Payne Theological Seminary

Payne Theological Seminary is an African Methodist Episcopal seminary in Wilberforce, Ohio. One of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, it is the oldest free-standing African-American seminary in the United States. Incorporated in 1894 by the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME Church), it was named after Daniel Alexander Payne, the founder of Wilberforce University. Payne was Senior Bishop of the AME Church at the time of the Seminary’s founding and served as its first dean. He was the first African-American college president.