Focusing primarily on the apparently endless conflict between Deacon Ernest Frye and the Reverend Reuben Gregory, Amen was able to capitalize on the humorous dissimilarities separating these perpetually arguing characters. Frye, played expertly by Hemsley, was not unlike George Jefferson, Hemsley’s arrogant, determined character for 11 seasons on The Jeffersons. The deacon was stubborn, aggressive, and extremely vocal. He had taken over the church from his father, the founder of the First Community Church of Philadelphia, and resisted giving up his control and decision-making power, especially to Reverend Gregory. Ironically, however, Deacon Frye’s melodramatic antics usually caused more problems than they fixed, leaving a situation Reverend Gregory was often forced to resolve and opening Frye to the sarcastic ridicule of the congregation.

Gregory, on the other hand, was a kind-hearted, ethical pastor with the church’s best interests at heart. Mild mannered in action and even toned in voice, Reverend Gregory was a distinct contrast to the boisterous, authoritarian Deacon Frye. Played by Davis (star of the 1974 series That’s My Mama), who was an established real-life minister, Reverend Reuben Gregory slowly and patiently established an influence over the church, the deacon, of course, fighting him throughout. A rational voice amid the deacon’s fiery outbursts, Reverend Gregory helped to temper Frye’s melodramatic excitement, aiding in the resolution of the program’s various episodes.

Thelma Frye (Anna Maria Horsford), the deacon’s adult, socially awkward daughter, also played an important role in many episodes of Amen. Thelma, a romantically distraught 30 year old who still lived with her “daddy,” provided a constant source of humor, her own childlike naïveté a comical contrast to the clever, often scheming Deacon Frye. Later episodes focused on the developing romantic relationship and eventual marriage between Thelma and the Reverend Gregory, a marriage that signaled Thelma’s coming into adulthood while lessening the distance between the reverend and Deacon Frye. Additional characters included Rolly Forbes (Jester Hairston), the church’s spunky elder church board member, and sisters Casietta and Amelia Hetebrink (Barbara Montgomery and Roz Ryan), all adult church members who frequently made humorous and sarcastic contributions to the show, most often at the expense of Deacon Frye.

Throughout its five years, Amen offered a light-hearted look at an African-American church, playfully satirizing its day-to-day activities. Focusing humorously on the everyday conflict between Reverend Gregory and Deacon Frye, as well as these other familiar characters, Amen proved a satiric, yet human, portrait of ordinary church life and people.