John Smyth, an English Separatist exile, baptizes himself and his congregation on profession of faith at Amsterdam; the congregation he forms is the first Baptist church of the modern era.
The Event
- Date
- 1609 (exact)
- Era
- Reformation; Standard ecumenical periodization
- Location
- Amsterdam; today Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Traditions
- Christianity
- Streams
- Baptist
- Key figures
- John Smyth, Thomas Helwys
Primary Sources
- John Smyth, The Character of the Beast (1609)
Secondary Sources
- González, The Story of Christianity, vols. 1–2 (Harper, 2010)
Provenance: HIST-0072; confidence 0.95; accessed 2026-10-27.
Related on This Site
- Lausanne Congress History Event
- The Baptist World Alliance Founded History Event
- The First Baptist Church in America History Event
- The Southern Baptist Convention Founded History Event
- The Triennial Convention Organizes American Baptists History Event
- Thomas Helwys Founds the First Baptist Church in England History Event
- William Carey and the Baptist Missionary Society History Event
- Baptist Heritage Library Library