When Rev. Aaron Laird was 15 years old, his father felt a call to the mission field. For the next two years, Aaron, his parents and his siblings lived and worked in Romania. This experience laid the foundation for his future in ministry.

As the oldest of 10 children, Aaron spent his childhood in East Texas, where his parents homeschooled him and his siblings. He attended East Texas Baptist University and graduated with a degree in recreation management. He worked as a recreation therapist for four years before helping plant Dayspring, a Methodist church in Tyler, in 2007.

Whether helping on the mission field, serving a church, or working as a recreation therapist, Aaron’s motivation to help others has been rooted in the Gospel. “I have always felt the responsibility of the believer is to share the Gospel,” he says.

Aaron brought that motivation to Dayspring where he remained for the next 16 years, serving as worship leader, creative arts director and, finally, executive pastor. He became a licensed local pastor in 2019 and an ordained deacon with the Global Methodist Church in 2023. He is currently working toward a Master of Divinity at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary.

As pastor for The Church at Montgomery, Aaron is most excited about seeing people’s lives changed. “I love growing organizations, and I love watching people lean into ministry,” he says. “My greatest desire is to see our community come to know Christ — His nature, His promises and His plans. Then, we want to empower them to live now as a people with eternal hope.”

Aaron and his wife, Tara, enjoy spending time hunting, fishing and playing sports with their two teenage sons, Avery and Landon.