#  Harvard Divinity's Taylon Lancaster Inspired by MLK, Beloved Community Continues Path to Pastor 

 





November 19, 2024

 

 

     ![Rev. Taylon Lancaster at a lectern](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/revtaylonelancaster-900x600.jpg?itok=NjSxI6aF) 

Courtesy Rev. Taylon E. Lancaster

 



 

*Rev. Taylon E. Lancaster is a master of divinity candidate at HDS and the senior pastor at Third Baptist Church in Springfield, Massachusetts. With strong dedication to the teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr., Lancaster is committed to building a beloved community on campus and in the world.*

A self-described Floridian-Texan, Rev. Taylon E. Lancaster is a fourth-generation pastor. He grew up in the Black Baptist church, where, from a young age, he was a percussionist. In church, he found a community that allowed him to showcase his gifts in multiple ways. He was able to be a musician, mentor, and a storyteller, which helped him deepen his faith.

At Clark Atlanta University—where he participated in Morehouse College’s Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel Assistants Program—he was encouraged by academic and religious leaders to pursue ministry. For his graduate studies, Lancaster arrived at HDS with a desire to explore religious pluralism, expand his ecumenical perspective, and learn from the School’s diverse community. He has centered his moral-political vision and learning around interfaith collaboration because he recognizes the divisive times we are living in today. He acknowledges that “HDS this past year has been challenging, and everyone, to a certain extent, was wounded, but we were also able to see our capacity to heal by sharing space in that brokenness.” He says he believes “the next generation of leaders can find common interests and can find a degree of commonality so that we’re able to overcome presented challenges.”

Lancaster is using his time at HDS to explore ministry studies grounded in King’s beloved community. Focusing on nonviolence and peace-building, he wants to ensure that church, “can be a safe space where the great commandment can be fulfilled to love God with all your heart, and all your mind, and all your soul, while loving your neighbor as you love thyself.” Classes such as Rev. Brandon Thomas Crowley’s “Queering the World” and Associate Dean Teddy Hickman-Maynard’s “Intro to Ministry Studies” have been influential in helping Lancaster focus his academic work while also serving as the senior pastor at Third Baptist Church.

Lancaster brings the same commitment to creating safe and welcoming environments to his work in the Harvard community. He serves on the Noon Service Steering Committee, which allows him to pursue his interest in religious pluralism by collaborating with multiple student organizations. He was also elected to be the president of Harambee, an organization for students of African descent at Harvard Divinity School. Recognizing a need for a space that unified Black students, he stepped up to this call of leadership.

In word and deed, Lancaster cultivates spaces of inclusion with a commitment to anti-racist work inside and outside the classroom. Because of his dedication, Lancaster was the inaugural recipient of the Constance W. and Preston N. Williams Scholarship. This scholarship honors the couple—two longtime leaders of the HDS community—while recognizing the next generation of scholars pursuing the dream of equality for all.  
  
***Read more about the inspiration for the Williams scholarship at*** [***hds.harvard.edu/2024DeansReport/BelovedCommunity***](/news/2021/11/09/art-transformative-love-connie-preston-williams) ***and read more about Rev. Taylon E. Lancaster’s ministry at*** [***hds.harvard.edu/2024DeansReport/Lancaster***](https://www.tbcspringfield.org/our-pastor%20)***.***

*—By Dionne Wareham, EDM ’24, Communications Specialist*