Could you fill me in on why some Baptist Churches would not join the SBC? I think some are Free Will so that I could understand, but does the SBC have a Statement of Faith that some congregations specifically reject even if only on one or two bullet items? Don't need a thesis, just maybe a list of the lines in the sand website or something
Has the SBC evolved it's Statement of Faith over time to placate some member congregation?
SBC standard line is the Baptist Faith and Message and it reads like a post from Foszoe (): Southern Baptist Convention > The Baptist Faith and Message
Baptists are by nature independent (not Independent, that is something else, like Orthodox and orthodox/ Catholic and catholic). There are several who are Independent who "Fellowship" together (in Indiana it is the IFBF). The Regular Baptists all fall under the General Association of Regular Baptists (note, association). The Southern Baptists are a "Convention." And the American Baptists are pretty much liberals who we don't talk about anymore. There are also Free Will Baptists, who chose their own way . And there are several organizations of Baptists: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Baptist_organizations.
Generally, churches align themselves within these groups, based on more similar beliefs. The all believe the same basics and core, but differ on the periphery (if that makes sense). Just like I can have a similar view of salvation as a Presbyterian, but I don't believe in infant baptism and conventional theology (I'm a dispensationalist personally).