History of the Baptist:

The Earliest Baptists

The Baptist movement traces its origins to the 17th century in England. The first Baptist churches were founded by a group of English Puritans who rejected the state-controlled Church of England and believed in the separation of church and state. These early Baptists emphasized the importance of adult baptism by immersion, which they believed was the only valid form of baptism.

The Anabaptists

The Baptist movement was influenced by the Anabaptists, a radical Protestant movement that emerged in Europe in the 16th century. The Anabaptists rejected infant baptism and believed that baptism should only be performed on adults who had made a conscious decision to follow Jesus Christ. They also emphasized the importance of separation from the world and the practice of pacifism.

The Baptist Church in America

The Baptist movement was brought to America in the 17th century by English colonists. The first Baptist church in America was founded in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1638. The Baptists quickly spread throughout the American colonies and became one of the largest Protestant denominations in the United States.

The Baptist Missionary Movement

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Baptist movement experienced a period of rapid growth and expansion. This growth was fueled in part by the Baptist missionary movement, which sent missionaries to all corners of the world to spread the Gospel. Baptist missionaries established churches in Africa, Asia, and South America.

The Baptist Church Today

Today, the Baptist movement is one of the largest Protestant denominations in the world. There are over 40 million Baptists in the United States and over 100 million Baptists worldwide. The Baptist movement has a wide range of beliefs and practices, but all Baptists share a common commitment to the Bible as the sole authority for faith and practice.