Barnas Sears was one of the great educators of this country, but that may not be his most important role in Baptist history. In 1825, he graduated with the highest honors from Brown University, after which he studied at Newton Theological Institution (both respected Baptist schools). After being ordained and pastoring for a short time in Connecticut, he resigned in order to further his education in Europe.
In the mean time, the Lord had been working on the hearts of several men in Germany through the witness of an American ship captain named Calvin Tibbs. Despite being raised among paedobaptists, the seven Germans yearned for scriptural baptism, but there were no Baptist ministers in that part of the world. And then Barnas Sears arrived, and he met the young men. On April 22, 1834 Sears baptized J.G. Oncken and six others, and they organized a Baptist church which became instrumental in evangelizing thousands of people over vast areas of Europe.
After he returned to America, Brother Sears became president of Newton Theological Seminary and later Brown University before moving to Virginia to help rebuild the Baptist cause in the South. This became his passion until his death on this day in 1880.
– Source: “This Day in Baptist History ” Thompson and Cummins