Every denomination has its own history, creeds, and quirks, but Baptists take the cake when it comes to being unique.
While Baptists have been caricatured as fundamentalists and highly conservative, there’s actually a wide array of beliefs and practices within the Baptist denomination as a whole that you may have never even heard about.
1. The Baptist Denomination is Alive and Well.
Baptists make up a surprisingly large number of Christians in the United States, second only to Roman Catholics. But there isn’t just one kind of Baptist. The largest Baptist denomination is the very conservative Southern Baptists, followed by the less conservative American Baptist Convention – USA.
But what might surprise you is that many Baptist churches are independent and are governed by their congregation. This means that individual churches can make their own rules, creeds, and theology, and they can even hire whoever they want as their pastor (even someone who isn’t officially ordained).
They aren’t subject to denominational laws and rules like you find in Catholicism or even other Protestant denominations.
If you love statistics, you might want to know that, according to Christian.net, there are over 46,000 Baptist churches in the United States, and 15% of the population identifies as Baptist. Maybe you aren’t actually a Baptist, but chances are – you probably know someone who is!
2. Baptists Only Agree On One Thing.
Churches are notorious for conflict. We probably wouldn’t have so many different churches if we all got along better! Baptists are no exception.
With so many different types of Baptist churches, it should be pretty apparent that they have a wide variety of beliefs and interpretations of the Bible and even different worship styles.
But Baptists must agree on one thing: The ritual of baptism.
The core belief that separates Baptists from other Christian denominations is the ancient ritual of baptism.
Baptists believe being baptized is a rite of passage only for people who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They call this the believer’s baptism, and it excludes infants or anyone who isn’t old enough or capable of deciding to believe in Jesus.
That’s probably a good thing because the other integral part of a believer’s Baptism is that anyone who partakes in it must be completely submerged in water, as a symbol of death and resurrection.
A sprinkle of water just won’t do for Baptists, it takes full submersion.
3. If You Want to be an Official Member, You’re Going to Get Wet.
Most Baptist churches won’t recognize you as a member unless you get baptized first. So if you want to join a Baptist church for the first time, or if you came from a denomination that sprinkles rather than dunks, you’re probably going to get wet.
Typically, you’ll need to profess Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then attend an official new member or new believer class, and then you will get dunked or baptized in front of the entire congregation on a Sunday morning. Only then can you become a member of a Baptist church.
4. That isn’t a Hot Tub in the Front of the Church.
If you wander into an older Baptist church for the first time, you might be surprised to see a large hot tub in the front of the sanctuary.
But it isn’t really a hot tub or a swimming pool. It’s more like a dunk tank. What it really is is a baptismal. It’s a special type of pool that is only for performing baptism ceremonies. In older churches, the ritual of baptism was so important that the baptismal was an integral part of the sanctuary.
Older Baptist churches will usually have their baptismal permanently installed in the front of the sanctuary. Some have extensive decorations, such as stained-glass windows behind them. Others may be surrounded by live plants or beautiful murals depicting scenes from the Bible.
They may have steps you walk down to get into the tank, real plumbing to fill and drain the tank when needed, and steps to get back out the other side. If you’re lucky, the water will be heated so you don’t catch a chill when it is your turn.
Modern Baptist churches don’t always have built-in baptism tanks, though. Instead, they may perform their baptism ceremonies in a lake or nearby creek, a member’s swimming pool, or even an outdoor stock tank.
5. You’re Probably Going to Need a Casserole Dish.
Baptist churches tend to be deeply rooted in tradition, and one of those traditions is the infamous potluck dinner.
A lot of your standard Baptist churches can’t afford to cater a meal for their members, so they rely on potlucks for fellowship.
You might be assigned a particular item to bring based on the first letter of your last name, or the church might just leave it to chance and hope everyone doesn’t bring green bean casserole.
Regardless, you’ll want to get there early and watch who brings what food — so you know which mystery meat dishes to avoid, and which casseroles will be safe to eat.
Since potlucks can be as often as once a week – after all, Christian fellowship is vital in a Baptist church– you’ll probably want to go ahead and purchase a casserole dish to keep on hand. (It’s good for those weddings and funerals, too!)
6. There are a lot of Famous Baptists.
When someone mentions famous Baptists, you’ll likely think of the conservative Jerry Falwell or more liberal-minded Tony Campolo.
But there are a lot more famous Baptists you might not know about. Jesse James, a Confederate soldier and well-known outlaw, was the son of a Baptist minister, and “The Sundance Kid” (aka Harry Longabaugh), the train robber and outlaw, was also a professed Baptist.
A few famous athletes have ties to being Baptist, too, such as Tim Tebow, Charles Barkley, Reggie White, and even Mike Tyson (who later converted to Islam).
Some entertainers had Baptist roots, as well, like Johnny Cash and Ray Charles, Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys, Buddy Holly, Brad Pitt, and Justin Timberlake, just to name a few. Both Will Smith and Snoop Dogg were raised Baptist, too.
7. Your Choir Robe Probably Needs to be Washed.
Of course, many churches are proudly using ‘contemporary’ music with bands, guitars, drums, and extensive sound systems. However, many Baptist churches still rely on an old-fashioned choir to lead worship.
We love our choirs for their dedication to showing up every week for rehearsals and services, and Gospel choirs have long been an integral part of the Baptist worship service.
Love or hate them, most Baptist choirs offer free robe rental with membership.
Once you find the one that fits you the best, you’ll claim it as your own for the duration of your musical tenure. But since it’s probably been worn by many, many singers before you, there’s no doubt that robe needs to be washed.
8. Baptists Believe the Bible Doesn’t Make Mistakes.
Baptists, as a whole, have a very high view of the Holy Scriptures. You’ll commonly find that Baptists believe in the inerrancy of Scripture.
This means that the Scriptures are God-breathed and can’t be wrong.
It doesn’t matter to Baptists if different Bible translations contradict each other, if the Bible contradicts science, or even contradicts itself.
The Bible is always right. Since God wrote it (through man), it simply can’t be wrong.
9. Baptists are Big Fans of Mission Work.
Many Baptist churches believe all members are responsible for participating in the Great Commission. The Great Commission comes from the Bible, specifically Matthew 28:19, where Jesus says to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Every year, missionaries will visit Baptist churches in the US to tell stories and get support so they can return to their mission work. It isn’t unusual for them to bring back items from their trips to sell so they can work to improve the lives of the people they serve.
10. Baptists have a Long and Interesting History in the United States.
The First Baptist Meetinghouse, or the First Baptist Church in America, was founded in Rhode Island in 1638 by Roger Williams. It started as a simple house church that met in Williams’ home. Since then, the denomination has split over theology, worship styles, politics, and even slavery. In spite of challenges, the denomination grew into the rich, varied group that it is today.
Over the years, Baptists faced persecution, fought for religious freedom, supported education for ministers, and respected the faith expressions of others.
As a whole, Baptists encourage believers to be in a relationship with God, read Scripture for themselves, and support the local church and mission work.
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Here are 20 current or former Christians who either left or were kicked out of their churches and what caused the split.
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Recently, on a popular social media page, we found some things Christians wish non-Christians knew about their faith.
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