Cross Denominational Mission
The
name comes from the conviction that followers of Jesus Christ are
commanded to be completely immersed in water as a public display of
their faith, hence most Baptists reject infant 'baptism' (or
Christening). The name Baptist is mentioned in the Bible, with John the
Baptist, but the term Baptist for this denomination has its origins in
the Anabaptists. The denomination itself was shaped largely by the
English Separatist movement of the 16th century. Baptists usually are considered Protestants, although some reject that association.
Baptist
churches operate on the 'Congregational' system, giving autonomy to
individual local Baptist churches. Baptists traditionally have avoided
the "top-down" hierarchy of Episcopalianism which is found in the Roman
Catholic, Anglican, and many other churches. However, Baptist churches
will often associate in denominational groups such as the Southern
Baptist Convention, National Baptist Convention USA, Conservative
Baptist Association of America, American Baptist Churches USA, American
Baptist Association (Landmark Baptists), among others.
Roger Williams and Dr. John Clarke, both
working for religious freedom, are credited as founding the early
Baptist church in America. In 1639, Williams established a Baptist
church in Providence, Rhode Island and Clarke began a Baptist church in
Newport, Rhode Island. It is not known which was the earliest.
There
are over 90 million Baptists worldwide in nearly 300,000 congregations,
with an estimated 47 million members in the United
States. Baptists also exist in India (2.4 million), Nigeria (2.3 million), Democratic Republic of the Congo (1.9 million) and Brazil (1.5 million) as well as Asia, Africa and Latin America.
According
to a poll in the 1990s, about one in five in the United States claims
to be a Baptist. U.S. Baptists are represented in more than fifty
separate groups. Ninety-two percent of Baptists are found in five of
those bodies — the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC); National Baptist
Convention, USA, Inc. (NBC); National Baptist Convention of America,
Inc.; (NBCA); American Baptist Churches in the USA (ABC); and Baptist
Bible Fellowship International (BBFI).
Only those people who are
baptized members of a local Baptist church are included in the total
number of Baptists. Most Baptist churches do not have an age
restriction on membership, but will not accept as a member a child that
is considered too young to fully understand and make a profession of
faith of their own volition and comprehension. In such cases, the
pastor and parents usually meet together with the child to verify the
child's comprehension of the decision to follow Jesus. There are
instances where a person makes a profession of faith but fails to
follow through with believers' baptism. In such case they are
considered "saved" but not a church member until baptized. If children
and unbaptized congregants were counted, world Baptists may number over
100 million.
Links
Southern Baptist Convention
National Baptist Convention (USA)
National Baptist Convention of America
American Baptist Churches in the USA
Baptist Bible Fellowship International
Baptist Union UK