As a distinctive community within the wider Christian church, Baptists trace their roots back to a small group of radical reformers who gathered around Ulrich Zwingli in Zurich, Switzerland. Their decisive separation from the emerging Reformed church came in 1525 when they baptised each other in the River Limmat. They were quickly suppressed, but, as with the early church, repression only meant that they went elsewhere, taking their beliefs with them and spreading their faith. Baptists in England trace their roots back to forebears who brought Baptist principles and practice from continental Europe about a century later.
The Reformation in England had been a rather messy and protracted process, influenced not least by the personal beliefs of a succession of monarchs. Eventually, following the settlement under Elizabeth I in the late sixteenth century, the Anglican Church emerged as the major and dominant grouping . A significant Roman Catholic minority also survived. There was also a "third force" known as the Puritans, the respectable end of a wide spectrum of radical sects and groups. In the early seventeenth century, the Puritans split into various factions. Some remained within the Anglican church, others became Presbyterians, whilst others became known variously as Dissenters, Separatists, Independents or –somewhat later – as Congregationalists. They maintained infant baptism but disassociated themselves from any notion of a state church or centralised authority. They saw themselves as gathered communities, each one autonomous under Christ. Hence the various names.
It appears that an Independent fellowship existed in Dronfield from about 1650. By 1830, as the Congregational Church, it had obtained its own place of worship at the bottom of Church Street (now the site of the Oaks Christian Fellowship). Like all Congregational churches, this community practised infant baptism.
In 1830, their Minister, Rev David Clarke, came to accept the view that the correct form of baptism as taught in the New Testament was believers baptism. He sought baptism for himself at a now defunct Baptist church in Sheffield, Townhead Street. Mr Clarke obviously shared his new beliefs with his flock and several members were baptised in the same chapel in Sheffield. For several years, Baptists and non-Baptists cohabited without problems as members of the Congregational church. (This was not an unusual situation: John Bunyan had been a member of a Separatist fellowship in Bedford which contained the same mix).
Mr Clarke eventually retired and a new Minster was called. He obviously took a different view and things quickly came to a head. In 1846, eleven members "sought their dismissal" in order to establish a separate Baptist fellowship. A few months later, four more followed. These fifteen were the founding members of the Dronfield Baptist Church established in the same year. At this time, Dronfield had a population of around 2,000.
In the early years, the new fellowship was seen as a daughter church of Townhead Street. Its members met in a home and then in hired rooms. In 1854, they moved into their own chapel in the area now known as Dronfield Bottom. However, in 1867, the land was acquired for the new railway coming through from Sheffield to Chesterfield, and the chapel was demolished. The fellowship again had to resort to hired rooms. It was not always a comfortable existence. On at least one occasion, the local Rector put pressure on the farmer letting the room to throw the Baptists out!
The site of the present chapel – then on the edge of the town – was acquired around 1870 and the chapel was opened for worship in 1872. It cost £1,200. and it is believed that most of the building was done by members of the congregation. The first act of believers baptism took place in November of the same year.
In 1892, two students from the local Methodist college (Cliff College) were invited to lead a mission. As a result, forty people were baptised and received into membership, many of them being young people. One of the missioners – Rev C J Rendell - was invited to become the first paid Minister and he remained in this position till 1900.
Nowadays, it is almost impossible to imagine the significance of "chapel" in the lives of many inhabitants of a small place like Dronfield. Particularly for young people, it was the spiritual and social hub of their lives. By 1881 – well before the mission - the members had already had to extend the Sunday School rooms. In 1894, the present gallery was erected, presumably to hold the increased congregation. During this time, there were around 100 members on the church roll and some 300 children attended Sunday School. In 1908, a second hand pipe organ was acquired. (It was only put out of its misery in 1994).
Alongside the spiritual life of the fellowship, the week was filled with a variety of activities, including a range of sports clubs. Baptist chapel teas were renowned and were a major means of raising funds to support the Minister (stipend £2 per week) and for the Baptist Missionary Society. Teas cost between 6 and 9 old pence and it was not unusual for 200 to be fed and watered. The old minute books suggest that a great deal of church meeting time went on planning for these events, right down to who was to cut the bread and who was to mash the tea.
By 1900, the Dronfield Baptist Church was fully independent of Townhead Street, but, like all Baptist fellowships, it remained in fellowship with other churches through the Association structure. Because of its roots in the Sheffield church and despite its location in Derbyshire, it "associated " with the Yorkshire Baptist Association. We remain the only YBA church outside Yorkshire!