History of the Black Church

The African American church, also known as the Black Church, has served as an institution of aid for African Americans throughout history. The Black Church helped African Americans come up out of the social void caused by slavery. It served as a form of comfort and hope for those who were still enslaved and those who were not. African Americans were able to find themselves and in turn have a relationship with God. From the time of slavery, even though it was outlawed, slaves found ways to congregate in order to form their own churches and were sometimes allowed to attend the churches pastored by white ministers. But African Americans needed a place to worship, that didn't include the one-sided and bias lessons about the bible that were being taught in the white church.

African Americans in the North had it much better when it came to just about anything than those in the South. There is no surprise when it is said that it was a tad easier for Christianity to become rooted in the North. Free blacks in Colonial America began developing connections to Christianity decades before southern slaves.1 This was due to the fact that southern slave holders were reluctant to free their slaves, where as in the North, slaves were frequently freed.

One group that had a strong influence on attitudes and views toward slavery in the North was the Puritans. The Puritan fathers had a strong influence in the church as well as in the community life and the government as well. They spoke out about the fact that slaves should be taught about Christianity and should be allowed to practice it. But this idea of teaching Christianity made the slaveholders angry, of course. The slaveholders were afraid that Christianity would not only make their slaves proud, but rebellious. Rebellious slaves may have gotten the idea that they would be able to fight for their freedom.2 During this time, the white ministers and clergymen argued that it was the will of God that slaves should be obedient and submissive to their masters.3 They also thought that Christianity would make slaves think they were equal too their white owners.4

While the Puritans only spoke of freedom without enforcing their beliefs, the Quakers put action behind their beliefs. They set up religious training for slaves to help them prepare for freedom during the 17th century. They "practiced what they preached" by freeing their own slaves to set a prime example for their followers as well as working to change the legal stipulations against the private emancipation of slaves. They advocated against slavery right up until the civil war.5

The Great Awakening, which was a religious revival, affected people all over. This revival took place during the 1730s and was led by a preacher named Jonathan Edwards.6 It spread quickly through the New England communities and resulted in the emerge of a few black preachers.

At first black preachers were comfortable preaching with white ministers. For example, in Delaware, a freed black preacher named Richard Allen traveled with white ministers. He specifically traveled with a white minister named Bishop Asbury, who was one of the first bishops of the Methodist Church around 1786.7 But when Allen traveled to Philadelphia to do ministry work, he realized that his own people needed religion. He wanted to start a church for African Americans, which was at first opposed by both black and whites. Soon, people changed their minds after several blacks, including Allen himself, were dragged from where they were praying in St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church so that whites could be seated.8 Allen along with his associates formed the Free African Society in 1788.9 Members of the Free African Society began forming churches; Allen formed the Bethel Church. A friend of Allen's, Absalom Jones, started the African Protestant Episcopal Church of St. Thomas.10 Soon after, the Free African Society movement spread to other cities where new churches were developed. In 1816, the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church was developed as a denomination with Allen as its bishop.11 Not long after, smaller, black denominations were formed, such as those derived from Presbyterian and Congregational churches.12 During this time, independent black Baptist churches were also formed but were not as organized.

In the South, the spread of Christianity was very slow. Most of the preaching work that was done amongst the slaves was done by the Anglican Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts.13 This organization was England based and was developed in 1701. Their practice did not appeal to the slaves. A few free blacks in the south were able to establish churches during the 18th century. The First African Baptist Church was developed between 1733 and 1775 on the William Byrd plantation in Virginia. The Bluestone Church was established by a slave named George Liele.14 In 1788, the First African Church of Savannah, Georgia was developed by Andrew Bryan. 15

The first independent black Baptist congregations were organized in the last half of the eighteenth century. This was during the time the American colonies and black Methodists were both speaking publically about their views on independence.16 The black Baptists were struggling to find religion in the midst of the southern plantations that defined their lives as