Baptists, with their many modern denominations and local churches around the world, were born out of a study of the Bible made by an English Separatist congregation in Amsterdam (though some historians see them as an extension of the Anabaptists of Reformation times). Under the leadership of their pastor, John Smyth, the group in 1609 came to the conclusion that the Scriptures did not support the practice of infant baptism. Instead, they felt that baptism as taught in the New Testament was for those who had made a responsible decision to be identified with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
As a result of this conclusion, the group decided to disband and reorganize, with ‘believer’s baptism’ as the basis of fellowship. In 1615 they joined with the Mennonites, but meanwhile, in 1612, a smaller segment returned to London under the leadership of Thomas Helwys. This became the first Baptist church on English soil, meeting in the area of the present Spitalfields Market. Helwys was a powerful preacher, and the group grew. Later Helwys, who had been educated in law at Gray’s Inn, wrote a paper pleading for liberty of conscience, which came to the notice of King James and incurred his displeasure. Helwys was imprisoned in Newgate, and his fate is unknown. However, the Baptists continued to flourish, and by 1660 there were between 200 and 300 congregations in Britain, many of them in and around London.