Our Pastor & First Lady

Our Pastor

Reverend Aaron L. Parker, PhD

The Rev. Aaron L. Parker, Ph.D., is a distinguished academician, theologian, preacher, and pastor whose life’s work bridges the academy and the Church. Committed to fostering a climate of love and service, his ministry extends from the local community to a global witness for the Christian faith.

A son of the church, being the seventh child born to the late Reverend P. F. Parker and the late Mrs. Amy C. Parker of Canton, Mississippi, Dr. Parker is a 1975 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College and earned a Master of Arts in Religion and the Doctor of Philosophy in Systematic Theology from Emory University’s School of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Aaron L. Parker accepted the call to pastor the historic Zion Hill Baptist Church in 1994. One of his first actions as pastor was to introduce and establish the church’s declarative creed, “Living to Love and Loving to Serve.” During his more than 30 years of leadership, Zion Hill’s membership has grown to more than 5,000, with the development of impactful programs that enrich worship, enhance church life, and extend strategic service initiatives to communities locally, nationally, and globally. Dr. Parker has devoted his years of service to enriching the spiritual and theological growth of his congregation. His unique approach to ministry reflects his deep academic foundation, leading many to describe him not simply as a preacher, but as “an educator who answered the divine call to preach.”

In addition to his pastoral work, Dr. Parker is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Morehouse College, where he has been shaping and mentoring young men for over 40 years. Many of his students have gone on to become nationally recognized preachers, pastors and scholars, continuing a rich legacy of intellectual and spiritual leadership.

In 2006, under Pastor Parker’s leadership, Zion Hill implemented the “Rock Project” a three-phase building program to accommodate the church’s growing membership and expansion of ministries to continue changing lives and serving with love. The church embarked on a $31 million building program for two of the three phases of the new campus. Phase I was completed in 2010 and Phase II in 2017.

Foremost, Dr. Parker is leading the vibrant congregation to deepen its focus on service to the community through the church’s expansive Care to Love Outreach Ministry that has resulted in the formation of more than 50 ministries during his pastoral tenure, designed to impact the region and the world. Notable among them are the nationally recognized Rites of Passage Program for youth ages 13-18, with more than 1000 alumni, and the church’s founding and support of the Zion Hill Community Development Corporation (ZHCDC) in 2002, a non-profit organization devoted to spiritual, economic, and educational enhancement.

Dr. Parker has inspired and led the Zion Hill congregation through the implementation of innovative spiritual and educational programs and community outreach ministries, which are supported by tithes and offerings and an Outreach Endowment Fund, which began with pre-existing funds in the amount of over $300,000 and now stands at approximately $3 million. Since 1994, through Dr. Parker’s leadership, Zion Hill has contributed more than $5 million for outreach and disaster relief and over $1.7 million in scholarships. The outreach programs include annual donations to all the Atlanta University Center Schools; African Initiative Ministry Program, called the Mission of Hope Meal Program; and provisions for disaster relief following hurricanes and tornadoes.

The Reverend Dr. Parker is an ordained minister, a member of the Concerned Black Clergy of Atlanta, the Society for the Study of Black Religion, the American Academy of Religion, among other leadership positions. Dr. Parker is married to Shelia Smith Parker, his high school sweetheart, and they are the parents of two children, Aaron Larry Parker, Jr., Asha Liana Parker, and proud and adoring grandparents of Laila Marie Parker Booth.

Our First Lady

Mrs. Shelia Parker

Zion Hill's Leading Lady, Mrs. Shelia S. Parker, is known for her commanding presence in every facet of her life. Born the fifth of six children to James and Ruth Eva Smith in Canton, MS, this analytical intellectual was serious about her life at an early age. Chosen as one of a small group of advanced students to leave high school following her 11th grade year, she attended college early, to earn both a B.A. in Math from Spelman College and a M.A. in Math from Atlanta University. During the span of her 30-year corporate career, Mrs. Parker has worked with some of the nation's leading companies including General Motors, Hewlett Packard and AT&T. As a computer programmer and network analyst with AT&T, formerly Bellsouth, and Electronic Data Systems, she has managed some of the largest network accounts in the digital age including the nationwide 9-1-1 Emergency System. Her scope of influence does not end there.

Putting her analytical skills to work within the church setting, Mrs. Parker is a phenomenal organizer and planner, often behind the scenes leading the execution of the church's major events and managing the integration of new technology and database management for the steadily growing congregation. A strong advocate for women's empowerment, she has also been instrumental in helping to shape some of Zion Hill's most integral ministries for women including serving as former leader of S.I.S. (Sisters in Sync), Zion Hill's ministry for women. A confident, compassionate and assertive leader and teacher, Mrs. Parker has helped to shape the futures of generations of young women throughout this community and beyond. Mrs. Parker is currently the Program Director for the church's Rites of Passage Program, a widely recognized program implanted by Dr. Parker in 2004, which invites community teens to participate in a 13-week program that teaches them skills and values for becoming successful, productive adults. Her example has inspired young women to greatness and her legacy is fabulously fashionable, fortunately fruitful and most of all, fundamentally faithful.

Mrs. Parker is a powerful and supportive force beside her husband and high school sweetheart, Pastor Aaron L. Parker, and the parents of two children, Aaron Larry Parker, Jr., Asha Parker, and proud and adoring grandparents of Laila Marie Parker Booth.