Charlotte’s loss is Winston-Salem’s gain as the Rev. Darryl Aaron takes a top ministerial post in the sister city.

Rev. Aaron was formally installed as Senior Minister of First Baptist Church of Winston-Salem this past September.

Raised in the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church family, Aaron served as associate and youth minister at First Baptist Church-West on Oaklawn Avenue for eight years. He also was a highly respected drama teacher at South Mecklenburg High School mentoring numerous students.

With so many local connections, many in the Charlotte area wanted to keep him close. But, Aaron says, he had a stronger passion to pastor wherever God sent him.

“First Baptist-West prepared me to go and do ministry in a larger capacity,” notes Aaron. “I don’t think there was a better setting that I could have asked for because I was able to work across generations. I was never stagnant."

By moving to Winston-Salem, Aaron joins another QCity son, the Rev. Clifford Jones, Jr., son of the senior Clifford Jones at Friendship Missionary Baptist. The younger Jones pastors Cornerstone Baptist in Winston-Salem.

Aaron says he doesn’t see Jones much in their adopted city due to their busy schedules, but when he does there’s always a strong connection.

Growing up in Friendship, Aaron says one of the things he admired about the senior Rev. Jones was the openness he showed to members who had visions for service and ministry. He hopes to do the same in Winston-Salem. In fact, his installation theme was “A View with a Vision.”

Aaron also says he couldn’t have found a better mentor or friend in Dr. Ricky Woods, senior pastor of First Baptist-West. “He always knew I needed to leave,” says Aaron. “In many ways First Baptist-West was planting a tree that they knew they would never get to sit under.”

One of the main lessons he learned during his eight years as associate and youth minister at First Baptist-West was how to be faithful, Aaron notes.

The QCity son graduated from North Mecklenburg High in 1987. He received his B.A. degree in Dramatic Literature from North Carolina Central University and his Master’s of Divinity Degree (cum laude) from Virginia Union University.

He is married to Monica and they are the parents of Naomi and Noah.

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