Absalom Jones was The Episcopal Church's first Black priest. Born into enslavement in Delaware at a time when slavery was being debated as immoral and undemocratic, Jones taught himself to read by using the New Testament. At the age of 16, Jones’ mother, sister, and five brothers were sold, but he was brought to Philadelphia by his master, where he attended a night school for African Americans operated by Quakers. Upon his manumission in 1784, he, along with his friend Richard Allen, served as lay ministers for the Black membership at St. George’s Methodist Episcopal Church. Together, Jones and Allen established the Free African Society to aid in the emancipation of slaves and to offer sustenance and spiritual support to widows, orphans, and the poor.

The active evangelism of Jones and Allen greatly increased Black membership at St. George’s. Alarmed by the rise in Black attendance, in 1791 the vestry decided, without notice, to segregate African American members to an upstairs gallery. When ushers attempted to remove the Black congregants, the resentful group exited the church.

In 1792, Jones and Allen, with the assistance of local Quakers and Episcopalians, established the First African Church. Shortly after its establishment, the First African Church applied to join the Protestant Episcopal Church, laying before the diocese three conditions: the church must be received as an already organized body; it must have control over its own affairs; and Jones must be licensed as lay-reader and if qualified, ordained as its minister.

Upon acceptance into the Diocese of Pennsylvania, the church was renamed the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas. The following year Jones became a deacon but was not ordained a priest until 1802, seven years later. At 56 years old, he became the first Black Episcopal priest in the United States. He continued to be a leader in his community, founding a day school, the Female Benevolent Society, and an African Friendly Society. In 1800, he called upon Congress to abolish the slave trade and to provide for gradual emancipation of existing enslaved people. Jones died in 1818.