United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018Grem, Darren2006-09-15Encyclopedia article about the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME Church) is a Christian denomination founded by Bishop Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816. Recent estimates of membership figures in the United States range from 2.5 million to more than 3 million. Most members are of African descent, although the church does not limit membership by race. The denomination's theological orientation is Methodist, while its organizational structure is Episcopal, meaning that it is primarily governed by elected bishops. There are more than 500 AME churches in Georgia, and the greatest concentration is in Atlanta, which has about 36 congregations. Columbus and Savannah each have about 12.text/htmlengForms part of the New Georgia Encyclopedia.http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/Forms part of the New Georgia Encyclopedia.African American Methodists--GeorgiaAfrican Methodist Episcopal ChurchAfrican American churches--GeorgiaAfrican Americans--ReligionAfrican Methodist Episcopal Church (AME Church)Text