Rev. Daryn Bunce Stylianopoulos is an American Baptist minister, educator, and cultural advocate whose ministry centers on faith formation, children, the arts, and building communities of belonging. Originally from North Carolina, she has called the Boston area home for nearly two decades.

Rev. Stylianopoulos holds a bachelor’s degree in Music and Anthropology from Wake Forest University and a Master of Divinity from Boston University School of Theology.

She currently serves as Program Director of the Nurturing Children Initiative at American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS), where she leads efforts to equip congregations to meaningfully engage children through age 12 in worship, prayer, and the life of the church. Her work emphasizes developmentally appropriate and spiritually enriching practices that create safe, creative, and inclusive spaces where children and adults can learn from one another, deepen their love for Jesus Christ, and grow in their understanding of the church’s mission.

In addition to her work with ABHMS, Rev. Stylianopoulos serves as Pastor of Faith Formation and the Arts at First Baptist Church in Newton, Chair of The Centre for Faith, Art and Justice, and a Cultural Advocate for Massachusetts Baptist Multicultural Ministries (MBMM). She is also co-founder of The Welcome Table, a community initiative grounded in the belief that meaningful conversation and authentic community flourish when every voice is welcomed and valued. Previously, she served as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Needham.

Rev. Stylianopoulos brings together pastoral leadership, theological education, creativity, and cultural engagement in a ministry deeply committed to intergenerational connection and belonging. Passionate about art, music, gardening, and family, she often draws inspiration from these areas in her ministry and community work.

At the heart of her calling is a desire to cultivate communities marked by welcome, healing, and connection—places where people of every generation and background are seen, valued, and invited to participate fully. Through her local and national ministry, Rev. Stylianopoulos continues to encourage churches to become communities where faith is nurtured, culture is honored, creativity is embraced, and children are recognized as vital participants in the life and mission of the church.