A Baptist Pastor Catalyzed the Industrial Revolution

Can a human trafficking victim become a ruler of a great empire (Joseph)?

Can a baby sentenced to death become the Prince of Egypt, lead thousands of people out of slavery, and be part of setting the tone for ethics for generations to come (Moses)?

Can a shepherd become Israel’s most prominent King (David), a persecutor the greatest missionary writer of all time (Paul), and a fisherman the leader of the early church (Peter)?

Can a Baptist pastor catalyze the industrial revolution? Yes!

His name was Thomas Newcomen, born in England in 1664. He invented and developed the first practical steam engine in 1712, which solved both a human and an industrial problem.

Households were dependent on coal for heating and cooking, but coal mines easily got flooded with water. It created dangerous working conditions for miners.

Thomas Newcomen was deeply religious, and his Christian faith informed him to serve others, to meet various kinds of needs, alleviate suffering, and work towards human flourishing. He was a Baptist preacher, but also an inventor. His invention—which mechanically pumped water from flooded mines—aligned with his theological principles of stewardship and the alleviation of the harsh, dangerous labor forced upon miners. He explicitly designed his engine to replace degrading, exhausting animal and human muscle power with mechanical power.

It was an uphill struggle. As a non-conformist, a dissenter, not being a part of the established church, he was barred from higher education and also disconnected from wider networks of people with influence and money. But that did not stop him.

For him it was innovation as mission, or innovation as worship. He saw everyday trades and work as sacred, an integral part of serving God and neighbor. Newcomen did not compartmentalize his life as a preacher from his life as an inventor. He approached the decade-long trial-and-error process of building the steam engine as a form of faithful obedience, trusting that God would grant a solution to help the community.

Newcomen’s church connections were vital to the spread and development of his steam engine. For example, fellow Baptists like the engineers Jonathan Hornblower Sr. and his son helped introduce the engine to new areas, and his longtime business partner was fellow Baptist, John Calley.

Newcomen viewed technology not as a secular pursuit for personal wealth, but as a direct expression of theological duty, stewardship, and Christian compassion. His steam engine made a huge difference for workers, but it also paved the way for the Industrial Revolution.

Many decades later, James Watt made improvements to Newcomen’s engine, and he became more well-known in history books.[1] But it was a Baptist pastor and his church connections that catalyzed the Industrial Revolution.

So, we ask again: Can a human trafficking victim become a ruler of a great empire? Can a baby sentenced to death become the Prince of Egypt, lead thousands of people out of slavery, and set the tone for ethics for generations to come? Can a shepherd become Israel’s most prominent King, a persecutor the greatest missionary writer of all time, and a fisherman the leader of the early church? Can a Baptist pastor catalyze the industrial revolution? Yes, yes, and yes.

Now, imagine what God can do through you and your church connections!

[1] Fun fact: There was a synergy of events that happened simultaneously in 1776:

Political Power & Freedom: The American colonies declared independence.

Economic Theory: Adam Smith published The Wealth of the Nations, outlining the mechanics of free-market capitalism.

Mechanical Power: James Watt's engine went live, providing the power that built the modern capitalist economy.