Baptism by full immersion in water is a common practice within the Baptist movement.
Baptist Churches take their name from the belief that the initiation ritual of Baptism is a voluntary declaration of faith in and commitment to Christianity. The movement grew out of a reform within Christianity in the 16th century. The Christian Bible is the key holy book of the movement, which shares the principal beliefs of other traditions of Christianity.
There are over 110 million Baptists worldwide with large numbers in North America (approximately one in 5 US Christians is Baptist), Africa (including Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo), Asia (including India), Europe (including Romania) and Latin America (including Brazil).
Baptist Churches do not have a central governing authority.
Clergy are called pastors.
