Southwide Baptist Fellowship Old and New
February 26, 2026
David Cloud, Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061
866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org
866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org
On August 21, 2025, I published “Southwide Baptist Fellowship” to document its history and the downfall from its founding principles. This is an illustration of the great collapse that is occurring among fundamental Baptists.
In response I received the following gracious communication:
RESPONSE TO THE REPORT ON SOUTHWIDE
“I’ve seen your article on the history of the Southwide Baptist Fellowship, and thought you might want to consider an update to it in light of the last few years. If I understand right, the historic fellowship discontinued it’s meetings maybe 10-15 years ago.
“Around 5 years ago some independent Baptists revived it, in a way. Technically the new one is the Southwide Independent Baptist Fellowship, though I’ve usually heard it called the “Southwide” generally. Their yearly fellowship meeting [in 2025] was held at Calvary Baptist in King, NC this past year. There were probably something like 1,000-1,500 people in attendance, many of them preachers.
“Its moderators this past year were Kenneth Kuykendall and Scott Hooks. Its leadership is KJV-only, and at least most of the leaders are still rejecting contemporary music. The preaching I heard was very scripturally solid. Speakers this past year included Alton Beal (chancellor of Ambassador Baptist College), Scott Pauley (evangelist and formerly Clarence Sexton’s assistant pastor), John Wilkerson (First Baptist of Hammond), Derrick Morlan (pastor of Temple Baptist in Knoxville, since Bro. Sexton’s death), and several others. Alton Beal, in his sermon on true worship, warned about the false contemporary worship philosophy that is involved with contemporary music use.
“Anyway, it’s not perfect, and I know that Calvary (the host church) and probably a minority of the other churches are using some contemporary music, but I think the fellowship is a lot more solid than it had been for a long time in the previous organization.”
REPLY FROM BROTHER CLOUD
Thank you for the communication and information. I am fairly familiar with the Southwide Independent Baptist Fellowship. The preachers participating in it are definitely not the “skinny jeans, blackened auditorium, New King James, delving into Reformed theology” crowd.
The Southwide Independent Baptist Fellowship was formed a few years ago by some men who quietly left the old Southwide. To my knowledge there was no public warning about what was happening and exactly why they were leaving the old fellowship, other than perhaps some vague generalities. I remember commenting on this at the time.
That independent Baptists tend to despise clear public warnings about error, especially error in their own midst, is a major reason for the collapse we see everywhere. This unbiblical principle keeps both pastors and people in ignorance about dangers.
The “big tent” principle of maintaining a mixed multitude of Independent Baptists by these type of conferences will result in the same apostasy that happened to the old Southwide.
Churches that do not separate themselves from the rapidly-growing number of compromised Baptists will be influenced by them and weakened by them. If a church associates with another church that has different “standards”--such as through a preacher’s fellowship, sharing pulpits, a summer camp, or a sports program--how can it not be influenced?
I see the same thing in Canada, Australia, the Philippines, and other places.
When a mixed multitude gathers together, the “stand” devolves to the lowest common denominator. Typically, there are no clear warnings against the errors represented by the churches that are present. In fact, the big tent principle makes such warnings nearly unthinkable, as they would harm the unity. If there are any warnings at all, they are weak, vague, generalized. (It is possible to preach against sin and error in such a way that you don’t offend those who are guilty of what you are preaching against.) I’ve heard generalized warnings since I was a young man at Tennessee Temple. I don’t think they accomplish much, if anything. Paul wasn’t general in his warnings, and I’m confident he would not fit in with any Baptist fellowship today.
What will you find in a mixed multitude of Independent Baptists today, even the more conservative ones?
You will find Contemporary Christian music. If it is not yet leaping unrestricted through the congregation, it will be creeping around in the background. You will find it entering through the special music; you will find it the homes; you will find it among the youth. You stated that the Southwide Independent Baptist Fellowship includes churches using CCM (including the host church and those of some of its leaders). This is no small thing. It is death in the pot. CCM is not just music; it is a philosophy of Christianity that is diametrically opposed to biblical separation; it is a change agent; it builds bridges to every element of the one-world church. CCM carries the disease of ecumenism with all of its great errors. CCM holds hands with Rome. And the reason why CCM is making such great headway throughout Independent Baptist churches is the lack of discernment and real concern on the part of pastors and teachers, and the lack of proper congregation-wide education on this major issue. (We have documented this in Evangelicalism and the Great Apostasy.)
You will find churches with modern versions creeping in. In many churches that are still “King James,” you will find a sympathetic ear for the New King James on the part of some members, perhaps even the deacons and teachers, perhaps even the pastors. You will find a growing influence by men such as Joshua Barzon and Bryan Samms and lots of unnamed men who are focusing on the alleged unreadability of the King James and the innocence of the New King James. You will find little to no serious teaching on this essential issue to fortify the congregation against these errors.
You will find churches leavened with a lot of worldliness. You will find sensual, addictive video gaming, professional and college sports enthusiasm, rock & roll, hip/hop, country western, immodest dress, romance novels, addiction to unwholesome social media, R-rated movies and worse, internet pornography, to name a few. You will find such things in the lives and homes of deacons and teachers, even the preachers. And you will find pulpits that are quiet in the face of the worldly sins of the congregation, except perhaps for some generalized statements from time to time that are ineffectual of producing repentance and change. A church that accepts worldliness as the status quo is not a New Testament church. Truly biblical pastors will be like Paul, James, and John who refused to countenance worldliness and dealt with it in a strong, plain, forthright, even severe, non-compromising manner (1 Co. 10:21; 2 Co. 6:14-18; Eph. 5:11; Jas. 4:4, 8-10; 1 Jo. 2:15-17).
You will find churches with an unholy youth department, with young people being entertained but not properly discipled. You will find an entertainment program with a thin biblical veneer. You will find worldly youth allowed to participate in church ministries and thus corrupt the congregation by their unholy examples. You will find pastors who aren’t alarmed at the worldliness of the youth.
You will find churches that are biblically shallow: shallow preaching with little biblical depth, little to no expository preaching, shallow knowledge of Scripture and lack of a biblical testing mindset on the part of perhaps the majority of members. A biblically shallow church is not a New Testament church. Scripture does not countenance such a thing, does not accept it as the status quo. A New Testament church will exhibit the passion of Hebrews 5:12-14 for all of the members, “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
You will find churches that are grossly ignorant of major issues facing God’s people today: ignorance of the dangers of evangelicalism, charismaticism, modern textual criticism, contemporary music (including contemporary S. Gospel) as as a bridge to the one-world church, the New King James as a bridge to the the modern versions and textual criticism and the destruction of absolute biblical authority, Reformed theology, replacement theology, and mid-trib/post-trib Rapture, to name some. A great many churches are ignorant of these things because the pastors and teachers don’t properly warn and instruct about such things. They don’t have libraries and bookstores of well-selected material that provide this education. Many Independent Baptist pastors don’t even like “warnings.” It’s unnecessary and divisive, they say, thus proving that they are tradition-bound and don’t have a biblical mindset.
You will find Quick Prayerism. Since the 1960s and the publication of Jack Hyles’ Let’s Go Soulwinning by the Sword of the Lord, Quick Prayerism has fearfully leavened Independent Baptists. Quick Prayerism is an evangelistic methodology that is quick to get people to pray a sinner’s prayer after a shallow gospel presentation and usually without any hint of the necessity of repentance. It is quick to pronounce those people saved and give them “assurance” and to try to baptize them even if they barely show any interest in Jesus Christ and even if they give no biblical evidence of having been born again (John 10:27; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 1:16; 1 John 2:3-4). Quick Prayerism emphasizes “going to heaven when you die.” (“Do you want to go to heaven when you die? Then pray this prayer,” which you see nowhere in Scripture.) Quick Prayerism typically incorporates cheap psychological salesmanship manipulation. In Quick Prayerism, a “sinner’s prayer” replaces Holy Spirit conviction and miraculous regeneration. Quick Prayerism is characterized by soul winning reports that are grossly exaggerated, since the number of real conversions as evidenced by changed lives are minute compared to the overall statistics.
You will find failure to maintain a regenerate membership. This is the most serious error among Independent Baptists, and it is intimately connected with Quick Prayerism. A New Testament church is a church in which each one of the members has exercised repentance and saving faith and been born again with clear evidence (Acts 2:38-42). It is a spiritual house made of living stones (1 Peter 2:5). It is a body in which every member is spiritually alive and ministering (Ephesians 4:11-16). A regenerate church membership is a fundamental biblical principle that was practiced by most Baptists prior to the 20th century but has since been abandoned by the vast majority. (See “A Regenerate Church Membership” and “Charles Spurgeon and a Regenerate Church Membership” at www.wayoflife.org.)
If a little leaven leavens the whole lump, what about a whole bunch of leaven!
The only way to protect from leaven is to cut it out, disassociate from it, separate from it.
Independent Baptists desperately, urgently need to fly the flag of truth without hesitation or reservation. They need to encourage a warrior spirit in an apostate age. They need to encourage one another to have the character of Psalm 119:128, “Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.” They need to hold conferences focusing on the issues that are destroying the biblical character of the assemblies, with direct preaching on these subjects, naming the chief culprits (pastors, churches, schools, organizations) who are promoting these things, giving practical, effectual instruction on these things. They need to have conferences on the music issue, the Bible version issue, the evangelicalism issue, the ecumenism issue, the Bible prophecy issue, the repentance issue, the regenerate membership issue, the worldliness issue, and the modesty issue.
Many decades ago a GARBC preacher warned about “a limited message or a limited fellowship.” He said he had learned as a young preacher that he had to make a choice either to limit his fellowship or limit his message. He was right, though he later disobeyed his own principle and followed the GARBC into New Evangelical compromise. It is impossible to stand for and to speak out for the whole counsel of God without limiting one’s fellowship. A big tent principle will shut the mouth of the bravest of preachers.
A wise church that is passionate about obeying God’s Word and about being the New Testament church that we see in Scripture will associate only with truly likeminded assemblies, regardless of how few that number might be. It will obey God’s Word and cut off the leaven of compromise, corrupt tradition, error, and worldliness. It will refuse to be infected by the disease of big tent independent Baptist ecumenism.
“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame” (1 Corinthians 15:33-34).
We don’t have to fear man, and we must not fear man. Those who fear God alone and trust Him explicitly will never be ashamed (Isa. 49:23; Jer. 17:7; Ro. 9:33; 1 Pe. 2:6).
Preachers, let’s make this our legacy. Reject the big tent mindset. Don’t follow the crowd. Build truly New Testament churches to the glory of Jesus Christ and the blessing of those who so desperately need such churches.
In response I received the following gracious communication:
RESPONSE TO THE REPORT ON SOUTHWIDE
“I’ve seen your article on the history of the Southwide Baptist Fellowship, and thought you might want to consider an update to it in light of the last few years. If I understand right, the historic fellowship discontinued it’s meetings maybe 10-15 years ago.
“Around 5 years ago some independent Baptists revived it, in a way. Technically the new one is the Southwide Independent Baptist Fellowship, though I’ve usually heard it called the “Southwide” generally. Their yearly fellowship meeting [in 2025] was held at Calvary Baptist in King, NC this past year. There were probably something like 1,000-1,500 people in attendance, many of them preachers.
“Its moderators this past year were Kenneth Kuykendall and Scott Hooks. Its leadership is KJV-only, and at least most of the leaders are still rejecting contemporary music. The preaching I heard was very scripturally solid. Speakers this past year included Alton Beal (chancellor of Ambassador Baptist College), Scott Pauley (evangelist and formerly Clarence Sexton’s assistant pastor), John Wilkerson (First Baptist of Hammond), Derrick Morlan (pastor of Temple Baptist in Knoxville, since Bro. Sexton’s death), and several others. Alton Beal, in his sermon on true worship, warned about the false contemporary worship philosophy that is involved with contemporary music use.
“Anyway, it’s not perfect, and I know that Calvary (the host church) and probably a minority of the other churches are using some contemporary music, but I think the fellowship is a lot more solid than it had been for a long time in the previous organization.”
REPLY FROM BROTHER CLOUD
Thank you for the communication and information. I am fairly familiar with the Southwide Independent Baptist Fellowship. The preachers participating in it are definitely not the “skinny jeans, blackened auditorium, New King James, delving into Reformed theology” crowd.
The Southwide Independent Baptist Fellowship was formed a few years ago by some men who quietly left the old Southwide. To my knowledge there was no public warning about what was happening and exactly why they were leaving the old fellowship, other than perhaps some vague generalities. I remember commenting on this at the time.
That independent Baptists tend to despise clear public warnings about error, especially error in their own midst, is a major reason for the collapse we see everywhere. This unbiblical principle keeps both pastors and people in ignorance about dangers.
The “big tent” principle of maintaining a mixed multitude of Independent Baptists by these type of conferences will result in the same apostasy that happened to the old Southwide.
Churches that do not separate themselves from the rapidly-growing number of compromised Baptists will be influenced by them and weakened by them. If a church associates with another church that has different “standards”--such as through a preacher’s fellowship, sharing pulpits, a summer camp, or a sports program--how can it not be influenced?
I see the same thing in Canada, Australia, the Philippines, and other places.
When a mixed multitude gathers together, the “stand” devolves to the lowest common denominator. Typically, there are no clear warnings against the errors represented by the churches that are present. In fact, the big tent principle makes such warnings nearly unthinkable, as they would harm the unity. If there are any warnings at all, they are weak, vague, generalized. (It is possible to preach against sin and error in such a way that you don’t offend those who are guilty of what you are preaching against.) I’ve heard generalized warnings since I was a young man at Tennessee Temple. I don’t think they accomplish much, if anything. Paul wasn’t general in his warnings, and I’m confident he would not fit in with any Baptist fellowship today.
What will you find in a mixed multitude of Independent Baptists today, even the more conservative ones?
You will find Contemporary Christian music. If it is not yet leaping unrestricted through the congregation, it will be creeping around in the background. You will find it entering through the special music; you will find it the homes; you will find it among the youth. You stated that the Southwide Independent Baptist Fellowship includes churches using CCM (including the host church and those of some of its leaders). This is no small thing. It is death in the pot. CCM is not just music; it is a philosophy of Christianity that is diametrically opposed to biblical separation; it is a change agent; it builds bridges to every element of the one-world church. CCM carries the disease of ecumenism with all of its great errors. CCM holds hands with Rome. And the reason why CCM is making such great headway throughout Independent Baptist churches is the lack of discernment and real concern on the part of pastors and teachers, and the lack of proper congregation-wide education on this major issue. (We have documented this in Evangelicalism and the Great Apostasy.)
You will find churches with modern versions creeping in. In many churches that are still “King James,” you will find a sympathetic ear for the New King James on the part of some members, perhaps even the deacons and teachers, perhaps even the pastors. You will find a growing influence by men such as Joshua Barzon and Bryan Samms and lots of unnamed men who are focusing on the alleged unreadability of the King James and the innocence of the New King James. You will find little to no serious teaching on this essential issue to fortify the congregation against these errors.
You will find churches leavened with a lot of worldliness. You will find sensual, addictive video gaming, professional and college sports enthusiasm, rock & roll, hip/hop, country western, immodest dress, romance novels, addiction to unwholesome social media, R-rated movies and worse, internet pornography, to name a few. You will find such things in the lives and homes of deacons and teachers, even the preachers. And you will find pulpits that are quiet in the face of the worldly sins of the congregation, except perhaps for some generalized statements from time to time that are ineffectual of producing repentance and change. A church that accepts worldliness as the status quo is not a New Testament church. Truly biblical pastors will be like Paul, James, and John who refused to countenance worldliness and dealt with it in a strong, plain, forthright, even severe, non-compromising manner (1 Co. 10:21; 2 Co. 6:14-18; Eph. 5:11; Jas. 4:4, 8-10; 1 Jo. 2:15-17).
You will find churches with an unholy youth department, with young people being entertained but not properly discipled. You will find an entertainment program with a thin biblical veneer. You will find worldly youth allowed to participate in church ministries and thus corrupt the congregation by their unholy examples. You will find pastors who aren’t alarmed at the worldliness of the youth.
You will find churches that are biblically shallow: shallow preaching with little biblical depth, little to no expository preaching, shallow knowledge of Scripture and lack of a biblical testing mindset on the part of perhaps the majority of members. A biblically shallow church is not a New Testament church. Scripture does not countenance such a thing, does not accept it as the status quo. A New Testament church will exhibit the passion of Hebrews 5:12-14 for all of the members, “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
You will find churches that are grossly ignorant of major issues facing God’s people today: ignorance of the dangers of evangelicalism, charismaticism, modern textual criticism, contemporary music (including contemporary S. Gospel) as as a bridge to the one-world church, the New King James as a bridge to the the modern versions and textual criticism and the destruction of absolute biblical authority, Reformed theology, replacement theology, and mid-trib/post-trib Rapture, to name some. A great many churches are ignorant of these things because the pastors and teachers don’t properly warn and instruct about such things. They don’t have libraries and bookstores of well-selected material that provide this education. Many Independent Baptist pastors don’t even like “warnings.” It’s unnecessary and divisive, they say, thus proving that they are tradition-bound and don’t have a biblical mindset.
You will find Quick Prayerism. Since the 1960s and the publication of Jack Hyles’ Let’s Go Soulwinning by the Sword of the Lord, Quick Prayerism has fearfully leavened Independent Baptists. Quick Prayerism is an evangelistic methodology that is quick to get people to pray a sinner’s prayer after a shallow gospel presentation and usually without any hint of the necessity of repentance. It is quick to pronounce those people saved and give them “assurance” and to try to baptize them even if they barely show any interest in Jesus Christ and even if they give no biblical evidence of having been born again (John 10:27; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 1:16; 1 John 2:3-4). Quick Prayerism emphasizes “going to heaven when you die.” (“Do you want to go to heaven when you die? Then pray this prayer,” which you see nowhere in Scripture.) Quick Prayerism typically incorporates cheap psychological salesmanship manipulation. In Quick Prayerism, a “sinner’s prayer” replaces Holy Spirit conviction and miraculous regeneration. Quick Prayerism is characterized by soul winning reports that are grossly exaggerated, since the number of real conversions as evidenced by changed lives are minute compared to the overall statistics.
You will find failure to maintain a regenerate membership. This is the most serious error among Independent Baptists, and it is intimately connected with Quick Prayerism. A New Testament church is a church in which each one of the members has exercised repentance and saving faith and been born again with clear evidence (Acts 2:38-42). It is a spiritual house made of living stones (1 Peter 2:5). It is a body in which every member is spiritually alive and ministering (Ephesians 4:11-16). A regenerate church membership is a fundamental biblical principle that was practiced by most Baptists prior to the 20th century but has since been abandoned by the vast majority. (See “A Regenerate Church Membership” and “Charles Spurgeon and a Regenerate Church Membership” at www.wayoflife.org.)
If a little leaven leavens the whole lump, what about a whole bunch of leaven!
The only way to protect from leaven is to cut it out, disassociate from it, separate from it.
Independent Baptists desperately, urgently need to fly the flag of truth without hesitation or reservation. They need to encourage a warrior spirit in an apostate age. They need to encourage one another to have the character of Psalm 119:128, “Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.” They need to hold conferences focusing on the issues that are destroying the biblical character of the assemblies, with direct preaching on these subjects, naming the chief culprits (pastors, churches, schools, organizations) who are promoting these things, giving practical, effectual instruction on these things. They need to have conferences on the music issue, the Bible version issue, the evangelicalism issue, the ecumenism issue, the Bible prophecy issue, the repentance issue, the regenerate membership issue, the worldliness issue, and the modesty issue.
Many decades ago a GARBC preacher warned about “a limited message or a limited fellowship.” He said he had learned as a young preacher that he had to make a choice either to limit his fellowship or limit his message. He was right, though he later disobeyed his own principle and followed the GARBC into New Evangelical compromise. It is impossible to stand for and to speak out for the whole counsel of God without limiting one’s fellowship. A big tent principle will shut the mouth of the bravest of preachers.
A wise church that is passionate about obeying God’s Word and about being the New Testament church that we see in Scripture will associate only with truly likeminded assemblies, regardless of how few that number might be. It will obey God’s Word and cut off the leaven of compromise, corrupt tradition, error, and worldliness. It will refuse to be infected by the disease of big tent independent Baptist ecumenism.
“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame” (1 Corinthians 15:33-34).
We don’t have to fear man, and we must not fear man. Those who fear God alone and trust Him explicitly will never be ashamed (Isa. 49:23; Jer. 17:7; Ro. 9:33; 1 Pe. 2:6).
Preachers, let’s make this our legacy. Reject the big tent mindset. Don’t follow the crowd. Build truly New Testament churches to the glory of Jesus Christ and the blessing of those who so desperately need such churches.
- Receive these reports by email
- www.wayoflife.org
______________________
Sharing Policy: Much of our material is available for free, such as the hundreds of articles at the Way of Life web site. Other items we sell to help fund our expensive literature and foreign church planting ministries. Way of Life's content falls into two categories: sharable and non-sharable. Things that we encourage you to share include the audio sermons, O Timothy magazine, FBIS articles, and the free eVideos and free eBooks. You are welcome to make copies of these at your own expense and share them with friends and family. You may also post parts of reports and/or entire reports to websites, blogs, etc as long as you give proper credit (citation). A link to the original report is very much appreciated as the reports are frequently updated and/or expanded. Things we do not want copied and distributed are "Store" items like the Fundamental Baptist Digital Library, print editions of our books, electronic editions of the books that we sell, the videos that we sell, etc. The items have taken years to produce at enormous expense in time and money, and we use the income from sales to help fund the ministry. We trust that your Christian honesty will preserve the integrity of this policy. "For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward" (1 Timothy 5:18). Questions? support@wayoflife.org
Goal:Distributed by Way of Life Literature Inc., the Fundamental Baptist Information Service is an e-mail posting for Bible-believing Christians. Established in 1974, Way of Life Literature is a fundamental Baptist preaching and publishing ministry based in Bethel Baptist Church, London, Ontario, of which Wilbert Unger is the founding Pastor. Brother Cloud lives in South Asia where he has been a church planting missionary since 1979. Our primary goal with the FBIS is to provide material to assist preachers in the edification and protection of the churches.
Offering: Offerings are welcome if you care to make one. If you have been helped and/or blessed by our material offerings can be mailed or made online with with Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or Paypal. For information see: www.wayoflife.org/about/makeanoffering.html.
