Estimates on KJVonly Churches

8 independent churches within 1 hour of my home.

Two KJV preferred, strongly. One unaffiliated, one BBFI.

3 not KJVO but use the KJV as main text. One BBFI, two GARBC.

3 KJVO, one of the Riplinger camp. Two BBFI, one recently left SBC

 

Dr. Bob, are those northern IFB churches growing or dying in terms of reaching others and discipling them?

 

Only anecdotal evidence here, but my take on the prevailing thought among SBCer's in my area is not KJVO. There are those that use the KJV as a preference, but don't have theological objections. Many of those that do object do so based only upon tradition. (If it's good enough for the Apostle Paul, it's good enough for me!) I know of no other pastor within my association that is in any way KJVO, although a few prefer it.

 

The majority of SBC pastors I know use the NASB, perhaps because it's the preferred version among the SBC's seminary professors (at least among all that I know), and also because the Lockman Foundation gives a free genuine leather NASB to every SBC seminarian upon graduation.

Yours,

Bluefalcon

 

I do not know of any SBC churches that are KJVo. We are in part of the Bible belt and most pastors I know (except one or two) are very conservative. I have never even heard of the KJVo theory until I saw it on this site.

I picked up a book at the Lifeway store in Tulsa and read it. (One of the pro-KJVo) books---right next to the anti-KJVo books. Read it, considered it about a week. Stuck it on the shelf (will not give it to someone unless it is someone well grounded in doctrine).

Figured it was just a passing fad, along with a book I picked up that was about Revelations and the author had determined heaven was on Saturn.

The church I now attend is a small church, lots of older folks. We had a class about Bible translations (just basics) and nobody had any problem with translations, some preferred their KJV, some preferred their NIV. All good Christians. (according to most folks around here.)

There are only about 31,000 in our county and there are probably over 30 SBC churches, most small, one First Baptist in the county seat (about 700). I don't know of any that are.

 

I can speak to two SBC churches (the one I attend) and the one we have attended while visting my daughter in the past year. My own church uses the KJV as the pew Bible, but our preacher (who has just retired) has always preached from several different translations (RSV being one of his favorites) and it seems that most everyone in Church and Sunday School carries their own preference. Some of the men in my age group (mid to late 40's) carry the NKJV, I see some of the older ladies carrying the Living Bible. My daughter attends a SBC church in Columbia SC while away in college at USC. Her church used the NASB the last time we visited her. Their pastor preached from it and they used projection screens overhead so you could read along with him in case you didn't have the same version. BruceB

 

Dr. Bob, I know this is off-track, but since you brought it up, could you explain the relation of your church (I believe IFB) and the Northern Baptists?
I thought most of the Northern Baptists were somewhat less conservative than the SBC has become?
Are you a fundamentalist break-away?

Is the Northern Baptists that you mention the same as the group that was left when the SBC and Northern split, partially over the slave issue?

I know this isn't the thread, but I would just like to know how these fit together. My life has been SBC and outside of being around local Freewills, Missionary and Landmark, I am not much familiar with the other larger Baptist groups (probably because we are so far south).

 

Out here in Washington there seems to be a large number of KJVO IFB churches mostly in the Pudget Sound area.

 

Sounds to me that they got there eyes open. Did you ever see someone turn away a person for what they wore? BTW, hyles/roloff were faithful men of God who did a great work for the Lord. Just ask anyone who was in the roloff homes. My church has some of the girls from the roloff homes come in and give testimonies of what God has done for them, and for you to belittle roloff's ministry is un-Christ like, may God forgive you.

 

Dangerous to leave this as a hanging generalization. The BBFI wasn't started KJVO and isn't that way as an organization now.

The authority of the pastor is greater than I was previously used to but doesn't always rise to the level of dictatorship. In fact, I know one church that is more deacon led.

 

Really? On account of what scripture were their eyes opened? Thus saith RaptureReady I suppose?

One of our deacons turned a man away one time for trying to enter our church in bermuda shorts. He was on vacation and didn't have anything else with him. If he was lost and went to hell, do you think the deacon did the right thing?

Hyles probably did more harm than good after he lost Rice's influence. He pushed easy believism and had significant moral failures, not just the adultery but pride also.

 

Thus far, I have visited no SBC church in my county that has been KJVO (and we are currently making the rounds, looking for a new church home).

I know of two definate KJVO Baptist churches around here, and have heard of several more. One of the two is moderate in size (100-150), the other is small. Thankfully, the others that I have heard about are small as well.

There is one out near my parents that I am not sure about. It is independant, and has a school (K-12). I know that they heavily encourage women to wear skirts and dresses (all the time, not just at church), and are really heavy into legalism. I figure it is KJVO, but I have no desire to darken the threshhold of such a place!

In Christ,
Trotter