The Official Site of the
Pittsburgh Conference Lay Organization
of the African Methodist Episcopal Church

The African Methodist Episcopal Church Lay Organization

The African Methodist Episcopal Church, is a United States Methodist Church, not affiliated with the United Methodist Church governmentally, that was formally organized in 1816. It developed from a congregation formed by a group of Philadelphia-area slaves and former slaves who withdrew in 1787 from St. Georges's Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia because of discrimination. They built Bethel African Methodist Church in Philadelphia, now fondly known as Mother Bethel. In 1799, Richard Allen was ordained minister of the church by Bishop Francis Asbury of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1816, Ausbery consecrated Allen bishop of the newly organized African Methodist Episcopal Church. Confined to the Northern states before the Civil War, the church spread rapidly in the South after the war. The Church is Methodist in doctrine and church government, and it holds a general conference every four years. It has about 1,200,000 members.

Richard Allen was born on February 14, 1760 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, a slave to a Quaker lawyer, the Honorable Benjamin Chew, Chief Justice of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 1774-1777. Richard Allen, his parents and three other children were sold to a Mr. Stokeley in Delaware, near Dover. Allen recorded that Stokeley was a very tender and humane man who was more like a father to his slaves than a master. As Richard and his brother grew older, they were permitted to attend meetings of the Methodist Society. In 1777, at the age of seventeen, Allen was converted by the preaching of free-born Garrettson and joined the Methodist Society He later bought his freedom for two thousand dollars in Continental money. He commenced traveling in 1783 and later returned to Philadelphia and joined the white congregation at St. Georges's Methodist Episcopal Church. He was licensed to preach in 1784 and was permitted to hold services in the morning about 5 a.m. As the attendence of colored people at St. George's increased, the hostile attitudes of the officers and members also increased and on a Sabbath morning in 1787, the sexton met them at the door of the church and sent them to the gallery.

One morning, at St. George's, while prayer was going on Allen heard considerable scuffling and low-talking. As he raised his head, he saw the trustees pulling Absalom Jones and William White off their knees telling them that they could not kneel there. When the prayer was over, the black people, led by Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, withdrew from the St. George's Church Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, William Gray and William Wilcher were appointed to find a lot to build a church where the worship of God could be carried on without interference.

A lot was selected on Sixth Street near Lombard, in Philadelphia, and Richard Allen was authorized to negotiate for its purchase. The lot belonged to Mark Wilcox.This lot, purchased by Richard Allen in 1787, is the oldest parcel of real estate owned continuously by black people in the United States. All church buildings of Mother Bethel have been erected on the same ground. A frame building formerly used as a blacksmith shop was purchased from a man named Sims and hauled to the lot at Sixth Street. Carpenters were employed to repair it and fit it for a place of worship. The building was dedicated as the first church in July 1794 by Bishop Francis Asbury, who preached the sermon. Reverend John Dickins, pastor of St. George's, sang and prayed that the house be called "Bethel" for the gathering in of thousands of souls. The frame building was used for eleven years, until 1805, when the roughcast church was erected. The latter was used for 36-years until 1841. The Convention of independent African Churches was held in this building in April of 1816, and the African Methodist Episcopal Church was organized. Richard Allen was elected and consecrated the First African American Bishop.

OUR NAME

African: The term "African" refers to people of African descent. Richard Allen also used the term "people of color."  He advocated human dignity and religious liberty for people of African descent in America.

Methodist: Richard Allen accepted the doctrines and polity of the Methodist Church as appropriate for his people. The term "Methodist" was used as a word of derision and scorn for John Wesley and his followers, because of their systematic method and habits of religious duty.

Episcopal: The highest office in the A.M.E. Church is the Bishop. The term "Bishop" means "over-seer." The Bishop is the one who "oversees" or "overlooks" the work of the Church.

OUR BELIEFS

The standard of faith for the Church is the Twenty-five Articles of Religion. John Wesley extracted The Twenty-five Articles of Religion from the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England. Richard Allen Adopted The Twenty-Five Articles of Religion as sufficient for the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

OUR MOTTO

The motto of African Methodism is: God our Father, Christ our Redeemer, and Man Our Brother.

KEY DOCTRINES OF AFRICAN METHODISM

1. African Methodism teaches that the suffering and death of Jesus Christ is for the sins of the whole human race. It is universal.
2. African Methodism teaches personal repentance towards our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and to have faith in Christ. Both are united in Holy Scriptures.
3. African Methodism teaches justification through faith. Justification and forgiveness of sins are the same in Methodist theology.
4. African Methodism teaches regeneration. Regeneration is the new birth. It is the work of the Holy Spirit by which we experience a change of heart.
5. African Methodism teaches that the Holy Spirit bears witness to The Spirit. Can a person know that he/she is a Christian? Methodism answers, yes.
6. African Methodism teaches that sanctification is the work of The Holy Spirit. Holiness is the conformity of the heart and life to the law of God.

OUR RITES AND RITUALS

Public Worship
African Methodism uses and cherishes its form of worship. Rites and rituals are held in high esteem by African Methodists.  They are grounded in both law and tradition.

The Discipline and A.M.E. Hymnal prescribe the order of worship throughout the connection. The great hymns and music of the Church offer much food for the soul.

The Sacraments
Baptism is one of the two sacraments of the Church. It should never be so hurried or informal as to lose its significance and solemnity.

It is clear that A.M.E.'s accept infant baptism. Adults are also baptized. The mode of baptism in African Methodism is by pouring, sprinkling, or immersion. The A.ME. Church does not deem the mode as essential to the validity of the sacrament.

The Church does not sanction rebaptism. Those who were baptized in infancy renew the baptismal covenant, and make it their own, when they come into full membership. This is quite sufficient in the judgment of the Church, and satisfactory to all those who are grounded in the polity and usages of African Methodism. A.M.E.'s accept the Lord's Supper as the other sacrament of the Church. All members of the A.M.E. Church should be exhorted to attend this service at every opportunity.

OUR GOVERNMENT

The African Methodist Episcopal Church has a real form of government. Our government is Episcopal in form. This means that the Church is governed by Bishops.

The General Conference is the legislature. It meets every four years to elect bishops and to make laws.

The A.M.E. Church has a Bishop's Council and a Judicial Council.

The Departments of the A.M.E. Church make up the operation of the Church. They are vital to the function of an organized government. The work of each Department is directed by a General Officer, who is elected by the General Conference.

Bishops are elected and consecrated to the work of the Episcopacy in the United States, Canada, Africa, and The Virgin Islands which make up the eighteen Episcopal districts of the A.ME. Church.

The Bishop's Cabinet consists of the Presiding Elders. The Presiding Elders are appointed by the Presiding Bishop. The Presiding Elders superintend the work of the church by presiding over sub-districts of each annual conference.

The Pastor is appointed by the Presiding Bishop to a mission, circuit or station. The Pastors make up the Presiding Elder's Cabinet. The Pastor appoints Stewards in the Local Church. They serve in the Pastor's Cabinet. Trustees are elected by the local church. They carry out the temporal concerns of the church.

All persons in the A.M.E. church are under law. The A.M.E. Discipline provides the rules and regulations for all the different parts of the Church, so that the Church becomes a fellowship of Christian love.

CONFERENCE

The term "conference" is very important in African Methodist usage. The first General Conference was held in 1816 in Philadelphia, PA. There are five conferences in the A.M.E. Church. They are:  1) General Conference 2) Annual Conference 3) District Conference 4) Quarterly Conference 5) Church Conference.

A.M.E. DISCIPLINE

In 1817, Richard Allen published the first A.M.E. Discipline.  The A.M.E. Discipline is our ecclesiastical constitution. It outlines the Articles of Religion, the General Rules, and Rituals, and other services of the Church.