Northeast IFB'ers

[chev1958]

To all those independent, fundamental Baptists in the northeastern United States:

You are invited to the Spring Conference of the GlOBal Independent Baptist Fellowship scheduled for April 15-16 at Lighthouse Baptist Church in Holbrook, Mass. The theme of the meeting will be a question from Luke 18:8,

[Pastorj]

This is the old BBF group in New England. Their business meetings are awful. They still operate like the old BBF meetings.

[chev1958]

Well, I was never a part of the BBF, so I can't say anything about the quality of their business meetings. However, I do know Bruce Turner, and he's a great preacher. I go for the preaching, not the business meetings anyway.

From what I understand of the history of BBF, the GIBF are made up of the "old" BBF members who remained true to their independent, fundamental upbringings. When the BBF went liberal, these folks left to create the GIBF.

[Pastorj]

That is true. They are the conservative side of the old BBF.

However, the fellowship acts like a church, at least in New England. They run camps, support missionaries, have a unified questionairre for all churches to use for missionaries. I used to attend this particular group when I was pastoring in CT and I like the preachers that attend, but the last meeting I attended I told the then director I could not return unless these things changed.

I too though would go hear the Bruce Turner preach. He is an excellent preacher.

[chev1958]

Thanks. I appreciate the info. I've only been to a couple of these conferences in the Midwest as a church planter. I didn't really participate in the business meetings -- I let the senior pastors do that.

[Pastor Matt]

New England fellowships are like no other. I think PastorJ was right on about the old BBF group in New England.

[JerryNumbers]

From what I read in that open letter that Bro. Cloud recently wrote some IFB's that I've seen in The Sword of the Lord are moving into the liberal circles.

[Pastorj]

They are a great group of pastors. They just have gotten this idea that fellowships are also churches. When I go to a fellowship, I just want to hear preaching and fellowship.

Not that I am trying to push isolationism either. I believe churches ought to work together in the confine of the local church. I see nothing wrong with a fellowship taking a love offering and giving it to a church planter. But to take offerings that go into the "fellowship account" for the purpose of actually supporting missionaries is totally different.

[JerryNumbers]

I would have to say they were once a great group of pastors, when they started joining in fellowship with the liberal crowd, they stopped being great.

And we can clearly see the temptations are great to join together with them.

We are in a day when a church has to be extremely careful who they fellowship with, that is they have to be checked out very closely, regularly.

[Pastorj]

Jerry,

They aren't joining with the "liberal" crowd. The prOBlem has nothing to do with being liberal. The prOBlem with this particular fellowship is they are acting like a church.

[JerryNumbers]

It takes that 1st step, seems they've taken it. With that 1st step they will lead many astray.

Perhaps they will come to their selves and not walk on it.

[Anon]

Solid Rock Baptist Church is having a good one in July, for Northeast pastors and their families...