It’s fitting that the same summer we celebrated Wilshire’s 75-year history, we also celebrate Darren DeMent’s 30 years of ministry among us.
Alumni from Darren’s youth groups are now deacons, teachers, class directors, choir members, parents and leaders shaping Wilshire’s future, and his own ministry has grown to shape the spiritual life of the entire congregation.
Wilshire will mark Darren’s anniversary today with recognition in worship and a celebratory 5 p.m. musical event.
Thirty years at one church is remarkable, but especially in youth ministry. Even at Wilshire, the 14 youth pastors before Darren served an average of less than three years. With this anniversary, Darren joins George Mason, Bill James and Bruce McIver on the list of ministers to serve three decades at Wilshire.
Echoing George’s line that “great churches make great pastors,” Darren said his tenure says as much about Wilshire as it does about him.
“The reason you stay somewhere is because the place is worth staying at. My longevity speaks to the nature of the church as much as it does to anything I’ve been able to do.”
Darren’s connection to Wilshire dates to 1994, when he first worked Youth Camp at the invitation of then-Minister to Students John Brashier, who had previously been Darren’s youth pastor in Baton Rouge. Upon graduating from LSU and starting seminary in Fort Worth, Darren joined Wilshire’s staff as a student ministry intern in 1996. After serving as interim student minister following Brashier’s departure, Darren was named minister to students in 1999. In 2020, he gained additional responsibilities when he was named associate pastor.
“I don’t think of it as 30 years as much as it’s like six different five-year segments,” he said. “About every five years something changes or is a little bit different.”
Those changes have allowed him to grow alongside the congregation. Darren’s role today encompasses Sunday School, Wednesday programming and spiritual formation across every stage of life.
“My hope, when I became the umbrella person over spiritual formation, was that we could figure out what that looks like from the cradle to the grave at Wilshire,” he said. “What are the connective pieces that run through the whole thing?”
For Darren, spiritual formation extends well beyond the Sunday School room. “Worship is spiritual formation, and so is missions. It’s all about being formed. I think we’ve got a better understanding now that everything works together.”
Even as his responsibilities have grown, student ministry remains at the heart of Darren’s work. Today, many of the students he once led are the adults leading Youth Camp, sponsoring choir tour, teaching Sunday School and mentoring the next generation of Wilshire students.
Mary Lu Hare, one of those alums, runs the @wilshirestudentministry Instagram account and is a constant presence at youth events. “Darren’s ministry is honest, authentic and accessible,” she said. “It shows up openly and allows everyone to show up as their real self. He offers a deep love and grace and kindness that many people never see, and that alone is worth celebrating.”
Rising ninth grader Alden Henry added, “Darren is what makes WSM go round. He always makes everyone feel welcome and included, and without him there wouldn’t be a WSM like there is today.”
Darren’s family life has been intertwined with his ministry work from the beginning. When he and his wife, Joannah, married in 1999, Wilshire’s Youth Choir made the Baton Rouge ceremony a stop on its summer tour. Now the couple’s two young adult children, Virginia and Elias, are alumni of that same youth group.
“Darren and Joannah are easily in my top two most influential people in my life,” Mary Lu said. “And I know I’m not alone in that. The way Darren has shown up for students and alumni over the years is nothing short of miraculous superhero vibes.”
Music has been another constant in Darren’s ministry. A guitarist and mandolin player with a love for roots music and the singer-songwriter tradition, he has spent decades helping people discover God in places they might not expect.
“I’ve never been a big divider of sacred and secular,” Darren says. “It’s more about what you’re doing with it than what the thing itself is.”
That philosophy shaped the culture of Wilshire Student Ministry, where Darren developed the body of songs informally known as Songs from the Basement. Chosen less for genre than for their honesty and depth, the songs formed generations of students before becoming known to the wider congregation through their use in worship. Darren has long shared his musical gifts in worship, bringing an acoustic folk element to the church’s music ministry.
His musical imagination has continued to expand beyond student ministry. Songwriter Vespers, launched last year, has invited the congregation to encounter God and faith through the work of influential songwriters, while Darren’s expertly curated Advent and Lent playlists have become a beloved seasonal tradition for many.
“As my job description has expanded, I’ve tried to figure out things that I’m interested in and feel passionate about that I can put some energy behind and figure out ways to make those into offerings that people care about,” Darren said. “Songwriter Vespers wasn’t on anyone’s radar. I just said, ‘Hey, I want to do this.’ And everybody said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’”
Whether through music, film or pop culture, Darren has spent 30 years inviting people into deeper conversations about faith. It is an approach he first developed with teenagers but one that has proven just as meaningful for the whole church.
Associate Pastor Heather Mustain said, “As Darren’s colleague, I get to see the intentionality he puts behind everything he does. He is the very best storyteller and a wonderful ideator, helping create and cultivate spaces where people of all ages can find community and belonging. Darren makes me better; he makes us all better.”
Senior Pastor Timothy Peoples pointed to the people whose lives Darren has touched. “Darren’s humor, imagination and theological insight have enriched our staff, our church and everyone who has the privilege of serving alongside him. Darren has faithfully given his heart and soul to the good and beautiful work of building God’s kingdom, and his legacy is evident in the people he has loved, led and served.”
For Darren, 30 years feels less like reaching a milestone than continuing a journey.
“I’ve effectively grown up here. My entire experience of adulthood has been in this community. I sure hope I’m not the exact same person I was in 1996. Wilshire has been a place that’s allowed me to figure out who I am along the way. It just felt natural to stick around.”