Baptists are a diverse family of Protestant Christians known especially for believer’s baptism, the importance of scripture, and the independence or self-government of local congregations. Baptist movements developed in the early seventeenth century and later spread widely through Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
Believer’s baptism
Baptists normally baptize people who personally profess Christian faith rather than baptizing infants. Immersion in water is the usual form in many Baptist churches. Baptism is understood as a public confession of faith and identification with the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Scripture and faith
Baptists give the Bible a central role in doctrine and Christian practice. There is no single Baptist teaching office that defines interpretation for all Baptists, so churches and Baptist associations may disagree on theology, ethics, and social questions.
Local church government
Congregational government is common. A local church typically calls its own pastors, receives members, manages finances, and makes many major decisions through the congregation. Baptist churches may cooperate in associations, conventions, unions, or international bodies without giving those organizations the same authority found in more hierarchical churches.
The Lord’s Supper
Baptists celebrate the Lord’s Supper or Communion, but most do not describe it in the same sacramental terms used by Catholic or Orthodox churches. Interpretations vary from a memorial emphasis to stronger language about spiritual presence and communion with Christ.
Religious liberty
Freedom of conscience and religious liberty have important places in Baptist history. Baptists have often argued that faith should not be coerced by the state and that churches should be free from government control.
Worship and ministry
Baptist worship usually includes scripture, preaching, prayer, congregational singing, and periodic Communion. The role of pastors and deacons varies. Baptist churches also differ over the ordination of women, charismatic gifts, worship styles, and the relationship between church and society.
Baptist diversity
There is no single global Baptist denomination. Baptist World Alliance members represent many national unions and conventions, while some large Baptist groups are outside that body. Theological positions range from strongly conservative to moderate and progressive.
What holds Baptists together most clearly is not one centralized institution but a shared history and recurring convictions about personal faith, baptism, scripture, congregational life, and freedom of conscience.
