<P> Historians trace the earliest church labeled `` Baptist '' back to 1609 in Amsterdam , Dutch Republic with English Separatist John Smyth as its pastor . In accordance with his reading of the New Testament , he rejected baptism of infants and instituted baptism only of believing adults . Baptist practice spread to England , where the General Baptists considered Christ 's atonement to extend to all people , while the Particular Baptists believed that it extended only to the elect . Thomas Helwys formulated a distinctively Baptist request that the church and the state be kept separate in matters of law , so that individuals might have freedom of religion . Helwys died in prison as a consequence of the religious persecution of English dissenters under King James I. In 1638 , Roger Williams established the first Baptist congregation in the North American colonies . In the mid-18th century , the First Great Awakening contributed to Baptist growth in both New England and the South . The Second Great Awakening in the South in the early 19th century greatly increased church membership . Baptist missionaries have spread their faith to every continent . </P>
<P> Historians trace the earliest church labeled `` Baptist '' back to 1609 in Amsterdam , Dutch Republic with English Separatist John Smyth as its pastor . In accordance with his reading of the New Testament , he rejected baptism of infants and instituted baptism only of believing adults . Baptist practice spread to England , where the General Baptists considered Christ 's atonement to extend to all people , while the Particular Baptists believed that it extended only to the elect . Thomas Helwys formulated a distinctively Baptist request that the church and the state be kept separate in matters of law , so that individuals might have freedom of religion . Helwys died in prison as a consequence of the religious persecution of English dissenters under King James I. In 1638 , Roger Williams established the first Baptist congregation in the North American colonies . In the mid-18th century , the First Great Awakening contributed to Baptist growth in both New England and the South . The Second Great Awakening in the South in the early 19th century greatly increased church membership . Baptist missionaries have spread their faith to every continent . </P>
who is the leader of the baptist denomination
who is the leader of the baptist denomination
Thomas Helwys
Thomas Helwys