Baptists trace their origins to the English Separatist movement of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, with Joseph Smyth—a pastor from the early 17th century—leading the first recognized Baptist church in Amsterdam in 1609. In the 400 years since, Baptists have been trailblazers of missions, religious liberty, worship and church planting. Today, Baptists number close to 100 million worldwide. Baptist Wiki is a grassroots effort to tell the story of Baptists with the help of Baptist historians regardless of denominational affiliation. For more information, see the Submission Guidelines and Coordinating Council.

The Society exists to help Baptists discover, conserve, assess and share their history. Originally called the Southern Baptist Historical Society, BHHS was founded in 1938. The Society officially changed its name in 2001. The Society holds an annual conference, publishes a journal and provides digital resources though its website and partner sites. For more information, visit BaptistHistory.org.