Pastor Charles Prescott II: Hope in the Messy Middle — A Christmas Conversation About Calling, Grief, and Community – Episode 68
Use the audio-player above to listen here, or click one of the following links to listen on
Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or click on the photo below to watch on YouTube.
There are some conversations that feel timely.
Others feel important.
And then there are those rare conversations that feel necessary.
This episode of The Town Square Podcast—our Christmas special—falls squarely into that third category.
As the year winds down and the calendar edges toward Advent, Gabriel and I sat down with Pastor Charles Prescott II, Senior Pastor of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Covington—affectionately known by members as “The MAC.” What unfolded was not just an interview, but a holy pause. A space to breathe. A place to name grief honestly, to talk about leadership without ego, and to rediscover hope—not as something loud or flashy, but as something faithful, steady, and often found in the smallest places.
This was a conversation about calling—and what happens when you try to run from it.
It was about institutions—the church, law enforcement, education—and how trust is built when faith in those institutions feels fragile.
It was about grief—personal, communal, generational—and how it shows up most loudly during the holidays.
And it was about hope—not as denial, but as disciplined remembrance of what God has already done.
In other words, it was exactly the kind of conversation we believe belongs in the messy middle.
A Pastor Who Didn’t Want to Be a Pastor
One of the most compelling parts of Pastor Prescott’s story is that he never aspired to the title he now carries.
“I didn’t want to be a pastor,” he said plainly—without bravado, without irony.
For more than a decade, he ran from ministry. Twelve years, by his own account. Until his grandmother—wisely and lovingly—reminded him that sometimes when you keep running, you’re only circling the thing God has already assigned to you.
That tension—between resistance and surrender—became a recurring theme throughout our conversation. Because many people listening right now aren’t running from a pulpit. They’re running from a hard conversation. A leadership role. A responsibility they didn’t ask for. A calling they feel unqualified to carry.
Pastor Prescott’s journey—from Augusta to Atlanta, from youth ministry to bi-vocational leadership, from law enforcement to the pulpit—offers a powerful reminder: calling is rarely convenient, but it is persistent.
From the Streets to the Sanctuary: A Leader in Two Worlds
Pastor Prescott doesn’t just lead a historic church. By day, he serves as the Chief of Police and Associate Vice President of Campus Safety at Morehouse College, his alma mater.
That matters.
Because few people understand the complexity of Black male leadership quite like someone who has lived on both sides of the institutional divide. He has investigated some of Georgia’s most high-profile cases. He has supervised in systems where trust is thin and scrutiny is constant. And yet, when he returned to Morehouse—back to a campus filled with young Black men—he was reminded of something essential.
“These aren’t suspects,” he said.
“These are sons. Scholars. Future leaders.”
That re-centering reshaped how he pastors.
It gave him language for bias—not as accusation, but as reality.
It reinforced the importance of listening before correcting.
And it shaped his conviction that leadership—whether in law enforcement or ministry—requires humility, patience, and emotional intelligence.
You cannot lead people well if you only see them through your worst experiences.
Stepping Into a Church Still Grieving
When Pastor Prescott arrived at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in April, he didn’t step into a blank slate.
He stepped into grief.
The previous pastor had passed away—a beloved leader whose absence was still deeply felt. For more than a year, the congregation had existed without a shepherd. And anyone who has ever loved a church knows: when a pastor dies, the loss is not just professional—it’s deeply personal.
“I walked into hurt,” Pastor Prescott shared.
“And I had to work on the inside before we could ever focus on outreach.”
That insight alone is worth sitting with.
In a world obsessed with growth metrics, branding strategies, and outward impact, Pastor Prescott named a counter-cultural truth: “…sometimes the most faithful thing a leader can do is tend to wounds before chasing vision.”
In-reach before outreach.
Presence before programs.
Listening before leading.
Authenticity Over Performance
At 147 years old, Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church carries deep tradition—and with tradition comes expectation.
Pastor Prescott didn’t dismiss that history. He honored it. But he also made something clear early on: authenticity matters more than performance.
That means preaching with substance—not Saturday-night specials.
It means sneakers with a suit when bunions demand it.
It means sermons that can withstand Google fact-checks from the pews.
“We’re in a generation that wants depth,” he said.
“They want to know how this changes Monday.”
It was one of the most honest conversations we’ve had about the evolving role of the Black Church—and the responsibility pastors carry to speak truth without theatrics, conviction without ego.
Longevity, as Pastor Prescott reminded us, does not always equal correctness.
Christmas, Grief, and the Courage to Be Honest
As the conversation turned toward Christmas, something shifted.
This wasn’t a sentimental holiday episode filled with platitudes and polished cheer. It was real.
Both Pastor Prescott and Gabriel spoke candidly about losing their fathers. About the strange ways grief resurfaces—four years later, two years later, without warning.
A trip to CVS for a Father’s Day card.
A voicemail saved because it’s the last time you’ll hear her voice.
A wedding video rediscovered decades later.
Grief, they reminded us, doesn’t move on a schedule.
And the church must be a place where people are allowed to say:
“I don’t feel blessed and highly favored today.”
Transparency, Pastor Prescott said, is ministry.
And maybe the most faithful thing we can do during the holidays is let people breathe—without guilt, without pressure, without pretending.
Hope Isn’t Loud—It’s Faithful
Hope, in this conversation, wasn’t framed as denial or hype.
It was framed as memory.
Hope is believing God will move again because He already has.
Hope is trusting the promise because the promise was fulfilled once before.
Hope is Advent—waiting, not passively, but expectantly.
As Pastor Prescott put it, sometimes hope is found in the smallest victories:
Waking up
Coming home
Sitting at the table
Making it through another day
And sometimes that’s enough.
Mission Possible: Looking Ahead
When asked about the future of Macedonia, Pastor Prescott didn’t talk about numbers first.
He talked about trust.
He talked about younger generations knowing their pastor.
About mission work that happens not only overseas, but in jails, neighborhoods, and right on the Covington Square.
About a five-year vision called Mission Possible—a reminder that with God, even the most daunting work is achievable.
He knows his role isn’t to own the church—but to steward it for whoever comes next.
That kind of leadership—rooted, confident, unafraid of tight spaces—is exactly what our community needs.
A Christmas Word for the Messy Middle
If there’s one takeaway from this Christmas special, it’s this:
You don’t have to rush past your grief to be faithful.
You don’t have to fake joy to honor Christ.
You don’t have to have it all figured out to have hope.
Sometimes the most courageous thing you can do is name where you are—and trust that God meets you there.
That’s the message Pastor Charles Prescott II brought to the table.
And we’re better for hearing it.
Connect with Pastor Charles Prescott II & Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church
📍 Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church
2051 Henderson Mill Road, Covington, GA
Website: https://www.macedoniacovington.org
Facebook & Instagram: Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church (The Mac)
TikTok: Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church
📧 Email: CharlesPrescott2@outlook.com
Instagram: @charlesprescott_ii
LinkedIn: Charles Prescott
🎧 Episode Sponsors – Thank You for Supporting Local Conversations
This episode of The Town Square Podcast is made possible by the generous support of our advertising partners:
Luther Rice College & Seminary
Equipping men and women for ministry and leadership through flexible, faith-centered education.
Bizzy Bee Exterminators
Locally owned. Professionally trusted. Protecting homes and businesses across Newton County and beyond.
Main Street Land & Properties
Helping individuals and families navigate land and property investments with integrity and expertise.
As always, thank you for pulling up a chair in The Town Square.
From our families to yours—
Merry Christmas, and may you find hope right where you are.
