Missionary Baptists are a group of Baptists that grew out of the missionary / anti-missionary controversy that divided Baptists in the United States in the early part of the 19th century, with Missionary Baptists following the pro-missions movement position.^[1] Those who opposed the innovations became known as anti-missions or Primitive Baptists.^[2] Since arising in the 19th century, the influence of Primitive Baptists waned as "Missionary Baptists became the mainstream".^[1] Missionary Baptists do not constitute a distinct denomination, and many affiliate with the Southern Baptist Convention.^{[citation needed]}

Missionary Baptist is also a term used by adherents of many African American and Landmark^[3] Baptist churches belonging to the American Baptist Association, the Baptist Missionary Association of America and the Interstate and Foreign Landmark Missionary Baptist Association.^[4]