Where were the two largest african methodist episcopal churches?

African Methodist Episcopal Church a body of Christians composed entirely of colored people in the United States and Canada.

I. History. — The early Methodists labored zealously for the welfare of the Africans, both slaves and free, in the United States. Multitudes of them became Methodists, and thousands are now in the fellowship of the Methodist Episcopal Church (q.v.), which, at its General Conference of 1864, organized two new conferences, consisting exclusively of colored members. In 1816, a number of these Methodists, believing that they could be freer and more useful in a separate communion, called a convention in Philadelphia, which, in April of that year, organized the "African Methodist Episcopal Church." The Reverend Richard Allen (q.v.) was elected first bishop, and was ordained by five presbyters. He served until his death in 1831. In 1828 the Reverend M. Brown was also elected bishop. In 1836 the Reverend E. Waters was ordained bishop. The growth of the Church has been steady, and many of its preachers have been men of ability. It had, in 1888, 50 conferences, 7 bishops, and a full corps of editors, secretaries. agents, and literary and financial officers. In 1856 the Canada Conference was organized as a separate body, The civil war which broke out in the United States in 1861, and the gradual destruction of slavery, greatly enlarged the territory of this Church and added to its membership. In May, 1864, the Quadrennial General Conference of the Church was held at Philadelphia, simultaneously with the General Conferences of the Methodist Episcopal Church and of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. The General Conference was visited by a deputation from the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and, to reciprocate this act of fraternal sentiment, appointed in its turn a committee, consisting of five members, to visit the latter body. A committee was also appointed to mature, with a similar committee appointed by the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, a plan of union of these two denominations, to be laid before the next General Conferences of both.

Unforeseen difficulties, however, intervened, and the plan of union was deferred. In 1888 it failed in like manner for lack of concurrence in some minor details, but the prospect was hopeful of its early realization. Meanwhile arrangements had been set on foot for the absorption of the British Methodist Episcopal Church of Canada and the West Indies into the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and at the General Conference of 1888 this union was declared fully effected.

On May 15, 1865, Bishop Payne reorganized the South Carolina Annual Conference of the A. M. E. Church, which was first established in Charleston, and had existed in prosperity for six years, worshipping in a house erected by themselves, when the African M. E. Church as a separate organization was overthrown, and until the breaking out of the rebellion the colored people were compelled to worship with the whites, and were brought under the pastoral care of the white pastors.

II. Doctrines. — The doctrines are the same as those of the Methodist Episcopal Church (q.v.).

III. Government. — The bishops preside in the conferences and station the ministers; they are styled "Right Reverend." The General Conference is composed of travelling preachers of two years' standing, and of local preachers delegated by the Annual Conference, in the ratio of one to every five travelling preachers. Its sessions are quadrennial. The Annual Conference consists of all the travelling preachers in full connection, and of all local preachers who have been licensed a certain period, and can pass a satisfactory examination. In other respects the government resembles that of the M. E. Church.

IV. Statistics. — From the reports made at the General Conference of 1888 on the constitution of the Church, it appears that in that year the real estate and Church property was estimated at about $5,000,000, located in the New England States, the North-western States, in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina, California, the West Indies, and Africa. The latest statistics (1889) give 3,600 churches, 2,943 ministers, 4,891 local preachers, 47,000 probationers, and 390,000 members. Missions have been established in nearly all of the states above named, with a large number of missionaries. The Church had several thousand day-schools, and a corresponding number of teachers of color, educated at the various institutions of learning in the United States and Canada. Sunday-schools had been established in connection with nearly all of the meeting-houses. They were conducted by about 6,000 officers and teachers, and some 260,000 volumes of Sunday-school books were used. The highest literary institution of the denomination is Wilberforce University, which is under the control of the General Conference, and located three miles north of Xenia, Greene County, Ohio. It had, in 1888, 108 students. There are also seminaries at Baltimore, Columbus (O.), Alleghany, and Pittsburg. The school near Columbus has a farm of 172 acres. There are three religious papers, the Christian Recorder, a weekly, issued by the Book Concern at Philadelphia, the Review, and the Missionary Record.

Our Name
AFRICAN - Means that the church was organized by people of African descent and heritage. It does not mean that the church was founded in Africa or that it is for people of African descent only. It does mean that those Americans who founded it were of African descent and we proudly recognize this fact. We welcome all who worship Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

METHODIST - Refers to the church's membership in the family of Methodist churches. Richard Allen, the founder and first bishop, felt that the form and format of Methodism would best suit the needs of the African community at that time.

EPISCOPAL - Refers to the form of government under which the church operates. The Episcopal form of government means that the chief executive and administrative officers of our denomination are our bishops. Their authority is given them by the General Conference, elected representatives of the entire denomination. Their responsibilities are to oversee the spiritual and temporal affairs of the church.

Our Origin 
In 1787, Reverend Richard Allen and Reverend Absalom Jones withdrew from St. George Methodist Church because of "unkind treatment" and restrictions placed on worshippers of African descent. They founded The Free African Methodist Society, which was the beginning of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1816, Richard Allen called together sixteen representatives from Bethel African Church in Philadelphia, and African Churches in Baltimore, Maryland; Wilmington, Delaware; Attleboro, Pennsylvania. A church organization or "connection" was organized as the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Richard Allen was the founder and first Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Our Faith
"I believe in God, the Father the Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Power of the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Church Universal, the Communion of Saints, the Forgiveness of Sins, the Resurrection of the Body, and the Life Everlasting. Amen."

Our Founder

RICHARD ALLEN - 1760-1831

Richard Allen, the founder and first Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, was born a slave on February 14, 1760 on the Benjamin Chew estate. Deeply religious from an early, age, Allen was converted at the age of 17. He began preaching in 1780 and was ordained in 1799. Through thrift and industry, he and his brother worked at night to pay for their freedom. From July 1805, Allen conducted services in the "Roughcast Church." This had been the first brick church erected on American soil by people of color. The African Methodist Episcopal denomination was organized in Philadelphia in 1816.
Richard Allen was consecrated as its first Bishop at the General Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 10, 1816. In 1841 the red brick church was built to replace the old roughcast one, and remained in use until the present church (dedicated in 1890) was erected in its place on the original plot of ground. From 1797 to his death on March 26, 1831, Allen operated a station on the Underground Railway for escaping slaves. This work was continued by Bethel Church until the Emancipation. Bishop Allen was married to Sarah Bass Allen. He was the father of six children- Richard Jr., James, John, Peter, Sarah and Ann.

Our Motto