Senior Pastor of The Family Life Worship Center in Port St. Lucie, Florida, Darren D. Gayle oversees one of Florida’s fastest growing churches. The center, which was established in 2006 with just six members, is now home to a congregation of more than 200 people.
That rapid growth in membership Pastor Gayle says is directly attributed to a community relying on their faith to get them through hard times. Beyond fueling people’s faith, it is also the young preacher’s contemporary approach to ministry that is attracting both old and young worshippers.
A scriptural pundit who embraces hip-hop culture, Pastor Gayle offers a front-row seat on how to bridge generational gaps with sermons that deliver hope and healing through spiritual, economical and psychological empowerment.
To that end, he and his church launched food drives for the less-fortunate during Thanksgiving and Christmas, feeding more 200 people with the past two years. In 2010, Pastor Gayle’s ministry organized a workshop aimed at providing resources for distressed homeowners to help restructure their mortgages.
He is committed to the local youth, establishing a back-to-school fundraiser that outfitted 50 students with educational necessities. Further, each year, he sponsors local soccer and football teams, and as a mentor, he partners with the “Stop the Violence” campaign in Fort Pierce, Florida, a youth outreach program.
In 2009, Gospel Magazine recognized Pastor Gayle for his community service.
A role model for young men, he hosted a Black History Forum on local radio station 91.1 FM (WJFP), encouraging them to live productive lives that focus on financial fitness, educational enrichment and entrepreneurial and church engagement.
“The message of Jesus Christ must be constant,” Pastor Gayle said, “however, the message must be applicable to the generation to which it is ministered. The goal of the church is to teach Christians how to live a balanced lifestyle.”
Wanting to spread the gospel beyond the Florida region, he founded Darren Gayle Ministries in 2000, traveling extensively across the United States and around the world. He supports his goal of reaching the world for Christ as a regular host on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, a Christian broadcast outlet with an international audience.
Pastor Gayle credits his oratorical and spiritual development to three mentors: Bishop Harold C. Ray, Senior Pastor of Redemptive Life Fellowship, West Palm Beach, Florida, who serves as his “covering pastor”, Bishop Joseph N. Williams, his former pastor from Queens, New York, where he served as a youth pastor and teacher in the church, and Bishop Noel Jones of Los Angeles, California, who provides greater leadership oversight.
“Darren is committed to ensuring that the needs of those in his community are met,” said Bishop Jones. “He is hard working, demonstrates excellence in fulfilling his responsibilities and is an individual who is relational. He is truly a servant of God, appointed to reach his local community in a positive manner, yet disseminating the Gospel throughout the world.”
Called to ministry at age 12, Pastor Gayle earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Education at York College, New York. He graduated from United Christian Bible College with a second Bachelor’s Degree in Religious Education and is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Theology at Emory University in Atlanta.
Pastor Gayle was born in London, England, and immigrated to Queens, New York when he was 13 years of age. He and his wife, Suzette Gayle, who supports him in ministry, have two children.
