A Preaching Prodigal
Preston Headrick devotes his life to bringing prodigals home.
Words by Micah Harrison | Image by Al Blanton
“I just prayed before I came down here that what I would do would glorify the Lord and not glorify myself. Because if it wasn’t for Him, you wouldn’t be sitting here speaking to me today. If I was the old Preston, you wouldn’t want to interview me.”
It may not be the most typical introduction, but it is how Preston Headrick chooses to introduce himself.
A Dora native, Headrick grew up attending Sumiton Methodist Church, though he drifted away from the congregation around the eighth grade. He graduated from Dora High School in 1967 and spent a year at Jacksonville State University in before returning home. He went to work for a finance company and began taking night classes at Walker College, hoping to become a football coach. In 1973, his father purchased Green Top BBQ, and Headrick joined the business the following year. He earned an associate’s degree from Walker College but did not continue further to complete his bachelor’s degree.
During that season of his life, Headrick says he was living what he called a “party lifestyle,” with his priorities out of order. In 1980, some friends stopped by his house on their way home from the lake and brought along a friend named JJ. Soon after meeting her, Headrick began dating JJ, and the two were married the following June.
Over the next few years, the couple welcomed two children. Wanting something different for his family, Headrick decided to return to church for the sake of his children, hoping that raising them in church would help them avoid some of the mistakes he had made. After consistently attending Aldersgate Methodist Church in Dora, Headrick was invited to attend an Emmaus Walk weekend retreat in 1990. It was during that retreat that Headrick was saved. Feeling the Holy Spirit pulling at him, he finally gave his life to Christ.
“The Lord changed my life in 1990,” he says. “He changed my life, and I’m thankful for that.”
As a child, Headrick had felt a call to preach, though he had resisted it. After his salvation, that familiar urge returned. He sought guidance from his pastor, Mike Irons, who encouraged him to begin serving as a lay speaker to become more comfortable behind the pulpit.
While lay speaking, Headrick spent time in prayer about his future and received confirmation of his calling on numerous occasions. He decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in preparation for full-time ministry and began night classes at Birmingham-Southern College in the fall of 1993. He graduated in the spring of 1996 and was appointed to his first church that June. His assignment was Bethlehem United Methodist Church in Hamilton, Alabama. Headrick, JJ, and their two children, Jessye and Jake, moved away from Walker County to follow where they felt God was leading.
During his nine-year tenure at Bethlehem Methodist, Headrick fully stepped into the calling he believed had been placed on his life from the beginning. While serving there, he also earned his Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, graduating in 2002. At a time when online education was still emerging, Headrick completed much of his coursework online, though some classes required in-person attendance. During those weeks, he would commute to Kentucky and return home in time to preach on Sundays.
In 2005, Headrick felt called to a new congregation. Christ Community Fellowship, also located in Hamilton, was founded in 1996 by Jackie and Judy Isom, and the congregation had spent years of searching for the right pastor/ Headrick felt led to accept the position when it was offered to him. The church is cross-denominational, focusing on unity around the core essentials of the Christian faith. Though the congregation was more charismatic than what he had experienced in the Methodist tradition, Headrick adjusted well. He served as pastor at Christ Community Fellowship until his retirement in 2019, a period marked by significant growth and expanded community outreach.
Retirement, however, did not mean slowing down. Headrick founded Real Party Ministry, a nonprofit ministry based in Hamilton. The name comes from the parable of the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15, where a grand celebration is held upon the son’s return. The ministry was launched with the support of donors and members from his church.
Through Real Party Ministry, Headrick partners with jails and drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, offering ministry and support to those in need. His work keeps him busy with speaking engagements and opportunities to serve wherever he finds a need his ministry can meet. Headrick is also active in international missions, traveling annually to minister at a pastors’ conference in Guatemala. He has preached in Peru, Romania, Macedonia, and Kenya, spreading the Gospel across four continents. One of his most memorable experiences included preaching in a mud hut in Kenya, accompanied by a man playing a keyboard powered by a car battery.
At 76 years old, his schedule has not slowed. His next trip to Guatemala is already scheduled for 2026.
“I’m going to serve the Lord as long as he’ll keep me physically able.” Headrick says. “I continue to pray that anything I say glorifies Him and not me because, again, without Him, I am nothing.” 78