David W,

I love missions.  I have a heart for missions.  The heart throb of God is 
reaching people with the gospel all around the world.

I am very happy for anyone preaching Christ Jesus as Savior, no matter which 
denomination or missions group they are working for.

I am very happy when Christians take the Great Commission to heart and go to 
win lost people to Christ in other cultures.

I am just surprised at your figures.  They seem inflated to me.  It would be 
wonderful if they are correct.

... but somehow they do not seem realistic.

David, I learned many years ago to not accept blindly everything preachers 
say.  I have seen to much sham and too many con games.  I have heard too 
many lies and falsehoods.  I have seen churches steal from preachers and 
preachers steal from churches. ... Singers that smile and tell wonderful 
testimonies in front of the congregation but engage in sexual immorality 
behind the scenes. It makes no difference the denomination.  It happens 
everywhere, even among independent churches.

Have you never heard a preacher tell a lie as he justified it by saying 
"evangelistically speaking"???  Have you never heard a preacher tell a story 
that happened to him only to read the same story about another preacher 
somewhere else?

Are all Christians honest?  Do all missions organizations tell the truth?

Can you believe something is true or correct just because you read it on 
someone's web page????

Have you never heard the glowing results of a missions campaign with 
thousands getting saved every night only to discover they keep counting the 
same people every night raising their hands again and again for salvation?

No, I am not cynical, ... I have just learned to "prove all things, hold 
fast that which is good"

1 Thess 5:21
21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
KJV

1 Thess 5:21-22
21 Test everything. Hold on to the good.
NIV

1 Thess 5:21
21 but test everything that is said to be sure it is true, and if it is, 
then accept it.
TLB

1 Thess 5:21
21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;
NASU

Jerry L


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Pastor David Warner" <dwarner@...>
To: <pastorsforum@...>
Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2006 10:52 AM
Subject: RE: [PastorsForum] 15,000 independent Baptist churches


> On what basis do you question these figures?  You difficulty of 
> belief?????
> You question the accuracy of these figures---on what basis?  Do you have
> ANYTHING on which to base your belief except feelings, difficulty of 
> belief,
> you just don't think so, I hope they are wrong, what?  What is you basis 
> for
> questioning these figures.  Could it be that they were posted by an IFB?
> They're in print Jerry,  they have to be right!   Bahahahahahahaha
>
> DW
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jerry [mailto:jelewis@...]
> Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2006 1:44 AM
> To: pastorsforum@...
> Subject: Re: [PastorsForum] 15,000 independent Baptist churches
>
>
> I find it difficult to believe that IFB would have more missionaries than
> IMB and NAMB .....
>
> ... so I question the accuracy of these figures ....
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Pastor David Warner" <dwarner@...>
> To: <pastorsforum@...>
> Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2006 12:53 AM
> Subject: RE: [PastorsForum] 15,000 independent Baptist churches
>
>
>> Nope.  Got them from an independent Baptist Church website.  There are
>> actually people out there that do this kind of surveying.  They actually
>> count churches and missionaries.  I guess for the only purpose of giving
>> us
>> something to put on our websites.
>> Who knows.  I'm just glad for every one of them leaving family and home
>> and
>> going to the uttermost.
>>
>> DW
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Jerry [mailto:jelewis@...]
>> Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2006 12:39 AM
>> To: pastorsforum@...
>> Subject: Re: [PastorsForum] 15,000 independent Baptist churches
>>
>>
>> David W,
>>
>> Where did you obtain these numbers???
>>
>> ... from Jack Hyles?
>>
>> Are you claiming that IFB missionaries are more in number than Southern
>> Baptist missionaries????  Are you being facetious?
>>
>> Seriously, I would like to know your source...
>>
>> Jerry L
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Pastor David Warner" <dwarner@...>
>> To: "Pastorsforum@Associate. Com" <pastorsforum@...>
>> Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 11:37 PM
>> Subject: [PastorsForum] 15,000 independent Baptist churches
>>
>>
>>> There are more than 15,000 independent Baptist churches in America and 
>>> at
>>> least 10,000 independent Baptist missionaries serving on mission fields
>>> worldwide.
>>>
>>> Every independent Baptist church is an autonomous congregation. We are
>>> self-
>>> governing and self-supporting. The head of the church is the Lord Jesus
>>> Christ. The Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice. It is 
>>> our
>>> desire to be a truly New Testament church.
>>>
>>> DW
>>>