John Bryan Small

Who is John Bryan Small?

John Bryan Small was an African-American bishop in the AME Zion Church.

Born and educated in Barbados, Small joined the British Army as a clerk and was stationed in the Gold Coast for three years, resigning due to British aggression towards the Asante. In 1871 he travelled to the United States, becoming a preacher with the AME Zion Church. In 1896 he was elected AME Zion bishop to Africa, where he concentrated his work in the Gold Coast, training indigenous African church leaders - including James E. K. Aggrey - by sending them to Livingstone College. Though Small returned to the US in 1904, his deathbed words were "Don't let my African work fail".