Aaron Welch
Lead Pastor

Ethan Smith
Youth Pastor

    Since January 2018, Aaron has ​served as Lead Pastor at Northside, where his passion is to walk intimately with Christ and alongside others as they learn to do the same. His desire is to help Northside grow as a genuine community, one that is fully surrendered to the Lord and marked by grace, authenticity, and love.

     Aaron holds an M.A. in Counseling and an M.A. in Pastoral Counseling from Cincinnati Christian University, where he also earned his B.S. in              Christian Ministries with an emphasis in Preaching. Before coming to Northside, he served as Program Director of Christian Counseling and Dean of Men at Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly, Missouri. Over the years, Aaron has been blessed to serve the Lord as a preacher, teacher, counselor, writer, and coach.

     Raised as a “preacher’s kid,” Aaron came to understand the wonder of God’s grace in early adulthood, much like the prodigal son discovering that even at the end of a rebellious road, the Father still runs to meet His children. Since that time, his life mission has been to walk closely with the Lord and to be a “gateway to grace” for others.

​     He walks this journey with his beautiful wife, Michelle, a gifted teacher and loving mother to their three children: Eddie, Joshua, and Emmalee. They are now joined by two wonderful daughters-in-law, Ciara and Samantha, and two beloved grandchildren, Orlando and Johanna. In his free time, Aaron enjoys strong coffee, reading, cheering on the Cincinnati Reds, and hiking the trails of Pine Mountain.