George Liele was the first African-American Baptist missionary, and was born around 1750 into slavery in Virginia. He came to faith in Christ through the influence of his owner, Henry Sharp, a Baptist deacon, and was baptized around the age of 25. Even while enslaved, Liele demonstrated remarkable spiritual leadership,preaching to fellow slaves and eventually being licensed and ordained as a Baptist preacher. This was an extraordinary recognition for an African-American in the 18th century.
Even though he was still enslaved, Liele founded a Black Baptist church in Savannah, Georgia in 1777 which later became the First African Baptist Church, one of the oldest continuously active Black Baptist congregations in the United States. After gaining his freedom in 1778, Liele relocated to Jamaica in 1783 with his wife and four childen. Liele spent the rest of his life in Jamaica…preaching, planting churches, and training local leaders to carry on the work.
Liele’s missionary work predated and influenced later pioneers such as William Carey, Adoniram Judson, Richard Allen, and Lott Carey. His efforts extended indirectly to Sierra Leone and Nova Scotia, demonstrating a global reach that has often been overlooked in church history.
Liele is honored annually during the Southern Baptist Convention’s George Liele Church Planting, Evangelism, and Missions Sunday. He is considered an unsung hero whose life exemplifies faith, resilience, and pioneering leadership in global missions. What a courageous and self-sacrificing man of God!