5th Bishop

Willis Nazrey

Bishop Willis Nazrey became the first bishop of the British Methodist Episcopal Church, serving from 1856 until his death in 1875, while holding both the AME and BME episcopacies for a period.

  • Birth Date: March 5, 1808
  • Consecration Date: May 13, 1852 (served 23 years)
  • Death Date: August 23, 1875

Willis Nazrey was born a slave March 5, 1808 in the Isle of Wright County in Virginia. Little is known about his early life.

He was converted and licensed to preach in 1837; ordained a Deacon in 1841; and ordained an Elder in 1843. In 1845, Nazrey served as the first pastor of Bethel AME Church in Morristown, NJ which was incorporated in 1843. After his election as Bishop, in 1852, he presided over the AME churches in Canada.

Reverend Benjamin Stewart of Chatham introduced a resolution that the Methodist churches in British North America (Canada) separate from the American association and form their own church. The new church was named the British Methodist Episcopal Church in appreciation of finding a safe haven from slavery in British North America . At a conference in Philadelphia in 1856 the resolution was adopted and the new church association was founded with Reverend Willis Nazrey of Virginia as its first Bishop. Bishop Nazrey was followed by Bishop Disney.

Honors and Awards

  • The Nazrey African Methodist Episcopal Church in Amherstburg, Ontario — a fieldstone chapel built by hand in 1848 by refugees from American slavery — is named in his honor and was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1999.
  • Commemorated on the Episcopacy Window at Metropolitan AME Church, Washington, D.C.

Achievements

  • Served as the first pastor of Bethel AME Church in Morristown, New Jersey, in 1845.
  • Ordained bishop of the AME Church, May 13, 1852.
  • Led the AME congregations of British North America into a new, independent denomination, founded in 1856.
  • Became the first bishop of the British Methodist Episcopal Church, serving from 1856 until his death in 1875, while holding both the AME and BME episcopacies for a period.
  • Worked as a conductor on the Underground Railroad.

SOURCES

Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church. “Our Pastoral History.” Accessed August 10, 2026. https://motherbethel.org/our-pastoral-history/.

Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church. “Willis Nazrey.” Accessed August 10, 2026. https://motherbethel.org/willis-nazrey/.

Morristown Green. “What’s in a Name? Plenty, Says Morristown Church That Seeks to Honor Pioneering Black Bishop.” Accessed August 10, 2026. https://morristowngreen.com/2012/06/29/whats-in-a-name-plenty-says-morristown-church-that-seeks-to-honor-pioneering-black-bishop/.

On This Spot History App. “The Victoria Chapel.” Accessed August 10, 2026. https://onthisspot.ca/regional/swoblackhistory/stories/bmechurchpredemo.

Ontario Heritage Trust. “People.” Accessed August 10, 2026. http://craftdemo.yy.net/en/index.php/places-of-worship/places-of-worship-database/history/persons-events-and-themes/people.

Parks Canada. “Nazrey African Methodist Episcopal Church National Historic Site of Canada.” Accessed August 10, 2026. https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=1860.

“Bethel A.M.E. Church (Morristown, New Jersey).” Accessed August 10, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethel_A.M.E._Church_(Morristown,_New_Jersey).

Wright, Richard R. Centennial Encyclopaedia of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Philadelphia: Book Concern of the A.M.E. Church, 1916. https://docsouth.unc.edu/church/wright/wright.html.