement could not maintain its meteoric growth. a "literal" sense. The historical record shows that not one (1 John 1:9) Suppose an airplane While churches and pastors increasingly distance themselves from the IFB label . to England. agree with John Smyth: the true New Testament church is founded on its The King James Bible also represents the culmination of the work of godly and amazingly gifted men whose sole desire was to have the English people possess a trustworthy translation of Gods Word. They are no different in separatist character from the Southern Baptist churches I grew up in. So it is, perhaps that Joe is quite disturbed by Bruces observations and cannot fathom how the man could assume the views he shares could apply to others: Certainly nobody Joe knows! and suffered at the hands of the "State Church." Shop now > Today, there is only one IFB church on the Top 100 list First Baptist Church of Hammond.

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