He is the senior pastor of the historic Waters African Methodist Episcopal Church in Baltimore, Maryland. This amazing congregation established in 1843 by freed slaves has positively impacted the life and city of Baltimore, Maryland for almost two centuries producing community servants positively impacting the world. This congregation holds many “first” in the city of Baltimore producing five bishops elevated to the episcopacy of the AME Church, presiding elders, pastors, senators, educators, entrepreneurs, health care workers, and leaders in every arena of life. It was the first African American congregation in the city of Baltimore to establish the Waters Towers high-rise apartments located on 1400 East Madison Street in the inner-city. On June 10, 2023, Reverend Edwards was appointed the forty-seventh pastor of this amazing congregation under the episcopal leadership of Bishop James Levert Davis, presiding prelate of the Second Episcopal District. Under his leadership, new vision has been established as the congregation continues the legacy advancing to new horizons to serve this present age.

Pastor Edwards formerly served as the pastor of the historic St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, Asheville, North Carolina, and the founder of the Rosa Walker Advancement Initiative, Inc. This non-profit initiative consisted of several programs advancing the education and well-being of youth and adults. The ministry of St. James AMEC was one of the leading African American congregations in the city of Asheville and Western North Carolina. It was well respected and frequently called upon by several mayors and city officials for its social action strides. A beautiful historic Gothic edifice, he led the congregation in a massive building renovation project paid for in full. Touching many lives under his leadership, the city of Asheville decreed every May 20th as Reverend Brent La Prince Edwards Day determined by Mayor Esther Manheimer, Vice-Mayor, Sandra Kilgore and city leaders.

He has also served St. Stephen African Methodist Episcopal Church in Mt. Gilead, North Carolina, where he founded the town’s first Youth Helping Hands Center. Located in a deep rural environment often overlooked and minimized, through his leadership, many souls came to Christ through evangelism and a powerful, strong deliverance ministry. As a result, many youth and young adults considered marginalized and trapped in the throes of gang and street life have been converted and have become productive and responsible citizens today.

Pastor Edwards has served as an associate minister of the Greater Bethel AME Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, under the leadership of the Rev. Dr. Conrad K. Pridgen (Presiding Elder). Also in Charlotte, he served as the “Tuesday Speaker” at the Harvest Kitchen of Community Outreach Ministries where over 70,000 homeless persons were fed annually, given transitional housing, and needful health care under the leadership of the late Apostle Barbara Brewton Cameron who was one of his mentors. He has also served in his earliest beginnings as an associate minister at the historic Morris Brown AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, where he preached his initial sermon at age 24. The late Rev. Dr. James Gilbert Blake, General Officer in the AMEC, was the pastor.

Pastor Edwards holds numerous awards, accolades, and honors, having served in numerous organizations and is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He has made several appearances on local, national and international television. He has performed with several national gospel recording artist such as John P. Kee, the late Gregg Hoover, Desmond Pringle, Donald Lawrence and several others. His father, the late Mr. James C. Edwards, II, an accomplished baritone and founding choral director of the renown Choraliers Music Club of Charleston, SC, was internationally known for the 1970 production of George Gershwin’s opera, Porgy and Bess. Under this influence, he was trained in classical piano and trumpet. Alongside his father and mother, Pastor Edwards and his siblings were featured on nationally filmed PBS documentary, Portraits of America which featured the making of the folk opera, Porgy and Bess. As a child, Pastor Edwards was also featured on a local television program, Black Showcase, hosted by the late Joan Mack.

As a seasoned global evangelist, he is a member of the World Methodist Order of the FLAME, (Faithful Leaders as Mission Evangelist) whose span of influence reaches over 155 countries around the world in Methodism and approximately 80.5 million people. Earning the highest respect from global leaders of the World Methodist Evangelism Council, in 2015, Reverend Edwards was honored as the keynote speaker to the entire international body of Methodist leaders in Dunwoody, Atlanta, Georgia. He was also personally mentored by the renown late Reverend Dr. Eddie Fox, who was the organization’s global leader. He is also a missionary to Africa, particularly to the countries of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Co-Director of Evangelism for the Second Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and has served with Operation Multiplication which is a global evangelism training organization that worked as a subsidiary of the late renown evangelist, the late Reverend Dr. Billy Graham.

He is the author of Preachers Gone Wild! Where Do Preachers Go When They Hurt? which addresses the holistic, spiritual and psychological well-being of clergy. He is the author of You Can’t Bully Me Anymore, A Discussion Starter for Elementary School-Aged Children, which is an anti-bullying children’s book designed to provide tools for prevention and recovery for those bullied and offenders. He has written Delivered from the Powers of Darkness: The Testimony of an Ex-child Witch, which shares the story of how he was innocently drawn into the occult as a child by an unsuspecting teacher in the public school system. He shares his supernatural experience that led him to salvation in Christ at age eleven in his parent’s home and teaches the often-unforeseen dangers of the occult.

Pastor Edwards was educated in the public schools of Charleston, South Carolina. He was ordained an itinerant minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1995, in the Western North Carolina Conference, Second Episcopal District of the AMEC. Upon graduating from Burke High School, he majored in pre-med biology at HBCU, Livingstone College, Salisbury, NC and received his Baccalaureate degree in the academic study of religion from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He earned his Master of Divinity degree from Union Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond, Virginia, via the Charlotte, North Carolina campus. He is a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree from Duke Divinity School, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. He has served as a health care clinician in the governmental departments of Mental Health and Social Services in the state of North Carolina. Nevertheless, a comedian at heart, after his many accomplishments he is known for his deep, sincere humility, intense love for God and people, never forgetting the bridge that brought him over. He was mentored by several amazing souls: the late Bishop Zedekiah Grady, the late renown Dr. Eddie Fox, Bishop Frank Madison Reid, III, Rev. Dr. James G. Blake, AME Mothers: Bessie Pooser, Mamie Washington and the late Rev. Mother Ella Mae Brown. Also, the late Apostle Reuben Wright, Sr, Apostle Clarence Middleton (uncle), Apostle Barbara Brewton Cameron, Dr. Yolanda Benjamin, Rev. Dr. Conrad K. Pridgen, (spiritual father) and Mother, Overseer Marquitta Friende. He is the son of devout educators, the late Mr. James Christopher and Mrs. Gloria La Prince Edwards (living) of Charleston, South Carolina.