The Service and Development Agency, Inc. grew out of the collective efforts of six primary individuals in an attempt to strengthen the mission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in the lives of people overseas. Bishop John Hurst Adams brought Doctors Rueben and Jean Manning to Paul Quinn College in Texas from the University of Liberia, West Africa. They saw the need to respond to the many challenges facing the AME Church with the development of the new and emerging nations in Africa

Since it was founded in 1787, the African Methodist Episcopal Church has always been involved in seeking a better quality of life for its people in the United States, Canada, Africa, the Caribbean and the United Kingdom. SADA is a direct outgrowth of more than 150 years of human services provided by the AME Church in its overseas districts. The AME Church founded SASA in 1978 to coordinate and administer international development and relief projects.