Tom and Dottie Lancaster have been serving the Lord together since 1967. Their ministry began while Bro. Lancaster was in Bible College as he served as the student pastor of a rural church in Darlington, S.C. During the four years he pastored this church he planted another church in nearby Hartsville, SC, and ultimately served as pastor of that church for nearly 10 years. God prospered the church with the salvation of many souls, a Christian school, radio and television ministries and a thriving bus ministry. The church, now called Forest Hills Independent Baptist Church, is still a thriving church today and pastored by a man who was saved and called to preach under his ministry.
In 1978 God led the Lancasters to move to their hometown of Memphis, TN, to plant a church there. The Lancasters served there for eleven years and saw the church have a high day of over 900 people. In 1983 the church began a ministry with the military stationed at Millington Naval Air Station. Buses brought in both sailors and marines to the Sunday services, followed by a home-cooked meal afterwards. Calvary Baptist Church is still today a dynamic, soul-winning church that has seen hundreds of people come to know the Lord. In addition to pastoring CBC, Tom taught for seven years at Tri-State Baptist College, a small independent Baptist college outside of Memphis.
In 1988 he resigned the work in Memphis and for three years traveled in evangelism. That would be the entrance into the great work that was theirs for the next 20 years.
In 1991 the Lancasters were contacted by a missionary in Germany about the possibility of coming to Germany to pastor a church for the U.S. military stationed there. After much prayer, counsel and a survey trip to Germany they were convinced that this was God's will for their lives. The Lancasters arrived in Germany the last week of August 1992 to serve our U.S. military and their families stationed in the Mannheim, Germany area. They served at Rhein River Baptist Church in Mannheim, Germany for twenty years and saw well over 1500 men, women, boys and girls come to know the Savior. As of 2012 over 40 men surrendered to full time Christian service and are now serving as pastors, missionaries and Christian educators. Rhein River Baptist Church assisted in planting four military churches in Germany. The church had a great heart for missions and missionaries. In 1996 the Lord led Bro. and Mrs. Lancaster to begin the European Missionary Christmas Retreat which became the largest gathering of independent Baptist missionaries in Europe. Dottie founded the annual Euro-wide Ladies' Retreat and co-hosted it for 18 years. The Retreat was used of God to encourage military and missionary wives throughout Europe. The Retreat is still carried on today.
Rhein River Baptist Church not only reached military personnel and their families, but it also reached many different nationalities. In August of 2012 the military base in Mannheim, Germany closed. Feeling definitely that their calling from God was to serve the U.S. military, Bro. Lancaster resigned and the church transitioned into a German/International church now pastored by a former soldier who was temporarily stationed in Mannheim and attended Rhein River Baptist in the early 1990s.
Bro.Lancaster now serves as the European Military Field Coordinator for Baptist International Missions (BIMI). They travel world-wide serving our U.S. military through church planting, evangelism, discipleship, assisting military churches, preaching mission's conferences and patriotic service, and recruiting military missionaries. They are sent out by Open Bible Baptist Church in Valdosta, GA and sent through Baptist International Missions, Inc. Chattanooga, TN
OUR FAMILY:
The Lancasters are blessed with two children who love and serve the Lord . For seven years their son, Mark, and his wife, Julie, served as military church planters in Germany. Mark planted Grace Baptist Church in Wiesbaden, Germany as well as Harvest Baptist church in Bamberg, Germany and hosted the Euro-Youth Conference for military and missionary teens. Mark has also pastored in the states for many years. Due to Mark's very serious health issues they had to return from Germany and they are now serving with Preach Evangelistic Ministries outside of Springfield, MO. Julie is a faithful helpmeet and is such a blessing to their ministry through her music. Their daughter, Emily, is a 2014 graduate of Crown College.
The Lancaster's daughter, Dawn, and her husband, Mitch, and their three children Bradley (22), Madison (18)and Haley (13) live in Chattanooga, TN and are active in their local church. Dawn is an accomplished pianist with a music degree from Tennessee Temple and teaches private piano lessons. Mitch serves on the Chattanooga Police Department. He served as an Army officer on two active duty deployments to Iraq and retired in 2013 as a major in the army reserves. He also serves as a deacon in their church.
