African Methodist Episcopal Church facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids African Methodist Episcopal Church
God Our Father, Christ Our Redeemer, Holy Spirit Our Comforter, Humankind Our Family
Classification	Protestant
Orientation	Methodist
Theology	Wesleyan-Arminian
Polity	Connexionalism
Associations	World Methodist Council Wesleyan Holiness Consortium National Council of Churches (1950) World Council of Churches (1948) Churches Uniting in Christ (formerly Consultation on Church Union of 1962) Conference of National Black Churches
Headquarters	Nashville, Tennessee
Founder	Richard Allen (1760–1831)
Origin	1816 (grew out of the Free African Society which was established in 1787) and Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, (organized 1794) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Separated from	Methodist Episcopal Church (organized 1784 in Baltimore to 1939) - (currently The United Methodist Church)
Congregations	7,000
Members	2.5–3.5 million

The African Methodist Episcopal Church, often called the AME Church, is a Christian group based in the United States. It follows Methodist beliefs and has a special way of organizing its churches. The AME Church works with other Methodist groups around the world.

Even though it was started by Black people and was the first independent Protestant church founded by them, the AME Church welcomes everyone. People of all backgrounds are members.

The AME Church was started by Richard Allen in 1816. He brought together five African American churches. They wanted to escape the unfair treatment they faced in society, including in some churches. This was one of the first churches in the U.S. to be founded because of racial unfairness, not just different religious ideas. Allen became the first bishop of the AME Church in 1816. The church grew across the U.S., especially after the American Civil War. By 1906, it had about half a million members. This made it the largest Black Methodist church at that time.

Today, the AME Church has 20 regions, called districts, each with its own bishop. Thirteen of these are in the United States, mostly in the South. Seven districts are in Africa. The AME Church has about 2.5 million members worldwide. It is one of the largest Methodist churches in the world.

What the Church Name Means

The name "African Methodist Episcopal Church" tells you a lot about it.

African: The AME Church was started by people of African descent. They faced unfair treatment in white Methodist churches. The church was not founded in Africa. It is also not only for people of African descent. It welcomes everyone, but most members are Black Americans.
Methodist: The church's roots are in the Methodist church. Members left their old church because of unfairness. But they kept the same Methodist beliefs and ways of worship.
Episcopal: The AME Church is led by bishops. This is a type of church government where bishops are the main leaders.

Church Motto

The motto of the AME Church is: "God Our Father, Christ Our Redeemer, the Holy Spirit Our Comforter, Humankind Our Family."

This motto was inspired by an earlier one from Bishop Daniel Alexander Payne. The current motto was officially adopted in 2008.

Church History

Richard Allen, who started the AME Church.

How It Started

The AME Church grew from a group called the Free African Society (FAS). Richard Allen and others started this group in Philadelphia in 1787. They left St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church because of unfair treatment. Black members were made to sit in a separate area of the church. Allen and his group wanted to create their own church.

Allen led a small group who wanted to stay Methodist. They formed the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1793. They followed the same beliefs and rules as the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1794, Bethel AME Church opened with Allen as its pastor. Allen fought in court to make sure his church could be independent from white Methodist churches. He won these cases in 1807 and 1815.

Other Black Methodists in nearby areas also faced unfairness. They wanted their own churches too. So, Allen invited them to meet in Philadelphia in 1816. Sixteen representatives from churches in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Wilmington, Attleboro, and Salem came together. They decided to form a new church group called the "African Methodist Episcopal Church."

How It Grew

The AME Church started with eight clergy members and five churches. By 1846, it had grown to 176 clergy, 296 churches, and over 17,000 members. Places like the Village of Lima, Pennsylvania, had AME churches. These churches sometimes helped people escape slavery through the Underground Railroad. By 1856, most of the 20,000 members were in the North. After the Civil War, membership grew even faster, from 70,000 in 1866 to 207,000 in 1876.

Denmark Vesey memorial in Charleston, South Carolina.

The church also grew internationally. In the late 1800s, the AME Church came to Bermuda. Three Christian men, Benjamin Burchall, William B. Jennings, and Charles Roach Ratteray, helped bring African Methodism there in 1869. The first AME church in Bermuda, St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church, was built in 1885. Today, the AME Church is a large and important church in Bermuda.

The Wesleyan-Holiness movement also influenced the AME Church. Preachers like Jarena Lee and Amanda Smith taught about spiritual growth and purity in AME churches.

Focus on Education

The AME Church has always believed that education is very important. In the 1800s, the AME Church in Ohio worked with a mostly white Methodist church. Together, they helped start Wilberforce University in Ohio. This was the second independent college for Black students. By 1880, the AME Church ran over 2,000 schools, mostly in the South. They had 155,000 students. Churches were used as school buildings. Ministers and their wives often taught. Church members raised money to keep these schools open. This was important because segregated public schools for Black children often did not get enough money.

Bishop Henry McNeal Turner

After the Civil War, Bishop Henry McNeal Turner (1834–1915) became a very important leader in the AME Church. He was also active in politics. In 1863, during the Civil War, Turner was the first Black chaplain in the U.S. Army. Later, he worked for the Freedmen's Bureau in Georgia. He was elected to the state government in 1868. He helped start many AME churches in Georgia after the war.

In 1880, he became the first AME bishop from the South. Turner was upset by new laws that limited the rights of Black people. He became a leader in the idea of Black nationalism. He even suggested that Black people should move to Africa.

Fighting for Fairness

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., in 2013.

The AME Church has a special history. It was the first major religious group in the Western world that started because of race, not just different religious ideas. It was the first Black American church group to be officially formed in the United States. The church was created to protest unfair treatment and slavery. This fit with the beliefs of John Wesley, who started Methodism. He called the slave trade "that terrible sum of all evil."

AME leaders, scholars, and members have written about the church's unique focus on race and action. Bishop Benjamin W. Arnett spoke in 1893 about the important role Black people played in the early days of Christianity. Bishop Benjamin T. Tanner wrote in 1895 that biblical scholars wrongly showed King Solomon as a white man. Later, thinkers like James Cone from the AME tradition spoke out against unfairness. They wanted churches to do more to help those facing racism and other challenges.

What the Church Believes

The AME motto, "God Our Father, Christ Our Redeemer, Holy Spirit Our Comforter, Humankind Our Family," shows the main beliefs of the church.

The church's core beliefs are found in the Apostles' Creed. They also follow The Twenty Five Articles of Religion, which are shared with other Methodist churches. The AME Church also has its own rules and laws. These rules are updated every four years. For example, AME ministers must retire at age 75.

Church Mission

1918 AME Church in Cairo, Illinois.

The AME Church's mission is to help all people grow spiritually, socially, and physically. In every church, the AME Church works to follow the spirit of the original Free African Society. This means they try to find and help those who are lost and serve those in need. The church also encourages members to get involved in training.

The main goals are:

To share God's biblical principles.
To spread Christ's message of freedom.
To offer programs that help people develop socially.

To do this, the AME Church trains its members in many areas:

Christian discipleship (how to follow Jesus).
Christian leadership.
Modern teaching methods.
The history and meaning of the AME Church.
God's biblical principles.
Social development, applying these ideas to daily life.

The church also works to:

Preach the gospel.
Feed the hungry.
Clothe those without enough clothes.
Provide homes for the homeless.
Comfort those who are sad.
Help the jobless find work.
Care for people in prisons, hospitals, and nursing homes.
Encourage saving money and economic progress.
Bring people back to church.

Colleges and Seminaries

The African Methodist Episcopal Church has been a leader in education for the African-American community.

Here are some of the colleges and seminaries connected to the AME Church:

Allen University (South Carolina)
Edward Waters College (Florida)
Morris Brown College (Georgia)
Paul Quinn College (Texas)
Wilberforce University (Ohio)
Shorter College (Arkansas)
Payne Theological Seminary (Ohio)
African Methodist Episcopal University, Liberia
RR Wright Theological Seminary, South Africa

How the Church is Organized

The General Conference

The General Conference is the highest decision-making body of the AME Church. It meets every four years. It includes bishops and an equal number of ministers and regular church members. Other leaders, like college presidents, also attend. Important speakers, like former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, have spoken at these conferences.

Council of Bishops

The Council of Bishops is the main leadership group of the church between General Conferences. They oversee the church's work. They meet every year to discuss important matters and make decisions.

Judicial Council

The Judicial Council is the highest court of the AME Church. It handles appeals and makes final decisions on church laws.

Health Commission

The Connectional Health Commission helps the church understand health as part of Christian faith. It works to make the church a place of healing. It also promotes health for its members. This commission provides health information and resources to church members.

Church Connections

The AME Church is a member of several important groups. These include the National Council of Churches in the USA, the World Methodist Council, and the World Council of Churches.

In 2012, the AME Church joined in a special agreement with other Methodist churches. These included the United Methodist Church and other Black Methodist churches. They agreed to "recognize each other's churches, share sacraments, and affirm their clergy and ministries." This brought these churches closer together.

Social Issues

The AME Church is very active in social justice issues. It has worked to improve the criminal justice system. On issues affecting women, the AME Church supports equal rights. In 2000, it elected its first female bishop.

The AME Church has always welcomed people of all races. It has also strongly supported the civil and human rights of ethnic minorities, like African Americans. It does this through social programs, religious independence, and political involvement.

The AME Church follows traditional teachings on marriage and family. In 2004, the church voted that its ministers should not bless same-sex unions. Church leaders stated that this follows their understanding of the Bible. The church also does not allow openly gay people to be ordained as clergy.

The AME Church has also taken a stand against climate change.

Images for kids

Denmark Vesey was a founder of Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church in Bermuda.
A plaque celebrating the 125th anniversary of St. John AME Church.
AME Zion Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

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