ABSTRACT
The Black Church has traditionally been a major source of stability and continuity for the Afro-American community. In New York City, in the period after 1850, it developed into a dynamic force in providing leadership and direction for that community. St. Philip’s was organized by a group of black parishioners of Trinity Church in 1809 as a Sunday School African-American children. Shiloh Church was a prominent black Presbyterian ongregation in the city. Two important Baptist churches founded by blacks in New York City were the Abyssinian and Zion. While some black ministers suffered from a want of proper educational training, quite a few found that their congregations were too small to provide them either a salary for their services or support in their old age. The growing abolition movement in New York City did not lack for its share of black clerical participation, which early included office-holding in the anti-slavery societies.
