
Quick Facts
Founded
Unknown
Denomination
SBC
Service Times
See idlewild.org
Men's Ministry
Yes
Kids Ministry
Yes
Pastor Credentials
Verify

10-Point Theological Scorecard
Christology
Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)
Trinity and Christ's nature affirmed per site.
Strong
Scripture
Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?
Homepage describes church as 'Christ-centered' developing 'disciples that impact the nations'; detailed inerrancy language not surfaced on reachable homepage (beliefs subpage 404). BFM2000 alignment assumed per SBC affiliation but not explicitly quoted from current fetch.
Strong
Men's Discipleship
Intentional formation for men?
Men's ministry exists; not distinctively emphasized.
Caution
Soteriology
Faith alone? How is salvation presented?
Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone; eternal security.
Strong
Gender / Biblical Design
Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?
SBC BFM2000 complementarian; Jodie Montgomery directs Women's Ministry (support role, not pastoral).

SBC BFM2000 complementarian.
Caution
Leadership Structure
Male elders/pastors? Accountability?
Dr. Edgar Aponte Senior Pastor (ex-IMB); 4 years in role; no formal elder board structure evident.
Caution
Preaching Style
Expository or topical/therapeutic?
IMB/disciple-making emphasis under Aponte.
Caution
Mission Clarity
Great Commission central?
Strong SBC cooperative missions; Aponte ex-IMB brings missions focus.
Strong
Cultural Alignment
DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?
No DEI/CRT or Comer/Practicing the Way language observed.
Caution
Accountability Structure
Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?
SBC — BFM2000 confessional.
Strong

Assessment
Idlewild Baptist Church is a large SBC congregation in the Tampa/Lutz area. Ken Whitten served as senior pastor for 33 years (1989-2023), growing the church from 1,500 to 10,000 on a 140-acre campus. Whitten retired and joined NAMB as national director of pastoral leadership. New pastoral leadership should be evaluated. SBC-affiliated with strong missions DNA.
#florida#national#sbc#bible-church#tampa

Sources & Evidence
These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.
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[1] Live source
idlewild.org/about
Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.

Last reviewed:
2026-05-16
— Annual review recommended