First female authorized to preach in A.M.E. Church 200 years ago
By Joanne Sloan
Jarena Lee (b. 1783) was the first female preacher in the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church. She also wrote an autobiography, the first one published by an African-American woman in America.
Profession of faith
This year marks the 200th anniversary of Lee’s authorization to preach by Richard Allen, the founder of the A.M.E. Church.
She was born to a poor but free black family on Feb. 11, 1783, in Cape May, New Jersey.
Her spiritual life changed after hearing Allen give a powerful sermon at Philadelphia’s Bethel Church. She professed faith in Christ.
In 1807 she felt God was commissioning her to preach the gospel.
She confided in Allen, but he refused to authorize her to preach because the A.M.E. Church banned female ministers.
Four years later she married Joseph Lee. They had two children. She experienced poor health and lost her husband after seven years of marriage. Although her husband had not approved of her preaching she maintained a strong desire to proclaim the gospel message.
In 1819 a visiting minister struggled with his message and abruptly stopped preaching. Lee suddenly stood up and began preaching in his place. She impressed Allen so much that he gave her authorization to preach.
When Lee became a traveling minister she reached out to people in places such as New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Canada. In one year alone, she wrote, she traveled 2,325 miles on foot and preached 178 sermons.
In order to share her religious experiences she wrote an autobiography, “The Life and Religious Experience of Jarena Lee.”
Conflicting records
She is buried in an unmarked grave at the Mount Pisgah A.M.E. Church Cemetery in Lawnside, New Jersey. Records of the church indicate she died in 1855. Other sources say she died in 1857 or 1864.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Joanne Sloan, a member of First Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa, has been a published writer of articles and books for 30 years. She has a bachelor’s degree double majoring in history and English from East Texas State University (now Texas A&M University–Commerce) and a master’s degree specializing in English from the University of Arkansas (1978).
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