Varick, James
1750-1827 · Contribution: 1796-1827
Minister; founder and first bishop of the AME Zion Church
Founded the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and, in 1822, became its first bishop after leading a two-decade struggle to free the denomination from white Methodist Episcopal control, building what became one of the largest historically Black denominations in the United States
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1750, near Newburgh, New York
- Active since
- 1796
- Category
- Religious & Spiritual Leadership
- Best known for
- Founding the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
Impact on the world
Varick built one of the largest historically Black denominations in America, freeing it from white Methodist control, while linking his ministry to Black education, mutual aid, the Black press, and the fight for voting rights.
Sources
- BlackPast.org
1 more sources and references are available to members.
Related visionaries
Allen, Richard
1760-1831
Founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first independent Black religious denomination in the United States; became its first bishop
Jones, Absalom
1746-1818
First African American ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church; founded the first Black Episcopal congregation in the United States
Hosier, Harry “Black Harry”
c.1750-1806
Became the first Black Methodist preacher in America, delivering the first sermon by a Black person to a Methodist congregation in 1781 and the first by a Black person to an all-white congregation in 1784, and was widely regarded as one of the most gifted orators of his era despite being entirely illiterate
Payne, Daniel Alexander
1811-1893
First African American president of a college in the United States; transformed the AME Church's ministry into a formally educated clergy and helped found Wilberforce University