First Baptist Church is a historic Baptist church in Charleston, South Carolina. The congregation was founded in 1682 under the leadership of William Screven. It is one of the oldest Baptist congregations in the American South. The church was originally organized in Kittery, Maine (then part of Massachusetts) under the guidance of the First Baptist Church of Boston. In 1696 twenty-six congregants followed Pastor Screven and moved to Charleston after being pressured by the New England authorities. The relocated congregation became the First Baptist Church of Charleston and is currently affiliated with the Southern Baptist denomination.[1][2][3] The current Greek Revival sanctuary was designed by Robert Mills and built in 1820.[4]