Abrahamic / Middle Eastern Christianity AME Church History: A Struggle Against Bigotry Richard Allen Fought to Make the AME Church Independent Share Flipboard Email Print Charleston Marks One Year Anniversary Of Church Shootings. Sean Rayford / Stringer / Getty Images Christianity Denominations of Christianity Christianity Origins The Bible The New Testament The Old Testament Practical Tools for Christians Christian Life For Teens Christian Prayers Weddings Inspirational Bible Devotions Funerals and Memorial Services Christian Holidays Christian Entertainment Key Terms in Christianity Catholicism Latter Day Saints View More By Jack Zavada Christianity Expert M.A., English Composition, Illinois State University B.S., English Literature, Illinois State University Jack Zavada is a writer who covers the Bible, theology, and other Christianity topics. He is the author "Hope for Hurting Singles: A Christian Guide to Overcoming Life's Challenges." our editorial process Jack Zavada Updated December 10, 2018 The AME Church not only faced the obstacle that all new churches encounter--lack of funds--but a second barrier that proved a constant threat: racial discrimination. That's because the AME Church, or African Methodist Episcopal Church, was founded by Black people for Black people, in a time when slavery was the norm in the young United States. Fast Facts: AME Church History Full Name: African Methodist Episcopal ChurchAlso Known As: A.M.E. Church or AMEFounding: Founded by Richard Allen in 1816 as Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Known For: African-American Methodist denomination based in the United States, independent from the Methodist Episcopal Church. The AME Church was the first independent Protestant denomination to be organized in America by people of African descent and heritage.Headquarters: Nashville, Tennessee.Membership: More than 2 million members worldwide (in 30 nations in North and South America, Europe, and Africa).Mission: "The Mission of the AME Church is to minister to the social, spiritual, and physical development of all people." Richard Allen, the founding pastor of the AME Church, was himself a former Delaware slave. He worked in his free time cutting firewood and doing odd jobs, finally saving $2,000 to buy his freedom in 1780. Allen was 20 years old at the time. Three years earlier, his mother and three siblings had been sold to another slaveholder. Allen never saw them again. Allen cherished his independence but found that work was scarce for free Blacks. He got a job in a brickyard, and during the American Revolution, he worked as a teamster. Forerunners of the AME Church After the Revolution, Allen preached the gospel in Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. When he returned to Philadelphia, he was invited to preach at St. George's, the first Methodist church in America. Allen was drawn to the simple, straightforward message of Methodism, and to the anti-slavery stance of its founder, John Wesley. Allen's regular preaching drew more and more Blacks to St. George's. Allen asked the White elders for permission to start an independent Black church but was twice refused. To sidestep this bigotry, he and Absalom Jones began the Free African Society (FAS), a secular group that addressed the moral, financial, and educational needs of Blacks. A split over segregated seating at St. George's resulted in the Black members turning to the FAS for support. Absalom Jones founded St. Thomas African Episcopal Church in 1804, but Richard Allen believed Methodist beliefs were more suited to the needs of free Blacks and slaves. Eventually, Allen was given permission to start a church, in a former blacksmith shop. He had the building moved by a team of horses to a new location in Philadelphia and it was called Bethel, meaning "house of God." Emerging From Struggle Whites at St. George's continued to interfere with Bethel Church. One trustee deceived Allen into signing over Bethel's land in the incorporation process. Despite this constant meddling, Bethel continued to grow. In 1815, elders from St. George's schemed to put Bethel up for auction. Allen had to buy his own church back for $10,125, but in 1816, Bethel won a court ruling that it could exist as an independent church. Allen had had enough. He called a convention of Black Methodist Episcopal members, and the AME Church was formed. Bethel became Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Richard Allen continued to minister to Blacks and oppose slavery up to his death in 1831. AME Church Spreads Nationwide Prior to the Civil War, the AME denomination spread to major cities such as Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington, DC, Cincinnati, Chicago, and Detroit. A half dozen southern states had AME congregations before the war, and California hosted AME churches in the 1850s. After the war, the Union Army encouraged the spread of the AME Church in the South, to serve the needs of newly freed slaves. By the 1890s, the AME Church had expanded to Liberia, Sierra Leone, and South Africa. AME ministers and members were active in the civil rights movement in the United States in the 1950s and 60s. Rosa Parks, who triggered civil rights demonstrations and boycotts in Montgomery, Alabama by refusing to go to the back of a city bus, was a lifelong member and deaconess in the AME Church. Sources Ame-church.com. https://www.ame-church.com/.motherbethel.org https://www.motherbethel.org/.ushistory.org. http://www.ushistory.org/.RosaParks.org. http://www.rosaparks.org/. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Zavada, Jack. "AME Church History: A Struggle Against Bigotry." Learn Religions, Jan. 12, 2021, learnreligions.com/ame-church-history-struggle-against-bigotry-699931. Zavada, Jack. (2021, January 12). AME Church History: A Struggle Against Bigotry. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/ame-church-history-struggle-against-bigotry-699931 Zavada, Jack. "AME Church History: A Struggle Against Bigotry." Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/ame-church-history-struggle-against-bigotry-699931 (accessed January 22, 2021). copy citation