African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church - Structure, The Church Today

An African-American Methodist Church in the USA, dating from 1821, which emerged when a group reacted against the discrimination they experienced as members of a New York City Methodist foundation. The Church grew rapidly after the American Civil War, and in 2004 its membership was c.1·5 million.

The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, or AME Zion Church, was officially formed in 1821, but operated for a number years before then. The church can be traced back to the John Street Methodist Church of New York City. 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. 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 not to be confused with the similarly-named African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Structure

A general conference is the supreme administrative body of the church (s.

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.

The AME-Zion church has been in negotiations for many years to merge with the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church into a tentatively-named Christian Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. It is very similar in doctrine and practice to that church and the African Methodist Episcopal Church.