History

The African Methodist Episcopal Zion church, or AME Zion Church, was officially formed in 1848, but operated for a number years before then. The church can be traced back to the John Street Methodist Church of New York City. Following acts of overt discrimination (such as black parishoners being forced to leave worship), many black Christians left to form their own churches. The first church founded by the AME Zion Church was built in 1800 and was named Zion. These early churches were still part of the Methodist church, although the congregations remained separate.

The fledgling church grew and soon multiple churches were formed based on the original congregation. These churches were attended by black congregants, but ministered to by white Episcopalian ministers. In 1820, six of the churches met to ordain James Varick as an elder. A debate raged in the white-dominated Methodist church over the possibility of black ministers. This debate concluded on July 30, 1822 when James Varick was ordained the first bishop of the AME Zion church.

Note

The AME Zion Church is different from the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Structure

The AME Zion Chuch follows the governmental and doctrinal structure of the Methodist church. The church holds conference once every four years to elect officials and address any doctrinal issues.

The Church Today

The church grew rapidly with the ordination of black ministers, but was mostly confined to the northern United States until the conclusion of the American Civil War. Today, the AME Zion church as roughly 1.2 million members with outreach activities in many areas around the world.