A Short Account of the Rise and Progress of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in America/Chapter 6
CHAPTER VI.
How Zion Church became the Mother Church of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in America, and her Rise and Progress.
The official members of Zion Church being now fully determined upon forming connexions with such of their coloured brethren, as were willing to unite with them in the formation of a uniform system of church government, came together on Wednesday night, October 25th, 1820, for the purpose of coming to a determination about the Discipline, and, after reading and examining the same, they adopted it and resolved to have it printed, and appointed George Collins and Christopher Rush, a committee, to attend to the publication thereof, and on the first November following, the manuscript was put in the hands of John C. Totten, printer, who was ordered to print twelve hundred copies.
About this time there were several places opened where our Preachers might have formed societies, or taken the charge of those already formed; but they, being unaccustomed to the work of forming societies, and being not yet fully organized as a society, they were slow in their movements, and some of them complained of the want of money as a hindrance to their travelling; so that in consequence of their backwardness, some of these places were taken up by Richard Allen's Preachers, who were always on the alert to find out such places, and in some instances would not hesitate much to represent themselves to be the same as the Preachers of Zion Church, when they found it necessary to carry their point.
A small society at New-Haven sent to request a visit of one of our Preachers, in order to give them some information about our standing, and what we intended to do relative to forming connections with our coloured brethren, and Leven Smith, one of our ordained Deacons consented to go and see them on the subject; who, upon his return, reported them willing to join the connexion, and that they requested some of our Disciplines to be sent to them as soon as they were printed. Abraham Thompson received from Philadelphia, a letter, written by the President of a committee of twelve persons, who superintended the business of a church, which they were building in that city, separate from Richard Allen's connexion, (the contents of which was written in answer to a letter sent to Richard Howel of that place, requesting information about the said church, which our brethren in New-York had heard of verbally) and after stating how they stood as a separate church at that time, they requested that one or two of our Preachers would come to Philadelphia about five weeks from the date of the letter, at which time they expected the house would be ready to be consecrated, and that they might have a mutual consultation about joining the connexion.
The building still progressed, so that this day, the 2d of November, they began to fix up the seats. When it was understood that George White had been to Flushing, a village about eleven miles from the city of New-York, to induce the African Methodist Church in that place to unite with the Allenites, William Miller was anxious to go and see the brethren there in order to give them a true statement of the circumstance; but he wished that one of the Preachers of Zion Church would go with him, and asked several of them to go at his expense, which they refused to do, having other engagements; whereupon, George Collins offered to go with him, and was accepted. They accordingly went up to Flushing, and found the brethren much agitated and troubled about the report George White had made to them, viz., that all the members of Zion Church had concluded to join the Allenites, except two or three, whose minds would be made up in a few days. Miller and Collins gave them a true statement of the case, as far as they could, and the brethren appeared to be very glad of the visit, and concluded to continue as they were, until Zion Church got properly organized; nevertheless, under the influence of the said George White, they were induced to unite with the Allenites.
November 2d, 1820, being the first Thursday of the month, the Leaders' meeting and quarterly Conference of Zion Church were held together, by the advice of the Elder in charge, at the residence of William Brown in Leonard Street, and there were a large number of the official brethren at this meeting. The Secretary of the Leaders' meeting (George Collins) reported the amount of money received during the three years last past, ending the third of October last, viz., $4654,62½, and $3000 borrowed, making $7654,62½; and the expenditures for the same time, $7238,78, leaving a balance on hand of $415,91½, which he said had been since paid to the builders. He also reported the amount of money paid to the builders, viz., cash, $5542,78, and that the old house sold to the carpenter, and stone sold to the mason, together with some money which the builders said they had collected for the Church, he supposed would amount to about $300, which would make $5842,78.
After the business of the Leaders' meeting had ended, the business of the quarterly Conference was then taken up and attended to. During the meeting the Elder gave the Trustees $10,37½, which he said was all he had received from Zion Church this year, and which he concluded to give to the church as his contribution, and informed the brethren that he had resolved that the money collected in future for him should be given to our Preachers, to assist them to travel. This was welcome news, for we did not know how we should raise some money to assist our Preachers, who were willing to visit places where they might preach and form Societies. At this meeting some conversation took place relative to the Asbury Church, which led to a proposal by one of the brethren to have some Articles of Agreement drawn up between the official members of both churches, for the better understanding of each party, and after some consultation on the subject, they resolved that George Collins should draw up the said Articles of Agreement, to be recommended to the official members of the Asbury Church for their approval. According to the resolution of the brethren, the Articles of Agreement were drawn up, a copy of which we here insert.
Whereas, the official members of the African Methodist Zion and Asbury Churches are desirous of becoming more united in their spiritual government and privileges, (the two churches being separately Incorporated, and consequently their temporal concerns being transacted by separate bodies of Trustees) they deem it necessary, in order to have a clear understanding between them, mutually to agree upon the following Articles: viz.
1. It is provided and declared between the parties, that the two bodies of Trustees shall not interfere with each other relative to the transactions of the temporal concerns of their respective churches.
2. It is provided and declared, that in every case when persons come forward to join on probation, or bring certificates of membership from other circuits or stations, the Elder having the charge of the aforesaid churches from time to time, shall inquire of each person in order to ascertain on which Church Register he wishes to have his name enrolled, and the said Elder shall proceed according to the determination of the applicant. 3. It is provided and declared, that no person shall at any time receive applicants on probation, or otherwise, to become members of either church ; but the aforesaid Elder for the time being, or any Elder, Deacon, or Preacher he may specially request to do so.
4. It is provided and declared, that sick and poor members of the one church shall have no claim on the poor's fund of the other, and that each church give relief only to her own sick and poor members, according to the state of her poor's fund and former custom.
5. It is provided and declared, that there shall be but one quarterly Conference to transact the spiritual concerns of both churches, and all business to be done at the quarterly Conference according to the Discipline of the connexion, and that the official members of both churches consequently have a seat and voice in the said Conference; but that each church shall have separate Leaders' and Trustees' meetings, and attend to business agreeably to the rules of the aforesaid Discipline.
6. It is provided and declared that in all cases when houses are to be built, hired, or enjoyed gratis, for the purpose of Divine worship, wherein regular collections of money are to be made in any place within the limits of the Incorporation of each church, a fair representation of the same shall be made at the quarterly Conference, from time to time, by the party intending so to build, hire, or enjoy gratis for the aforesaid purpose, in order that there may be always a clear understanding between the two bodies of Trustees relative to the revenue arising from such establishments.
7. It is provided and declared also, between the parties, that in all cases of difference between them which cannot be settled by the quarterly Conference, it shall be the duty of the Elder having the charge, to refer the case to the ensuing yearly Conference, where it shall be finally decided.
8. It is further provided that these Articles shall not be so construed as to affect any former agreement made by the Asbury Church and its stated Minister.
The foregoing Articles were agreed to, first, by the official members of the Asbury Church, and on the 30th of November, 1820, they were sanctioned by the official members of Zion Church.
On Sunday, November 12th, 1820, being the second Sunday in the month and our Communion day, James Varick, one of our Elders elect, for the first time consecrated the elements for the Lord's Supper, and (together with Abraham Thompson, the other Elder elect) administered the same to the members of the Church, and Leven Smith, our ordained Deacon, assisted them. We had a comfortable time.
The official brethren of the society at New-Haven having resolved upon uniting with our connexion, they recommended to the brethren in New-York, an Exhorter, named Jeremiah Jacobs, for license to preach. Jeremiah Jacobs arrived in the city of New-York on Saturday, the 11th of November, intending to embark for Port Au Prince, with some adventures, hoping to return in a few months, and on Wednesday night, November 15th, according to request, he preached a trial sermon, was approved, and obtained license to preach.
According to the request of those brethren at Philadelphia, who were now forming a society in that city separate from the Allenites, and of those at New-Haven who were already formed under the charge of our white brethren, preparations were made by the official brethren of Zion Church in New-York to visit them, and on the first of December, Abraham Thompson and William Miller were sent to Philadelphia, and Christopher Rush to New-Haven, and upon their return they reported the willingness of the brethren at those places to unite with our connexion. Abraham Thompson having mentioned that while he was at Philadelphia, he had an interview with Ezekiel Cooper, an old member of the connexion of our white brethren, and friendly to our people, and that he advised to have an address drawn up and sent to the Wesleyan Church at Philadelphia, for concurrence, in order to be presented to the white Methodist yearly Conference which was to meet at that place the following spring, and then transferred to the New-York Conference, on the subject of ordination. Our brethren, the official members, considered the advice; they approved the same; and immediately appointed George Collins, John Dungy, James Varick, Charles Anderson and William Miller, a committee, to draft an address for that purpose, and on the 22d February, 1820, the committee commenced the operation. The address was drawn up, which reads as follows:
To the Bishops and Preachers of the Philadelphia and New-York Conferences, assembled:
Respected Brethren,
We, the official members of the African Methodist Zion and Asbury Churches, in the city of New-York, and of the Wesleyan Church, in the city of Philadelphia, on behalf of our brethren, members of the aforesaid Churches; likewise of a small society at New-Haven, and some of our coloured brethren on Long Island, beg the favour of addressing you on a subject, to us of great importance, and we presume not a matter of indifference to you.
In the first place, suffer us to beg you will accept of our humble and sincere thanks for your kind services to us when in our infant state, trusting that the Great Head of the Church, the all-wise and gracious God, has, and will continue to reward you for your labours among us, having made you the instruments of bringing us from darkness to light, and from the power of sin and Satan, to Him, the true and living God.
In the next place we proceed to say—When the Methodist Society in the United States was small, the Africans enjoyed comfortable privileges among their white brethren in the same meeting-house ; but as the whites increased very fast the Africans were pressed back; therefore, it was thought essentially necessary for them to have meeting-houses of their own, in those places where they could obtain them, in order to have more room to invite their coloured brethren yet out of the ark of safety to come in; and it is well known that the Lord has greatly enlarged their number since that memorable time, by owning their endeavours in the conversion of many hundreds. Many Preachers have been raised up among them, who have been very useful in a located state; but they have hitherto been confined; they have had no opportunities to travel, being generally poor men, and having no provision made for them to go forth and dispense the Word of Life to their brethren, their usefulness has been greatly hindered, and their coloured brethren have been deprived of those blessings which Almighty God might have designed to grant through their instrumentality. And now, it seems, the time is come when something must be done for the prosperity of the ministry amongst our coloured brethren; and how shall this be accomplished? for we have not the least expectation that African or coloured Preachers will be admitted to a seat and vote in the Conferences of their white brethren, let them be how much soever qualified for the work of the ministry; nor do we desire to unite with our brother Richard Allen's connexion, being dissatisfied with their general manner of proceedings; (for our brethren, the members of the Wesleyan Church, in Philadelphia, withdrew from them to build their present house of worship named as above,) therefore, our brethren in the city of New-York, after due consideration, have been led to conclude that to form an itinerant plan, and establish a Conference for African Methodist Preachers, under the patronage of the white Methodist Bishops and Conference, would be the means of accomplishing the desired end; believing that such an establishment would tend greatly to the prosperity of the spiritual coneerns of our coloured brethren in general, and would be the means of great encouragement to our Preachers, who are now in regular standing in connexion with the white Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States, and also to such as may be hereafter raised up among us, who may be disposed to join the said Conference and enter on the travelling plan. And in order to commence this great work, the two Societies in the city of New-York united and agreed that the title of the connexion shall be "The African Methodist Episcopal Church in America," and have selected a form of Discipline from that of the mother (white) church, which, with a little alteration, we have adopted for the government of the said connexion, and to which we beg to refer you.
After the perusal of our selection and consideration of our case, should our proceedings meet your approbation and you should be disposed to patronise the same, we will stand ready and shall be glad to receive such advice and instruction as you may think proper to give us, through our father in the Lord, Bishop McKendree, or any other person the Conference may be pleased to appoint. On the subject of ordination to Eldership, (a privilege which our Preachers have been long deprived of,) permit us to say we might have obtained it from other sources, but we preferred and determined to follow the advice of Bishop McKendree, given to our brethren in New-York the last time he was with them, and wait until the meeting of your annual Conference in this and the District of New-York, in order to understand what encouragement we may look for from the mother church. But in consequence of some uneasiness in the minds of some of our members in New-York, occasioned by our brother Richard Allen's determination to establish a society of his connexion in that city, our brethren there have been under the necessity of solemnly electing three of their Deacons to the office of Elders, and some of their Preachers to the office of Deacons, to act only in cases of necessity, and to show to our people that our Preachers can be authorized to administer the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, as well as those of brother Allen's connexion, that thereby they might keep the body together; and we believe it has had the desired effect, for very few have left the Societies there, notwithstanding the efforts made to induce them to leave us. We expect that our first yearly Conference will be held in the city of New- York, on the 14th day of June next, at which we hope to have the happiness of hearing that our father in the Lord, Bishop McKendree, presided, and commenced his fatherly instructions in an African Methodist Conference, formed under the patronage of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States of America. With this hope we shall rest, waiting your answer; meanwhile praying that the great Shepherd and Bishop of souls and our most merciful Father, will be pleased to bless and guide you in your deliberations on our case, so that your conclusions may be such as shall be pleasing in his sight, and tend most to the prosperity of his kingdom amongst the Africans, and consequently prove an everlasting blessing to many precious souls.
N. B. Should the above address be sanctioned by your respected body, and you should be pleased to act upon it, we will thank you to transmit the same to the New-York Annual Conference, for their consideration; and should the time appointed for the sitting of the African Conference be inconvenient for the person who may be appointed to organize the same, we are willing that it should be altered to a few days sooner or later, provided you would be pleased to give us timely notice of said alteration. But should you be disposed not to favour the said address in any respect, you will please have the goodness to return it to the bearer.
Signed in behalf of the official members of both Societies, at a meeting called specially for that purpose, March 23d, 1821, in the city of New-York.
JAMES VARICK, President.
GEORGE COLLINS, Secretary.
The foregoing being prepared and all ready, the brethren appointed Abraham Thompson and Leven Smith to take it to Philadelphia. It was presented to the official brethren of the Wesleyan Church, who approved the same and also signed it by the President and Secretary of their meeting, and was taken by Abraham Thompson to their Conference, which was held at Milford, in the state of Delaware. The Conference at Milford accepted the address, and having acted upon it, they transmitted the same to the New-York Conference, according to our request. We will insert a copy of their proceedings, which reads tis follows:
The committee, to whom was referred the memorial of the official members of the African Methodist Zion and Asbury Churches, in the city of New-York, and the Wesley Church, in the city of Philadelphia, in behalf of themselves and others of their coloured brethren, proposing and requesting the organization of a Conference for the African Methodist Preachers, under the patronage of the Bishops and Conferences of the white Methodist Episcopal Church, having had the subject under serious and close consideration, in its various bearings and relations, ask leave now to report:
1. We view it as a subject of great importance to the coloured people, demanding from us our friendly patronage and pastoral attention, so far as circumstances willadmit of it. We have always acted upon the principle toward the people of colour, of doing them all the good that was in our power, in promoting and improving their moral and religious instruction and character, and in protecting and defending them in all their just rights and privileges, and more particularly we have, as instruments under God, laboured much for the conversion and salvation of their souls. They know, and it is generally known and acknowledged, that our labours of good will and christian love toward them for many years past, have been crowned with gracious success and much good effect among them, as it respects both their moral and religious character, and also to the improvement to some considerable degree, of their condition and circumstances in life.
2. There are at this time various societies and congregations of coloured people, in different places, who have been collected and raised under our ministerial labours, and who have erected and built themselves houses for the public worship of God, wherein they assemble separate from the white people for their religious devotions; and also, there are a considerable number of pious coloured men, whom we have reason to believe are qualified to preach the word of life and salvation, and to be useful in their labours among the people of their own colour; but upon our present plan, under existing circumstances and regulations, their privileges as ministers are very much circumscribed, and their opportunities for improvement and usefulness are very limited. There exists no expectation or prospect, that the coloured Preachers will be admitted to a vote or seat in our Conferences, or participate in sundry other privileges among the white Preachers, in their labours and pastoral care of the churches and societies generally; neither is it understood that they wish or desire it. They request a Conference themselves in unity and friendship with, and under the patronage of the Bishops and Conferences of the white Preachers, and that our Bishops should preside among them and ordain their Preachers, and extend to them their superintending protection, counsel and direction in their itinerant regulations and ministerial operations. It appears that they could obtain orders from another quarter, and become a connexion distinct from, and independent of the white Bishops and Conferences, but they prefer and desire patronage from, and a certain degree of union with us. They have refused to unite with Richard Allen and his African connexion, being dissatisfied with their general manner of proceedings.
3. From every view of the subject we have been able to take, we are of opinion the time is come when something must be done, more than yet has been done, for our coloured people, especially for such as are situated and circumstanced as the memorialists are, in order to enlarge their sphere of labours, and to extend their privileges and opportunities of usefulness among themselves, under our protection and direction, otherwise we shall lose their confidence in us and our influence over them, and they will become separate from, and independent of us, and then our usefulness among them will in a great measure be lost. And it appears in the present case under consideration, that they are fixed and resolved to have a Conference among themselves, whether patronized by us or not, and they have appointed the time for holding it, but that they wish us to take them under our patronage: Therefore, your committee proposes the following resolutions to the Conference for adoption, viz.
First, Resolved, that the Philadelphia Conference do advise and recommend that one of our Bishops do attend and preside in the African Conference, appointed to sit in New-York, and to superintend their organization as an African Methodist Conference, under the patronage of our Bishops and Conferences, agreeably to the proper plan, viz. (if the New- York Conference concur with us.)
1. One of the Bishops always to preside in the said Conference, or in case no Bishop be present, then, such white Elder as the Bishop shall appoint is to preside.
2. Our Bishops to ordain all their Deacons and Elders, such as shall be elected by their own Conference and approved of by the Bishop as qualified for the office.
3. The Bishop, or the Elder appointed by him, to preside in the Conference, with an advisory committee of three, chosen by the Conference, to make out the stations and appointments of the Preachers.
4. All the other proceedings of the Conference to be as conformable to the rules and regulations generally followed in our Conferences, as circumstances will admit of.
5. Their Discipline, doctrines, government, and rules of order in all things, to be as conformable to ours as possible, so as to secure to themselves their own peculiar rights and privileges.
6. The Bishop, or such Elder as shall be appointed by him, with his proper instructions, together with the said African Conference, to agree upon the several points, terms and considerations of unity and amity mutually to exist, as reciprocal duties and obligations between them and us. This agreement to take place and be entered into at the time of organizing the said Conference.
Secondly, Resolved, that a copy of this report be forwarded with the African Memorial to the New-York Conference, and that the said New- York Conference be recommended and requested to concur with us in the proposed plan of organizing the said African Conference under our patronage, with such additions to, or alterations of the above items, as to them may appear best.
| EZEKIEL COOPER, |  |
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| THOMAS WARE, |  |
Committee. |
| ALWARD WHITE, |  |
The above report was adopted by the Philadelphia Conference, and the Secretary was instructed to communicate a copy of it to the New- York Conference.
Milford, April 19, 1821.
The foregoing report was approved of by the official brethren, and they were encouraged to hope that their request would be granted, but they found their hope to be of short duration when they heard from the New-York Annual Conference, for that body, in their report, gave them to understand that they could do nothing for them, except they renounce the form of discipline which they had selected and adopted, and be willing to be governed by the old Discipline. We will also give a copy of their report, which reads as follows: viz.
The committee, to whom was referred the Memorial of the Africans in the city of New-York and other places, together with the accompanying documents, after due consideration, report as follows:
1. The committee conceive that humanity and religion combine to influence us to do all in our power for the instruction and salvation of coloured people. To have the pure word of life preached among them, and the discipline and ordinances of the Gospel faithfully administered, is of indispensable necessity, and requisite to their happiness and prosperity. It is believed that in these respects we have cause to charge ourselves with too little attention to their spiritual interest, and as though they were an inferior class of beings, they have too often been treated with unwarrantable neglect. It is to be feared that their loss of confidence in us, and the consequent measures which many of them have pursued, may, in a considerable degree, be traced to our neglect as the cause. But painful as this consideration is, we cannot approve of the course which our coloured brethren have taken in separating themselves from us, and forming themselves under a distinct title, as an independent body. This course is the more to be regretted, because it places them in a position which the constitution of our church cannot cover. Your committee conceive that the primary object contemplated in the memorial and accompanying documents, lies beyond the limits of the constitutional powers of an annual Conference. To organize a Conference subject to the order and discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church, is the prerogative of the General Conference alone. An annual Conference, or Conferences, therefore, cannot organize even such a Conference, much less one acting under a distinct discipline and independent authority. In this view of the subject your committee are of opinion, that the African Conference, specified in the memorial, cannot be constitutionally organized or adopted ; that it would not be advisable for our Bishops, or any one appointed by them, officially to preside at said Conference, or to ordain any Deacon or Elder elected by them. But, although we judge it inexpedient to prostrate the constitution and government of the church to accommodate any case whatever, firmly believing the evil would ultimately over-balance any good which might be supposed to result from it, we consider the condition of the Africans such as to demand every prudent exertion within our power to recover them from their wandering, and preserve them in the confidence and communion of the church. Your committee, therefore, recommend the adoption of the following Resolutions:
Resolved 1st, That if the African brethren, who have addressed the Conference by memorial, will agree to be subject to the government of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in common with their white brethren, in such case, under the present existing circumstances, it is expedient and advisable that such coloured Preachers as are regularly constituted, be appointed to labour among them and take the pastoral charge of them until the next General Conference.
Resolved 2nd, That the coloured brethren submitting themselves to the order and discipline of the church, are entitled to the same rights and privileges with respect to the election and ordination of Local Deacons and Elders, as the white societies, the same form of order and discipline applying to both.
Resolved 3rd, That the organization of an African annual Conference, on the same principles, and subject to the same order and government as other Conferences, may be effected by the General Conference, but cannot be by one or more annual Conferences.
Resolved 4th, That it is advisable a member or members of this Conference, be appointed by the Bishop, to present the above Resolutions to the African brethren in New-York, together with any explanations and instructions which may be thought proper, and to receive their answer. Joshua Souls was appointed to present the foregoing report, and Thomas Mason accompanied him.
On the 12th of June, 1821, our official brethren met together, for the purpose of considering the report of the New-York Annual Conference; which, being so contrary to that of the Philadelphia Conference, caused much dissatisfaction, and after deliberately considering the case, they resolved to proceed according to the ideas advanced by the Philadelphia Conference, viz., that one of the white Bishops preside at all our yearly Conferences, ordain all our Ministers and appoint them to their stations, according to our Discipline, and that we be willing to come on terms of unity and amity to that effect, if the next General Conference of the whites will receive us under their patronage; and George Collins and Charles Anderson were appointed to inform Joshua Souls of the above resolution. Our official brethren had an interview with Bishop Enoch George, and had some conversation relative to our intended yearly Conference; at which time he informed them that the other two Bishops were sick, and his engagements were such as to put it out of his power to attend the African Conference, and therefore he advised them to endeavour to do as well as they could in holding the aforesaid meeting.