The church was proposed in 1791 by members of the
Free African Society of Philadelphia, including
Absalom Jones, out of a desire to create a space for autonomous
African-American worship and community in the city. The desire to create the church was strengthened in 1792, after African-American members of
St. George's Methodist Church walked out due to racial segregation in the worship services. Leading roles in the founding were played by
Richard Allen, who arranged the purchase of the church's site and its construction, and Absalom Jones, who raised funds among both black and white Philadelphia residents (including then-
President George Washington). Mother Bethel was one of the
first African-American churches in the
United States, dedicated July 29, 1794, by
Bishop Francis Asbury. On October 12, 1794, Reverend
Robert Blackwell announced that the congregation was received in full fellowship in the
Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1816, Rev.
Richard Allen brought together other black Methodist congregations from the region to organize the new
African Methodist Episcopal Church denomination. He was elected bishop of this denomination. After the
American Civil War, its missionaries went to the South to help
freedmen and planted many new churches in the region. In 1838, the building was damaged during the riots that followed the destruction of
Pennsylvania Hall. Allen and his wife,
Sarah Allen are both buried in the present church's crypt. The current church building was constructed in 1888–1890, and it has been designated a
National Historic Landmark. On October 25, 2009, "The Great Gathering" took place at St. George's Church in which the community of Mother Bethel AME and St. George's congregations gathered for Sunday worship at St. George's for the first time since the historic walkout. The Rev. Dr. Mark Kelly Tyler preached for this service. ==Building history==