A Baptist is a Christian who subscribes to a theology and may belong to a church that, among other things, is committed to believer's baptism (as opposed to infant baptism) and, with respect to church polity, favors the congregational model. The term Baptist can also describe a local church, denomination, or other group of individuals made up of individual Baptists.
Baptists are historically characterized by individual and local church autonomy a...
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A Baptist is a Christian who subscribes to a theology and may belong to a church that, among other things, is committed to believer's baptism (as opposed to infant baptism) and, with respect to church polity, favors the congregational model. The term Baptist can also describe a local church, denomination, or other group of individuals made up of individual Baptists.
Baptists are historically characterized by individual and local church autonomy and a disavowal of creeds leading to wide diversity in beliefs and practices among individuals and groups who would call themselves Baptist. While the term Baptist has its origins with the Anabaptists, and was sometimes viewed as pejorative, the denomination itself is historically linked to the English Dissenter, Separatist, or Nonconformism movements of the 16th century.
Most Baptist churches choose to associate with denominational groups that provide support without control. The largest Baptist association, apart from the Baptist World...
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