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The first
efforts to establish some form of Christian witness in what came to be known as
Florida were made not by Baptists, but by Spanish Roman Catholics and French
Hugenots.
Spanish explorers had made several attempts at establishing
some kind of foothold on the Florida peninsula between 1513 and 1560, and although
all of them were abortive, the Spanish still maintained that Florida belonged
to them. During much of the 17th Century, the Spanish influence broadened and
their missionary endeavors reached into three groups of Indians: the Timucuans,
the Guales, and the Appalachees. By 1707, the Spanish Catholic missionaries began
to lose influence among the Indians as the power and control of Spain diminished
in Florida.
Under
the terms of the Treaty of Paris, Florida was ceded to England in 1763 and was
under British domination until 1783. During the twenty years of English rule,
the Anglican Church was established, and Catholicism survived, though greatly
weakened. In 1783, England ceded Florida back to Spain, and almost all the English
settlers departed. However, Spanish influence in the territory was limited to
fortified colonies located in Pensacola and St. Augustine. While across the remainder
of the territory, the Calusas and Seminole Indians thrived and controlled the
land. In an effort to gain greater control of the territory, the Spanish offered
land to settlers from the neighboring Southern states. As these American settlers
moved into the territory, they were eager to see Florida become a state. With
the Treaty of 1819, the Territory of Florida was formally ceded to the United
States
No
one knows for certain when the Baptists set foot on Florida soil, but historical
evidence indicates that some of the first Baptists in Florida were Southern slaves
who had escaped to promised freedom under Spanish rule (1783-1821). Many early
settlers entered the state by boat, which resulted in a diverse geographical distribution.
Along the coast, they came to Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Key West, Tampa and
Pensacola. Although some preaching and organized worship may have occurred earlier,
the first established Baptist church in Florida was the Pigeon Creek
Baptist
Church.
It was organized on January 7, 1821, in Nassau County
near what is now Callahan. The Spanish flag still waved over Florida. Subsequently
Baptist churches were established at Campbellton and Sardis in 1825, and in Jefferson
and Leon Counties in 1829.
During
the 1830's ten churches organized. In the 1840's, the rate of church starts increased
rapidly with 36 churches being organized by the end of 1849. By 1854, when the
Florida Baptist State Convention was organized, 19 more had been added to the
list. The churches organized in the 1840's and 1850's reflected the increase in
the population of the new state and the geographical spread of settlers down the
center of the state and along coastal areas as far south as Key West.
The Florida Baptist State Convention was organized November 20th, 1854,
by 17 delegates meeting in Madison, Florida, in the home of R. J. Mays, who was
elected president. By this time, there were three associations: Florida, West
Florida and Alachua.
Source:
"A History of Florida Baptists" by E. Earl Joiner, 1971 |