Black+Churches

[|//southern black churches//][|//southern black churches//] [|//wikipedia//]//Black Churches//

The emancipation of 1863 brought freedom to many slaves who were under Union control. Over several states the number of freed slaves added up to atleast four million people. Not all got freed quickly but thousands did and a lot of issues came with that. One big problem for southern blacks was that there was a lack of religious stability. To help solve this problem northern blacks started coming down south on missions to help bring knowledge and Christianity to these people. Many were actually sponsored by both white and black denominations. The goal was to spread the word of God and also teach newly freed slaves how to read and write.

All this up support from up north lead to black churches sprouting up all over the south from Florida to Texas. Some where small and others grew large but they all shared a common goal. To give black people the opportunity to practice religion in culturally distinct ways that evolved over a long period of time. But the history behind southern black congregations can't be ignored. To understand how they came to be we have to start by learning what got them there.

Figuring this out was a change since many of these churches are connected to others. I decided to write and essay on one that was founded right here in Pennslyvania. The name of it is the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church.This church is not a branch or apart of any white denomination. It happens to be the first African-American denomination to be organized and incorporated in the United States. Making it older then even some white churches in this country. In 1816 Richard Allen was the man who founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia with the help of fellow members from St. George's AME church. St. George's happens to be the actual church that Richard Allen started his from. Twenty-two years prior to this Allen and a few other black methodists set up the Bethel's African Methodists Episcopal Church. Later in 1807 and 1815 Allen successfully sued in Pennsylvania courts for Bethel's to gain independence. Doing so granted the Bethel's AME Church freedom from the white congregations who had control over it. The opportunity of having independent houses of worship propelled many African-Americans to take legal actions in their own states. At the same time black people were unknowingly teaching themselves and others how to go about get ahead without becoming violent.

Today the AME Church has an even biggger influence on the education within the African- American community. By helping start several senior and junior colleges all over the country. Including Campbell College, Wilberforce University, and Shorter Junior College. Outside of the U.S. AME Church touches all faces of the earth with part denomination. There are 7,000 congregations in more than 30 nations. Some in particular are Africa, Europe, and South America. The denominations are lead by twenty bishops and 12 officers. It is estimated that there are over four million members and 9,000 ministers. As you can see, black churches have a very deep and rich history. They have become what they are today thanks to many newly freed slaves and also white people. Despite a lot of them being racist towards black church congregations. It was this that helped motivate African-Americans to build their own places to worship and start new congregations. Richard Allen was just a link in a chain of countless people who put work in to make things happen. Now today the work has paid off before our eyes. Every where in this country there is a black church that is existing on its own without having to answer to a more powerful organization like people had to do in the past.

Bibliography: Harper, Rev. John H. "History of the A.M.E. Churchj." __News FROM the Connection, News FOR the Connection__. Lord Majesty Productions. 08 June 2009 [].

Maffly-Kipp, Laurie F. "The Church in the Southern Black Community: Introduction." __Documenting the American South homepage__. UNC library. 08 June 2009 [].

N/A. "New and Events." __African Methodist Episcopal Church__. AME. 08 June 2009 .

Neagra, Bieserica. "Black church -." __Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia__. Wikimedia. 08 June 2009 .