African Methodist Episcopal Church

The AMEC and African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church are Churches of American origin with several small congregations located in the London area. The AME Church originated in Philadelphia in 1787, when black members separated from St. George's ME Church under the leadership of Richard Allen. The denomination was officially organized in 1816 and is the largest of the black Methodist bodies. The AME Zion Church was formed out of John Street ME Church, New York, when black members built Zion Chapel, but maintained close relations with the ME Church until 1821. Both bodies have work in Africa and the Caribbean.

Sources
  • D.H. Bradley, History of the AME Zion Church (Nashville, 1956)
  • World Methodist Council, Handbook of Information, 1997-2001
  • Dennis C. Dickerson, "The African Methodist Episcopal Church. A History" (New York and Cambridge, 2020)

Entry written by: WP
Category: Denomination
Comment on this entry