Methodist Episcopal Church was organized. While itinerating in Liberia, Bishop Levi Scott ordained the first African deacons and elders in 1853. In 1856, the General Conference created a new position, the missionary bishop, to oversee the foreign mission fields. The Liberian Conference elected Francis Burns to be its missionary bishop, and he was consecrated in 1858, becoming the Methodist Episcopal Church's first African American bishop. As a missionary bishop, Burns was not considered a general superintendent of the church, and his episcopal authority was limited to his assigned field. Domestically, there were efforts among Native American tribes, such as the Wyandotte of Ohio;
Christ Episcopal Church (Burlington, Iowa) Christ Episcopal Church (Burlington, Iowa) Christ Episcopal Church, or simply Christ Church, is an historic church building located in Burlington, Iowa, United States. It is a part of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, and is a contributing property in the Heritage Hill Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places. After the opening of what is now eastern Iowa to American settlement in 1832, the town of Flint Hills was established the following year along the shores of the Mississippi River. The name "Shoquoquon", or Flint Hills, had been given to the area by the Sauk and Meskwaki