Baptist

Member of any of several Protestant and evangelical Christian sects that practise baptism by immersion only upon profession of faith. Baptists seek their authority in the Bible. They originated among English Dissenters who took refuge in the Netherlands in the early 17th century, and spread by emigration and, later, missionary activity. Of the world total of approximately 31 million, some 26.5 million are in the USA and 265,000 in the UK.

The first Baptist church in America was organized in Rhode Island 1639. Baptism grew rapidly during the Great Awakening religious revival of the 18th century. After the American Revolution, Baptism spread into the South and among blacks, both slave and free. The Southern Baptist Convention remains the largest Protestant denomination in the USA: in 1997, of the 26.5 million US Baptists 15.7 million were Southern Baptists. Other Baptists are scattered among the numerous divisions that developed during the last two centuries. In the 19th century Baptism also spread in Europe and to British colonies. Baptists have been among the most active denominations in missionary work.