Thread by @JoshuaBarzon

🧵 IFB 2.0: Exploring Its Modern Groups and Subcultures

This post is an addendum to my previous thread on the history of the IFB, looking beyond the legacy stream (and mainstream connotation) to explore the many distinct circles that make up the fragmented IFB world today. 🧵👇🏼

🧵 Introduction and Disclaimer

Yesterday, my thread on the history of the Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) movement absolutely blew up! … and I’m deeply grateful for the thoughtful discussions it sparked.

One theme I consistently heard (both from former IFB members and those still in it) is that the article was fair, accurate, and balanced in how it addressed the broader culture and trajectory of the movement.

That means a lot to me.

That said, many also noted (rightly) that the IFB world isn’t monolithic. There are many circles, camps, and subcultures within the IFB label. some harsher than others, some more refined, and some actively reforming.

My original thread primarily focused on the mainstream connotation of “IFB” which is what most people think of when they hear the term. That includes the revivalist, authoritarian, King James Only stream most closely shaped by Jack Hyles, The Sword of the Lord, and their institutional legacy. This is still the most dominant and influential expression of the movement today.

But in fairness to the diversity within the IFB world, I’ve put together this short addendum highlighting other groups that exist within or adjacent to the IFB. Each with their own tone, emphasis, and theological posture.

Below is a concise overview of several of these distinct IFB-aligned branches. I hope you enjoy this, and let me know in the comments at the end if you are part of (or were part of ) any of these IFB circles. 👇🏼

🧵 1. Hyles/Sword of the Lord Legacy

Rooted in revivalism, King James Onlyism, and loyalty to strongman leadership. This camp includes Hyles-Anderson College, First Baptist Church of Hammond (IN), Jack Trieber (Golden State Baptist College), and Jeff Fugate (Commonwealth Baptist College) and other smaller institutions.

The Sword of the Lord newspaper under Curtis Hutson and Shelton Smith helped define the preaching style, doctrine, and ministry philosophy for decades. Loyalty to high standards and pastoral authority remains central, even as some distance themselves from past scandals.

Preaching is typically topical, emotional, and tied to personal application, with an emphasis on soul-winning, bus ministries, and hard-line separation from worldly culture.

The legacy of Jack Hyles continues to shape this stream’s views on church growth, pastoral power, and family roles. It remains the most visible and controversial face of the IFB to outsiders.

🧵 2. Camp Meeting Crowd

Loud, fiery, and emotionally charged, this group leans heavily into Southern revivalism. Preaching is intense, often theatrical, with heavy emphasis on shouting, altar calls, and demonstrative worship that can be quite entertaining! .

Leaders like Tony Hutson, John Hamblin, and Cody Zorn are popular in this circuit, which still hosts weeklong camp meetings throughout the Appalachian and Southern U.S. regions.

These events often include marathon services, multiple sermons, and emotionally stirring music. The culture emphasizes spiritual fervor, traditionalism, and resistance to modern trends.

While often dismissed by more academic fundamentalists, this crowd sees itself as carrying the torch of old-time religion through bold preaching and raw sincerity. They are less institutionally connected but deeply rooted in a shared culture of experiential Christianity.

🧵 3. Bob Jones University (BJU) Circle

BJU represents a unique branch of fundamentalism with a more academic, culturally refined, and institutionally polished than most IFB circles.

Founded in 1927 by evangelist Bob Jones Sr., the university became a leading voice in 20th-century American fundamentalism, emphasizing Christian worldview, apologetics, and classical education. It helped train generations of pastors, missionaries, teachers, and musicians.

While not explicitly IFB, many alumni went on to serve in IFB or IFB-adjacent churches and institutions, making its influence deeply felt within the movement. The school is especially known for its strong fine arts program, intellectual rigor, and Reformed-leaning fundamentalist theology.

Though it has faced public scrutiny in past decades over issues related to racial policies and administrative culture, BJU has made notable changes in recent years, distinguishing itself from the more revivalist, authoritarian tone of legacy IFB institutions.

🧵 4. Pensacola Christian College (PCC) Circle

Accredited and conservative, Pensacola Christian College holds firmly to King James Onlyism but presents its convictions with a more subdued and polished tone compared to legacy IFB circles.

Founded in 1974 by Arlin and Beka Horton, PCC grew rapidly due to its academic standards and the popularity of its affiliated Abeka curriculum, now used in thousands of Christian schools across the country.

The college enforces dress codes, music standards, and behavioral expectations, but it does so with a softer institutional style. They are less revivalist and more administrative. Chapel services focus on practical holiness and Christian living.

Notable alumni like Kurt Skelly, Dave Young, Ben Everson, and others have become influential voices for a more balanced version of fundamentalism, committed to separation but without the drama and scandal of other IFB offshoots.

PCC emphasizes professionalism, discipline, and ministry training, and while it remains conservative, it is often viewed as a “safer” and more stable alternative to Hyles-Anderson or similar institutions.

🧵 5. Heartland Baptist Bible College

Established in 1966 as Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College, Heartland moved from California to Oklahoma City in 1998 due to financial issues and a desire to strengthen its church-based support. It was renamed Heartland Baptist Bible College and reorganized under independent fundamentalist Baptist churches rather than a single sponsoring denomination.

Led for years by Sam Davison and now by Jason Gaddis, it is tightly affiliated with Southwest Baptist Church and has become a trusted source of training for many IFB churches.

The college hold very strongly to KJV-only convictions, Landmark ecclesiology (emphasizing a historical continuity of Baptist churches), and conservative standards in dress, music, and worship - but is much more “southern gospel” leaning in their music style than other more musically conservative peers such as Baptist College of Ministry run by the Van Gelderans (covered later).

Their preaching is often more responsible than other IFB circles as they aim to teach “expositional” preaching to their students which is commendable. However topical and eisegetical preaching still exists within this camp through various hobby horse topics, revival meetings, and chapel messages.

Heartland’s atmosphere is perceived as more structured and disciplined than chaotic, and it has avoided many of the extreme excesses of the Hyles model.

Heartland alumni often serve in churches that still emphasize revivalism and conservative standards but with a calmer, more pastoral spirit. It maintains strong ties to older IFB fellowships and newer pastors seeking stability.

🧵 6. Bible Baptist Fellowship International (BBFI) / Now Mission University

One of the oldest and most influential networks in Baptist fundamentalism, BBFI was established in 1950 by pastors like Noel Smith and G. Beauchamp Vick.

For decades, it was a powerhouse of missionary support, church planting, and pastoral training, headquartered in Springfield, Missouri.

Though less visible in recent years, it still operates the Baptist Bible College (BBC) in Springfield (now called Mission University under the leadership of Mark Milioni) and hosts regular national meetings. The fellowship has historically focused on missions, evangelism, and church autonomy.

BBFI churches vary widely in culture (some more progressive, others more traditional) but generally retain conservative values without the cultural militancy of the Sword crowd.

Preaching style ranges from expository to topical, and many BBFI pastors allow for more diversity in application of standards and philosophy. Though its peak influence may have passed, BBFI still represents a major stream in the history of 20th-century Baptist fundamentalism.

🧵 7. GARBC (General Association of Regular Baptist Churches)

The GARBC has always stood slightly apart from the cultural and revivalist ethos of the IFB world, but still has many similarities.

Founded in 1932 as a break from the liberal Northern Baptist Convention, it prioritized doctrinal clarity, church autonomy, and theological education.

GARBC churches are typically not King James Only, nor are they revivalistic in style. Instead, they emphasize expository preaching, ecclesiastical separation, and historic Baptist confessions.

Seminaries like Faith Baptist Bible College (IA) and Clarks Summit University (PA) have long been associated with the GARBC and promote strong academic training.

While many in the IFB world see GARBC churches as too “respectable” or intellectual, this fellowship has maintained a steady voice for doctrinal integrity without embracing the authoritarianism or showmanship found elsewhere.

Many GARBC churches today do not identify as IFB, but their history overlaps significantly with fundamentalist battles of the 20th century. It remains a vital if quieter, part of the conservative Baptist landscape.

🧵8. West Coast Baptist College / Lancaster Baptist Church

Founded in 1995 by Paul Chappell, a former student and admirer of Jack Hyles, West Coast Baptist College (WCBC) in Lancaster, California, reflects a refined, professionalized version of the legacy IFB model. Through Lancaster Baptist Church, Chappell has built a large ministry known for excellence, structure, and polished presentation.

While firmly King James Only in practice, WCBC has pursued accreditation, developed strong music and media programs, and trained thousands of students for pastoral and missions work. Its emphasis is on leadership development, personal standards, and local church loyalty but with a softer tone than many older IFB institutions.

Chappell’s influence has grown nationwide among younger pastors who want IFB values without the chaos or cult of personality. However, the movement still carries many hallmarks of centralized leadership, strong institutional control, and limited openness to critique.
It remains a flagship model for churches that want to maintain traditional IFB commitments while appearing more mainstream and sustainable.

🧵 9. Maranatha Baptist University

Maranatha, located in Watertown, Wisconsin, has long stood on the border of the IFB world while maintaining a more evangelical and academically rigorous identity.

Founded in 1968, the school is not King James Only and is affiliated more with the Regular Baptist stream than revivalist IFB culture. Maranatha offers degrees in ministry, education, and business and places a strong emphasis on biblical fidelity, theological clarity, and pastoral excellence. Its tone is more academic and pastoral than emotional or confrontational.

Many conservative Baptist churches outside the IFB orbit send students here as a trusted alternative to legacy institutions. Though it shares roots with fundamentalist separatism, Maranatha today functions as a more open, theologically conservative Baptist university that distances itself from IFB legalism, authoritarianism, and cultural isolation.

Its alumni are often found in churches that prioritize biblical teaching and healthy church life while eschewing rigid standards or platform politics.

🧵 10. Crown College / Clarence Sexton Circle

Located in Powell, Tennessee, and founded by Clarence Sexton (now deceased) in 1991, Crown College presents one of the most polished and nationalistic expressions of traditional IFB culture. Rooted in loyalty to the King James Bible, revival-style preaching, and structured pastoral authority, Crown emphasizes themes of patriotism, church planting, and “the old-time religion.”

Sexton often blended Baptist separatism with an admiration for British Baptist history and America’s founding fathers, creating a unique brand that is both spiritual and historical. Crown alumni are trained with a heavy focus on pastoral ministry, Christian education, and service, but within a controlled and highly traditional framework.

Though the school avoids has avoided large scale scandal and chaos often associated with other IFB institutions, it maintains a strict line on doctrine, music, dress, and church governance.

🧵 11. Baptist College of Ministry / Van Gelderens / Falls Baptist Church

A highly revival-focused and pietistic circle, the Baptist College of Ministry (BCM), located in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, operates under the leadership of the Van Gelderen family. This movement is known for its emphasis on surrender, spiritual awakening, holiness, and prayer-saturated ministry. They are very influenced by the legacy Bob Jones University flavor of fundamentalism.

The BCM model promotes a theology of spiritual victory over sin, often drawing from Keswick-style teaching and personal consecration. Their conferences like the “Victory Conference” and “Revival Focus” events aim to reignite passion for revival and call Christians to deeper consecration.

Music and worship remain deeply conservative, and the preaching style is serious, quiet, and deeply introspective. While not widely known outside revivalist circles, BCM has significant influence in IFB camps committed to prayer ministry, conservative music, and full-time evangelism.

Though their theological positions are rooted in separation, their method is less bombastic than other IFB groups and often appeals to families and churches longing for deeper spirituality.

🧵 12. Reforming IFB Voices

In recent years, a number of pastors and leaders have emerged who retain their Baptist convictions and conservative theology while rejecting the toxic traits of legalism, authoritarianism, and isolation that often characterized the legacy IFB.

This group includes leaders like Josh Teis (Idea Network), Carey Schmidt (Emmanuel Baptist, CT), Kurt Skelly (Faith Baptist, VA), Kenny Baldwin (Crossroads Baptist, VA) and Bryan Samms (Jacksonville, FL). These men represent a quieter revolution within the IFB that is committed to expositional preaching, healthy leadership structures, grace-based ministry, and theological depth. While some still operate within IFB-adjacent circles, most avoid the label due to its cultural baggage.

They tend to attract younger pastors and church planters disillusioned with previous models but still committed to sound doctrine and missions. Their churches often include contemporary worship, relaxed dress codes, and emphasis on discipleship and leadership development.

This stream is not a formal fellowship but a shared mood: Christ-centered, theologically sound, and committed to reforming from within or alongside the IFB world.

🧵 13. Stephen Anderson / New IFB (NIFB)

Stephen Anderson, pastor of Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona, launched the “New IFB” as a reactionary movement against both modern culture and what he perceived as compromise in older fundamentalist circles.

The NIFB holds to extreme King James Onlyism, hardline separation, and conspiratorial eschatology, antisemitic rhetoric, Holocaust denial, and aggressive anti-LGBTQ+ preaching, and aggressive door knocking evangelist that focuses on getting people to “pray a prayer” to be saved.

Steven Anderson is an alumni of Hyles Anderson college, and much of his ministry is just a more extreme version of many systems and philosophies of ministry he was trained in while studying under Hyles/Schaap.

This group has planted dozens of churches globally through livestreamed services and YouTube evangelism, creating a digital IFB subculture that is highly insular and militant.

Though numerically small, the NIFB’s online visibility has made it disproportionately influential in shaping public perceptions of the IFB. Even legacy IFB leaders have publicly disavowed Anderson’s network as cult-like. It remains one of the most radical expressions of modern Baptist separatism.

🧵 14. Revivalist Evangelist Circuit

The traveling evangelist tradition remains a backbone of IFB church culture. Figures like the late Tom Farrell, R.B. Ouellette, Scott Pauley, Tim Green, Larry Brown, and John Hamblin have preached in hundreds of churches, Bible colleges, youth camps, and revival meetings across the country.

This circuit is defined by a blend of high-energy preaching, emotional altar calls, and themes like America’s decline, soul-winning urgency, and personal holiness. These evangelists often operate independently but are treated like circuit-riding celebrities, drawing big crowds and shaping pulpit style and theology.

While some remain tied to legacy IFB institutions, others drift across fellowships, acting as bridge figures between traditional and reforming camps. They help reinforce revivalism, preaching cadence, and IFB cultural expectations across generational lines.

🧵 15. Mission Boards & Para-Church Ministries

While IFB churches are fiercely independent, a vast ecosystem of mission boards, youth camps, literature publishers, and support ministries function behind the scenes to connect them.

Organizations like Baptist International Missions, Inc. (BIMI), Macedonia World Baptist Missions, and Worldwide New Testament Baptist Missions serve thousands of missionaries sent by IFB churches.

Summer camps, evangelistic rallies, and leadership conferences (often hosted by churches or schools) provide continuity for IFB youth and reinforce standards, doctrines, and vocational paths.

Though not always visible to outsiders, these ministries form the infrastructure that keeps the movement alive beyond the Sunday pulpit. They function as “soft networks” of influence, creating pipelines for preacher boys, missionaries, and future leaders.

🧵 16. Unaffiliated Baptists

Not all who share IFB values wear the label. Many churches across the U.S. use the King James Bible, practice conservative worship, and uphold separation from worldly trends, yet remain independent of fellowships, Bible colleges, or branded networks.

Some of these churches are former IFB ministries seeking reform without completely abandoning traditional convictions. Others have never been formally aligned but function similarly in culture and belief.

These churches often reject the authoritarianism or baggage of IFB history while preserving local church autonomy and doctrinal conservatism. They represent both a soft landing zone for ex-IFB members and a quietly enduring thread within broader Baptist life.

🧵 17. Conservative Music Ministries & Worship Influencers

In IFB and fundamentalist circles, music is deeply tied to theology and identity. These ministries have helped shape worship philosophy, musical standards, and church culture across generations.

Steve Pettit Evangelistic Team: BJU-connected and known for acoustic, folk-style arrangements with reverent lyrics. Offered a softer, Appalachian tone within traditional boundaries. Influential during Pettit’s BJU presidency.

Galkin Evangelistic Team: Blending gospel clarity with conservative, modernized hymnody. Popular among reforming IFB and conservative Baptist churches looking for Christ-centered worship without “going contemporary.”

Herbster Evangelistic Team: Tied to institutions like Crown and West Coast. Known for polished vocal ensembles, high dress standards, and traditional revival-style music with patriotic themes.

The Wilds Christian Camp: Hugely influential in shaping conservative worship through camps, music publications, and songbooks. Known for scriptural lyrics, musical creativity, and broad use in GARBC, BJU, and Maranatha networks.

Majesty Music / Patch the Pirate: Ron and Shelly Hamilton’s family-friendly music empire. Beloved in children’s ministries, it combines storytelling and doctrine in a conservative musical framework. Also produces church music resources.

Faith Music Missions: Popular in Southern IFB churches. Offers gospel quartets, piano/organ duets, and old-style arrangements. Often sold at legacy IFB conferences and bookstores.

SoundForth: Once part of BJU, it produced choral and instrumental music for churches and schools. Though sold off in 2012, its catalog still circulates widely in conservative ministries.

🧵 Conclusion and a Request

That wraps up this addendum to my IFB history thread.

I’m sure there are even more groups, ministries, and voices I didn’t cover here. So let me know in the comments:

🔹 Are you connected to any of these circles?
🔹 Did you grow up in or serve within one of them?
🔹 Are there others I should add?

I’d love to hear your connections, experiences, and testimony whether you are still in the IFB world, have moved on from it, or are somewhere in between.

This conversation still matters! 👇🏼

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