Thirty-six years ago, as Mike Dodson was flying on a plane, he had a vision of an octagonal church building and several other buildings surrounding it on a property that was yet to be named. He grabbed a napkin and a pen and drew out those plans with precision, taking his time to ensure the buildings matched the ones in his head. As he exited the plane, he chastised himself for believing that these scribbles meant anything at all, and he tossed that napkin away as he passed a trash can. Time passed, and even though he had thrown his drawing away, those buildings were burned into his mind. Dodson had no idea how the Lord would use that never-forgotten napkin to inspire him to persevere over the next 35 years.
Mike Dodson was born and raised in Lynchburg, Virginia. He remembers being a member of the Langhorne Road PH Church as a young child and the pastor there, Russell Defibaugh, who made such a big impression on him. At six years of age, the pastor allowed Dodson to be an usher. He explains that he would stand with the plate in front of a congregant until he or she gave something. Dodson also shared the pastor would ask him after church, “Is your tongue hot?” When Dodson would reply in the affirmative, Defibaugh would take him for some ice cream. That small gift of confidence, time, and ice cream greatly impacted Dodson. While he was still a young man, Dodson’s father took a pastorate position at a small independent church a few miles from his beloved Langhorne Road PH Church. Dodson remembers those years as a pastor’s kid fondly, saying that his own desire to become a pastor was birthed in those formative years.
In 1979, Dodson started a vending machine business that is still running to this day. Throughout these last almost 50 years, there have been a lot of changes within the business, but it has been steady throughout. Dodson shares that he is thankful for this business for many reasons, but one of the greatest is that he has been able to meet a lot of people through it. Those meetings have led to opportunities to minister and to invite people to join him at church.
Dodson’s salvation story is one of moving away from the Lord and being called back. He jokes that as a pastor’s son, he “came to know the Lord every Sunday.” As a teen and young adult, he explains that he simply “got away” from the Lord. He eventually met his wife, Debie, and she had never even heard the word “salvation.” He invited her to attend church with him one Sunday, and as they left, climbing into the car, she said, “Something’s not right.” She jumped back out of the car and darted into the church, running straight up to the altar. It was there that Debie gave her heart to the Lord. The following Sunday, Dodson knew he “needed to get my life straight,” and he, too, decided to give his heart and life over to Christ.
Mike and Debie Dodson were married in November of 1982, and during this time, the Lord continued to work on Mike’s heart. Although he was “very, very shy,” Mike came home one day and told Debie, “I’m going to start a church.” She jokingly replied, “Okay, but who’s going to preach?” Mike then began pursuing licensure and ordination with another denomination but was turned down. Doubting whether he had truly heard the Lord’s call to ministry, he encountered Glennard Quesenberry, who was the Superintendent of the Appalachian Conference at that time. Quesenberry asked Dodson, “What are you doing for the Lord?” Dodson responded, “Nothing. I was turned down for ordination by another denomination.” Quesenberry invited him to return on Monday to discuss how the IPHC could help, and shortly thereafter, he presented Dodson to the Appalachian Conference board, expressing his belief in Mike’s calling. As a result, Dodson was on his way to obtaining licensure and ordination.
Dodson’s original denial for ordination could have made him bitter or turned him off to the call on his life. He didn’t allow that to happen, and on March 25, 1990, Pastors Mike and Debie Dodson launched Tree of Life Ministries. “I started Tree of Life because I wanted everybody to have a chance. People are going through life feeling rejected. I wanted a place where anybody and everybody could come and be accepted.” The Dodsons have done just that.
News Article Announcing Tree of Life Launch
A Young Tree of Life
Tree of Life Moved Locations Several Times Over the Years
A Young Tree of Life
Over the last 35 years, Tree of Life Ministries has welcomed people from all over the world, and if you have the opportunity to visit Tree of Life, you will see flags displayed in the sanctuary of the 30+ countries represented in their church family. Pastor Dodson shared that sometimes there are cultural differences that arise, especially at a funeral or a wedding, but he is committed to making sure that each member of the church feels welcomed, seen, and valued.
Tree of Life’s Sanctuary with Some Flags Visible
Tree of Life’s ministries have grown and changed over the years, continuing to flourish in a town that has seen incredible transformation, mostly due to the growth of Liberty University. Currently, Tree of Life has around 50 ministries that seek to serve and welcome the community. Some of the most impactful are the Cornerstone and Midtown ministries. The Cornerstone ministry, also known as TOLYA (Tree of Life Young Adults), provides nearly 1,000 college students a welcoming space with free wifi, games, pool tables, and a snack bar – a place of refuge. The Midtown ministry is in a downtown Lynchburg strip mall that the church owns. Here they help those who are in need by providing food, clothing, and personal items with dignity and grace. More than just meeting material needs, they seek to restore a sense of worth—offering free haircuts from a dedicated stylist and creating a space where people can be seen and valued. Tree of Life has a full-time pastor who leads Sunday services and provides addiction recovery support throughout the week. Through these ministries and more, Tree of Life is transforming lives through love and hospitality.
Tree of Life Midtown Location
Pastor Dodson also has a heart to help churches that are struggling. Years ago, he heard that his beloved Langhorne Road PH Church was in danger of closing its doors. He could not imagine that happening, and Tree of Life took leadership of it and placed a full-time pastor there. That church is thriving. Pastor Dodson wants to help other churches in the future, saying, “As long as they are a Bible-teaching, Word-believing church, we want to help them. Debt? Roof? We just want to help.”
Pastor Mike Dodson Today
Tree of Life recently celebrated its 35th Anniversary, and Presiding Bishop A.D. Beacham, Jr. preached a special message at all three services that morning. They gave away 1700 cupcakes, and Pastor Dodson proudly shared that the baker was a woman who has been with their church since the beginning, just recently starting a bakery out of her home. Over these 35 years, Tree of Life has grown to be the largest IPHC church in the United States. Looking forward, Pastor Dodson is excited to expand the main building, adding a larger foyer and other necessary rooms “as soon as we can.” He never could have imagined what would come of the buildings he outlined on a napkin 36 years ago. God’s dreams and plans are always greater than ours, and sometimes, we need only a napkin to spark a vision that changes lives.
Today’s Property, Before the Octagonal Sanctuary
Octagonal Sanctuary in Progress
Tree of Life Ministries Today
