Today’s Leader of Faith
RICHARD ALLEN
Home Call : 26 March 1831
Pioneer of African American Church, Evangelist, Writer, Minister, Puritan.
Richard Allen (1760–1831) was a minister and the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, the first independent Black denomination in the United States. He opened his first AME church, “Mother Bethel” in 1794 in Philadelphia. As the first AME Bishop in 1816, he focused on organizing a denomination in which free black people could worship without racial oppression, promoted literacy through Sabbath schools, and also promoted national organizations to develop political strategies. Committed to unity with enslaved Blacks, he emphasized shared struggle over temporary advantages. The AME Church grew significantly among freed Blacks in the Southern United States. As a leader in abolitionism and social justice, he aided fugitive slaves via the Underground Railroad and petitioned Congress against slavery.
Allen was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 14, 1760, enslaved to Benjamin and later sold to a Delaware plantation. He attended Methodist meetings, learned to read and write, and converted at the age of 17. Inspired by Methodist preacher Freeborn Garrettson, his enslaver allowed him to buy his freedom in 1780. Allen then became a preacher and activist. He married Sarah Bass, a formerly enslaved woman from Virginia, and they had six children. Sarah played a key role in the AME Church and is known as its “Founding Mother”.
Allen became a licensed preacher in 1784 at the historic “Christmas Conference” in Baltimore, where the Methodist Episcopal Church was founded. In 1786, he became a preacher at St. George’s Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia but was limited to early morning services. In 1794, he established Bethel A.M.E. Church, initially affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1816, he convened a general conference, founding the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church, the first fully independent Black denomination in the U.S. He was elected its first bishop and led for 15 years. Beyond the church, Allen was a staunch abolitionist. In 1799, he and others petitioned Congress for emancipation and free Black rights, though it was rejected. He also co-published a pamphlet defending Black caregivers during the 1793 yellow fever epidemic. He served as the Grand Treasurer of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. Allen and his wife Sarah also operated an Underground Railroad station in Philadelphia.
Allen passed away at the age of 71, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was buried at Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the church he founded, which remains a historic and significant site in the AME Church and African American history. His name is associated with educational institutions, public spaces, and even a U.S. Postal Service stamp, reflecting his influence beyond the church into broader society.