John Smyth, 1570 – 1612 co-founded the Baptist denomination with Thomas Helwys. Born in Lincolnshire, England, he was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1594. Strongly influenced by Puritans and Separatists, he gradually broke away from the Church of England and eventually moved to Holland to avoid religious persecution. His study of the Bible led him to believe that believers’ baptism -- not the common practice of infant baptism -- followed the Biblical model and was a sign of each believer’s obedience to God. Smyth believed that churches should follow a New Testament model. Baptizing himself first and then members of his congregation, Smyth founded the first Baptist church in Amsterdam in 1609. Smyth’s theological views, including freedom of conscience, the rejection of liturgical worship, and organizing churches by sharing leadership among pastors and deacons, became very influential in later Baptist churches.