Organized in 1951 as the Interstate and Foreign Missionary Baptist Associational Assembly of America, this group is now known as the Interstate and Foreign Landmark Missionary Baptist Association of America (IFLMBA). Its purpose is to encourage fellowship among Missionary Baptist churches that practice ministerial support by freewill offerings. Since they do not believe in stipulated salaries for pastors and missionaries, they are also known as "Faithway Baptists".
Churches of this association originally fellowshipped with the American Baptist Association. A split in that Association (organized 1924) resulted in the formation of two new national associations - the Baptist Missionary Association of America (then called North American Baptist Association) and the IFLMBA. All three of these associations adhere to the Landmark principle of a succession of Baptist churches from the time of Christ to the present.
Doctrinally, the churches of the IFLMBA hold that Christ died for all men; salvation is by grace through faith; the saved are eternally secure; the church is local only and was organized by Christ while He was on earth; baptism by immersion and the Lord's supper are church ordinances; feet washing is to be performed in church capacity; ministerial support must be by freewill offerings; and the Great Commission is given to local churches only.
The association's work consists of local churches recommending their missionaries to other churches. All decisions to support missionaries are made by the churches in their own business meetings. Local churches sponsor and directly support all missionary, benevolent, and educational work.
In 1951, forty churches were represented at the organization. In 2000, there were 135 churches in the association, with a membership of 14,945. Some fellowshipping churches represent in local and state associations but not in the general association. Therefore, the total number of churches and members would be slightly higher. Most of the churches are concentrated in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi; but there are even churches in Mexico, the Philippines, and Quebec, Canada. Twelve foreign, six interstate, and two radio missionaries were recommended by their churches (2000). A paper, "The Voice of Faith", is published by the Pine Missionary Baptist Church, Franklinton, Louisiana. Faith Way Sunday School Literature is printed by Palestine Missionary Baptist Church of Wilmer, Alabama.
Famous quotes containing the words interstate, foreign, landmark, missionary, baptists and/or association:
“At bottom, I mean profoundly at bottom, the FBI has nothing to do with Communism, it has nothing to do with catching criminals, it has nothing to do with the Mafia, the syndicate, it has nothing to do with trust-busting, it has nothing to do with interstate commerce, it has nothing to do with anything but serving as a church for the mediocre. A high church for the true mediocre.”
—Norman Mailer (b. 1923)
“And when discipline is concerned, the parent who has to make it to the end of an eighteen-hour day—who works at a job and then takes on a second shift with the kids every night—is much more likely to adopt the survivor’s motto: “If it works, I’ll use it.” From this perspective, dads who are even slightly less involved and emphasize firm limits or character- building might as well be talking a foreign language. They just don’t get it.”
—Ron Taffel (20th century)
“They throw in Drummer Hodge, to rest
Uncoffined—just as found:
His landmark is a kopje-crest
That breaks the veldt around;”
—Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)
“The missionary is no longer a man, a conscience. He is a corpse, in the hands of a confraternity, without family, without love, without any of the sentiments that are dear to us.... Emasculated, in a sense, by his vow of chastity, he offers us the distressing spectacle of a man deformed and impotent or engaged in a stupid and useless struggle with the sacred needs of the flesh, a struggle which, seven times out of ten, leads him to sodomy, the gallows, or prison.”
—Paul Gauguin (1848–1903)
“[T]he Congregational minister in a neighboring town definitely stated that ‘the same spirit which drove the herd of swine into the sea drove the Baptists into the water, and that they were hurried along by the devil until the rite was performed.’”
—For the State of Vermont, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)
“... a Christian has neither more nor less rights in our association than an atheist. When our platform becomes too narrow for people of all creeds and of no creeds, I myself cannot stand upon it.”
—Susan B. Anthony (1820–1906)