Abstract
In all the literature that has been compiled about the black church in America, very little has been written about its rather extensive missionary activity. This fact is surprising since the major black denominations have had branches in Africa for over one hundred years. Given the desire to understand the history of relationships between black America and Africa, as well as amass more data on the black church, more attention should have been paid to the missionary activities of black denominations. The history of the A.M.E. Church in Zambia is but one example of how a major black denomination became established in a relatively remote part of Africa, how it thrived, how it had a great future, but how time passed it by. It is also an example of how the most significant black
American institution — the black church — was transferred back to Africa, becoming a cultural contribution from black America to mother Africa. The story could be told for other black denominations in other parts of Africa. The purpose of this article is to provide ethnography about one case — the A.M.E. church in Zambia1 — and to demonstrate the need for more research on black missionary activities in Africa.