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AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Building the Kingdom
The Motto "God Our Father, Christ Our Redeemer, the Holy Spirit Our Comforter, Humankind Our Family" is a great summary of what the African Methodist Episcopal Church believes.
Also known as the A.M.E. Church for short, the denomination is Methodist in terms of its basic doctrine and order of worship. It was born, through adversity, of the Methodist church and to this day does not differ in any major way from what all Methodists believe. The split from the main branch of the Methodist Church was not a result of doctrinal differences but rather the result of a time period that was marked by man's intolerance of his fellow man, based on the color of his skin. It was a time of slavery, oppression and the dehumanization of people of African descent and many of these un-Christian practices were brought into the church, forcing Richard Allen and a group of fellow worshippers of color to form a splinter denomination of the Methodist Church. To find the basic foundations of the beliefs of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, you need look no further than The Apostles' Creed and The Twenty Five Articles of Religion:
Apostle's Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only son our Lord who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead; and buried. The third day he arose from the dead' he ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Church Universal, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen.
CHURCH OFFICERS
Ministerial Staff
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Steward Board Pro-Tem
Leonard Holmes
Trustee Board Pro-Tem
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Stewardess Board President
Patricia A. Davis
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President of Class Leaders
Lillie Mansaray
President of Missionary Society
Elizabeth Boone
Director of YPD
Maureen Jackson
President YPD
Jocelyn Kinney
President of Ushers
Lorna Williams
Building Superintendent
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Director of Christian Education
Layana Yates
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Assistant Director of Christian Education
Larese Williams
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Church School Superintendent
Marcella Scott
President Lay Organization
Geraldine Jordan
President Pastors Aid
Maria Adeyemi
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President Fellowship Choir
Vivian Cullars
Church Musician
Allen Green
Percussionist
David Byard
Church Bass/Guitarist
Alexander Delcourt
Director of Finance Commission
Gladys Pippen
Church Adminstrative Assistant
Gladys Pippen
President Male Chorus
Ernest Wright, Jr.
President Sons of Allen
Leonard Holmes
25 Articles of Religion Made Simple (updated)
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1. The Holy Trinity
There is one God who reveals Himself in three distinct personalities, the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit.
Luke 3:21, 22; John 10:30
2. The incarnation of Christ.
God has two natures, human and divine, hypostatic union. He is very God and very man.
Galatians 4:4; John 1:1
3. The resurrection of Christ
Jesus Christ arose from the dead; He was on the earth for forty days; He was seen by
many. Matthew 28:5-6; Mark ch 16; Luke ch 20; John ch 21
4. The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He came and indwelt humankind on the
day of Pentecost. He gives us power, authority, discernment, and truth.
Acts 1:5, 8, 10, 11; Acts ch 2; John 14:26; John 20: 22, 23; Romans 8: 26, 27;
1 Cor. 12:13
5. The Holy Scriptures
The Bible is the infallible Word of God. It was written by holy people who were
inspired by God. It contains a total of sixty-six books:
2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; Psalm 119:11; Psalm 119:105; Joshua 1:8;
Hebrews 4:12
6. The Old Testament
The Old Testament is God’s Word; it was originally written in Hebrew. It contains thirty-
nine books. Its prophecy is fulfilled in the New Testament. The New Testament was
originally written in Greek. It has twenty-seven books.
Matthew 5:17; Romans 6:14
7. Original Sin
Every person that is born into this world is a victim of original sin, which is inherited
through the disobedience of Adam and Eve.
Genesis chapter 3
8. Free Will
When God created humankind, He gave them free will; they have the freedom to choose
good or evil. But even when we choose to do good, evil is always present, therefore we
must confess our sins before God daily.
Genesis chapter 3; Romans 7: 19, 20; Luke 9:23
9. Justification of Man
We are declared righteous before God. We are saved by God’s grace through our faith in Christ. Our good works cannot save us.
Ephesians 2: 9, 9, 10; Romans 3:24; Romans 8: 1, 30, 33; 1 Timothy 3:16
10. Good Works
Good works do not save us; but if we are saved and have faith we will do good works as we serve our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Ecclesiastes 3:13; James 2:17; John 9:4; John 6:37; Acts 4:12; Romans 10: 9,10
11. Works of Supererogation
The belief that one can do mor good than God requires is called the works of supererogation. The A.M.E. Church does not believe in this doctrine. No one can do more good, or b better than he or she should be.
John 9:4; John 14:12
12. Sin after justification
Not every sin that is willingly committed after a person is saved, (after justification, after they have been set right with God) is a sin against the Holy Ghost and is unpardonable. Some persons believe that there is an “Unpardonable Sin.” And that sin is supposedly one in which humankind attributes a work of the Holy Ghost to humankind. Note: The following scriptures support the fact that Christians may fall from fellowship with God, but they do not fall from grace. We do not save ourselves, therefore there is nothing we can do to get ourselves unsaved. Jesus Christ saves us by His redeeming
blood, and the Holy Ghost seals us until the day of redemption.
Ephesians 1: 13; John 5:24; Philippians 1:6; John 10: 27, 28. 29. 30; Romans 8:1
Note: Those who believe that they can lose their salvation often use the following scriptures to support their belief:
2 Peter 2:19-22; Romans 1:28-32; Hebrews 6:1-8
The Holy Ghost baptized us once 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4: 5, 6
The Holy Ghost indwells us once Acts 1:8; Acts chapter 2
The Holy Ghost seals us once Ephesians 1:13; Ephesians 4:30
But as individuals we are responsible for ourselves being filled with the Holy Ghost every day. Luke 8:23
13. The Church
The visible Church of Christ is a body of believers where the Word of God is preached and the sacraments are duly administered.
Acts chapter 2; 1 Corinthians 12: 12-31
Admission into the church:
a) Baptism
b) Baptized as a child
c) Probation
d) Transfer
e) Watch care – Affiliated membership
f) Person coming professing saving faith as on Decision Day
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How persons leave the church: Termination of membership by:
a) Withdrawal
b) Expulsion, expelled; a judicial matter through the quarterly conference
c) Death
What is needed to make up a church:
a) Stewards
b) Trustees
c) Sunday School
d) Senior Choir – The Senior Choir is the official choir of the church. All other choirs are auxiliaries.
A circuit is a church that is attached to another church; it has a single pastor who serves the two churches. They may or may not have joint Official Board Meetings. A station is a church that has over 50 members; it is autonomous; it is not connected to another church for support.
14. Purgatory
The A.M.E. Church does not believe in purgatory, which is the doctrine which teaches that there is a place between heaven and hell (an intermediate state) where souls go after death to be cleansed of sin. The A.M.E. Church does not believe in the worship of images, relics, and saints. Such doctrine is not found in the Bible. This is what the Roman Catholic Church believes.
15. Worship is conducted in a language that is understood by the parishioners. Public worship should be conducted in a language that the people can understand. Every believer has the manifestation of tongues which is his or her personal prayer language of the Spirit. (Romans 8:26, 27). When one is praying in the Spirit, they are praying with the understanding also. When they are singing in the spirit, they are singing with the understanding also. A person that has partnered with the Holy Spirit in prayer, opens their mouth, and the Holy Spirit speaks through them from their heart and not from their mind, (1 Corinthians 14:15). Every believer does not have the Gift of Tongues. The Gift of Tongues is the special ability that God gives to certain members of the body of Christ, (1) to speak to God in a language they have never learned and or (2) to receive and communicate an immediate message from to His people through a divinely anointed utterance that they have never learned. Acts chapter 2 Interpretation of Tongues is another gift. It is the special ability that God has given to certain members of the Body of Christ to make known in the vernacular of the message
of one who speaks in tongues. 1 Corinthians 14: 27-28.
16. The Sacraments
The A.M.E. Church believes that a sacrament is a holy rite that was instituted by Jesus
Christ or a rite in which Jesus Christ participated. The A.M.E. Church only recognizes
two sacraments and they are Baptism and Holy Communion.
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17. Baptism
Baptism is the outward sign of regeneration or New Birth. It marks the beginning of the Christian life. It is the act of using water to symbolize the cleansing that has taken place within the individual when he or she is saved. Jesus Christ was baptized to fulfill all righteousness, to identify with sinners; and He commanded us to be baptized.
Matthew 3: 13-17; Matthew 28:16-10; 2 Corinthians 5:17
The A.M.E. Church believes in three modes of baptism:
a) Effusion - Pouring of water on the head of the candidate
b) Aspersion - Sprinkling with water on the head of the candidate
c) Immersion - Dipping in water in a pool, lake, etc.
The A.M. E. Church believes that the water is a symbol of cleansing of the change and cleansing that has taken place on the inside of us. Water baptism cannot save us. When we get saved, Jesus Christ baptizes us with the Fire and the Holy Ghost. The A.M.E. Church does not believe in re-baptizing.
Ephesians 4: 5, 6; Matthew 3:11, 12
Some denominations believe that immersion is the only way that baptism can take place because they say that Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River and that Baptism means immersion:
Matthew 3: 16, 17; Luke 3:21, 22; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12; Acts 8:34-40;
The A.M.E. Church baptizes infants with the understanding that the child is under the teaching, training, and nurturing of parents or guardians… and they are to raise this child in the faith, and discipline of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When the child becomes to the age of accountability, (when the child is old enough to know right from wrong and understanding salvation), the child will accept Jesus Christ as his or her personal Lord
and Savior.
18. The Lord’s Supper : Holy Communion: Holy Eucharist
The Lord’s Supper commemorates Christ’s suffering and death on the Cross of Calvary for the remission of our sins. The bread represents the broken body of Christ, and the wine represents the shed blood of Christ. The A.M.E. Church does not believe in the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, which says that the bread and the wine are changed into the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ served His last Passover meal to His disciples; and this was when Jesus instituted “the Last Supper.” The history of the Passover is found in Exodus chapters 12-15
1 Cor. 11:24, 25; Luke 22:14-20; Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-25; John 13:10-20
19. Communion in Both Kinds
Both the bread and wine are to be used as communion elements. The bread or wafer represents the body of Christ, and the wine or grape juice represents the blood of Christ. Beware of using real wine in Holy Communion.
Proverbs 23:29-35
20. The sacrifice of Christ
The sacrifice of Christ is for the sins of the entire world, both original and actual. Jesus Christ is the propitiation for our sins. This means that Jesus Christ is the only offering that completely satisfied God and averted God’s wrath from being poured out on human kind. Jesus made the sacrifice by giving His own life for our sins, so that we could have eternal life.
1 John 2:2; Romans 3:21-26; Hebrews 2:17
21. The Marriage of Ministers
Ministers may marry or choose to remain single; this is their personal preference.
Genesis 2:18, 24; 1 Corinthians 7:8, 9, 32-35; 1 Timothy chapter 3; 8-13
22. The Rites and Ceremonies of the Church
The A.M.E. Church adopted most of its liturgy from the Methodist Church, and the Methodist Church, received most of it ritual and liturgy from the Church of England. The A.M.E. Church has a General order of Service that is printed in the A.M.E. Hymnal, The A.M.E. Book of Worship, and there are handouts from Booklets published by the Late Rev Dr. Earl R. Jefferson. It is understood that the order of worship my vary based on diversity, culture, language, times and seasons. The church may be flexible in its worship experience as long as worship is done in decency and in order.
1 Corinthians 14:40
23. The Government of the United States
The United States is a democracy within a republic. The church believes that it can be most effective in changing the quality of life for its people if it has a voice in the government. The elected leaders are governed by the Constitution of the United States. The government is divided into the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches that serve as a check and balance for the Government of the Unites States of America.
Romans 13:1; Proverbs 75: 6-8
24. A Christian Man’s Goods
Christians have a right to own property, have investments, own and operate businesses, obtain wealth. God blesses His people so that they can be a blessing to others.
Proverbs 31: 10-30; Luke 14: 28-29; Acts 2: 42-47; Malachi 3: 10, 11; Luke 6:38; Ruth chapter 4
25. A Christian Man’s Oath
Christians should not swear. They may take oath, however as may be required by the courts of the land.
Matthew 5:33-37; Romans 13:1
References:
The Holy Bible – NKJV, NLT
Doctrine and Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal Church 2021 Pgs. 23-29