After racial discrimination from white Methodist churches, a group of black congregations formally founded The African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church In 1816. The group left St. George’s Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia because seating restrictions that forced them to sit in the balcony.  They built Bethel African Methodist Church and Richard Allen became the first bishop of the AME church. Allen didn’t use the standard Methodist hymnal in his worship services and chose to compile his own songs that he believed his congregation would appeal to more. The purpose was for his members to participate more and have more freedom to worship in songs, and as a result the AME members were constantly criticized on their way of worshipping. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was one person who was very displeased with the AME church reject the standard Methodist hymnal.