Robert H. Marshall Jr. does not enter rooms quietly. Not because he is loud, but because the weight of what he carries speaks before he does.

For years, Marshall has emerged as one of the leading voices at the intersection of faith, trauma, masculinity, healing, and identity—doing the difficult work many people preach about but few are willing to confront honestly. As a pastor, author, lecturer, mentor, creative, and advocate, he has dedicated his life to helping boys and men heal from invisible wounds while reclaiming identity, purpose, and hope.

But before the conferences, classrooms, pulpits, documentaries, and books, there was a little boy carrying pain in silence.

Marshall is a survivor of sexual abuse, fatherlessness, abandonment, and childhood trauma—experiences that deeply shaped his understanding of shame, emotional survival, and masculinity. Like many men raised in urban communities, he learned how to perform strength long before he ever learned how to process pain. For years, he hid behind leadership, faith, and achievement while privately wrestling with the emotional aftermath of trauma.

Those experiences became the foundation for his newest book, Shame Is A Liar: Man Enough To Heal, Man Enough To Be Free, a deeply personal and psychologically layered exploration of how shame impacts the minds, relationships, bodies, and spiritual lives of men. The book examines how abuse, violence, rejection, incarceration, addiction, silence, and unhealthy definitions of masculinity distort identity and keep many men emotionally trapped. Marshall challenges readers to confront the lies shame teaches and begin the difficult journey toward healing and freedom.

“Healing is the journey. Wholeness is the destination,” Marshall often says.

His work has resonated far beyond church walls.

Marshall has become a respected voice in faith-based, academic, and social service spaces, lecturing and facilitating conversations on male trauma, restorative justice, mental health, fatherlessness, violence prevention, and emotional wellness through his healing commuities The Survivors Circle & I Am Man, Inc. . As one of the youngest former deans at Moody Bible Institute, he helped mentor and develop emerging leaders while challenging institutions to better understand the emotional and spiritual realities shaping boys, men, and families in urban communities globally.

At the core of Marshall’s work is a sobering belief: that nearly 80–85% of boys and men in urban communities around the world have experienced some form of sexual abuse, trauma, exploitation, or premature exposure to sex. He believes many of society’s deepest crises are rooted in unresolved pain and that more than ever, communities must create intentional frameworks to heal and protect the next generation.

“Broken boys become broken men,” he says. “And broken men often break families, communities, systems, and generations. But if we heal a man, we can heal a family, a community, a nation, and ultimately the world.”

That belief fuels everything he does.

He launched The ARK, one of the first Christian conferences intentionally centered on healing for male survivors of sexual abuse.

“The core of my work is helping people feel safe, seen, and heard,” Marshall says. “I’m committed to becoming what I never had—a safe place.”

Through initiatives, healing circles, conferences, academic spaces, and community partnerships, Marshall works to humanize the lived experiences of survivors, create safe spaces for all people to journey toward wholeness, and empower those who walk alongside survivors to support them well. He strongly believes in diversity and views it as a full reflection of the Kingdom of God—where people from different cultures, backgrounds, stories, and experiences can heal, grow, and belong together.

While much of his work centers on healing boys and men, Marshall also openly identifies as a womanist who believes in empowering women leaders to lead boldly, heal fully, and walk unapologetically in their voice, influence, and calling.

At the heart of his message is faith. Marshall believes healing must move beyond empty religious performance and be rooted in authentic partnership with one another and the Holy Spirit.

Married to his wife Jackie for over a decade, he is the proud father of three children. He sees his life’s work as more than ministry, motivation, or a choice. It’s what God has chosen him to do: to become a conduit of healing in the earth. 

Reach Records, the influential label founded by GRAMMY Award-winning artist Lecrae and home to some of the industry’s most impactful voices, including Tedashii, Anike, Hulvey, and Trip Lee, officially announces the signing of Atlanta’s 2819 Worship from 2819 Church, headed by Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell, to its roster. The announcement was made during 2819 Church’s powerful Good Friday service, where the news was met with overwhelming excitement from attendees and the broader faith community, and caused a chatter among fans and churchgoers online. This partnership signals a powerful move in worship music.

Speaking on the partnership, Reach Records founder Lecrae shared:

“The gospel has always been at the center of Reach Records’ vision. While our roots are in hip-hop, our mission has always been to create space for the full expression of faith music, message, and movement. I’ve personally been impacted by Pastor Philip’s teaching and inspired by what God is doing through this community. As we’ve spent time together, it’s become clear that there’s a genuine alignment that makes this feel less like a partnership and more like a shared calling. We’re excited to help carry the sound, the message, and the culture of this house to new audiences.”

Lonnell Williams, Executive Pastor of 2819 Church and COO of 2819 Worship, added:

“2819 Worship was built on one conviction: Christ above everything.

Every song. Every collaboration. Every decision — filtered through that single standard. So when we looked at Reach Records, we weren’t evaluating a label. We were evaluating alignment. And what we found was an organization that has spent nearly two decades putting the Gospel at the center of their work, their artists, and their culture.

This partnership is the fruit of obedience. God opened this door. We walked through it.

And we don’t take lightly what it means to be the first worship team ever signed to a predominantly Christian hip-hop label. That’s not a milestone we chased. That’s a door God opened — and it comes with responsibility. Because firsts don’t just make history. Firsts set the standard for everyone who comes after.

We believe this is a moment for CCM. Not just hip-hop. Not just worship.  Vertical worship that is solely unto Christ  — in the fullest sense of the word. Diverse in sound. Rich in expression. Uncompromising in message. The name of Christ deserves every genre, every room, and every generation. We intend to build in all of them.

Reach Records understands assignments. So do we. That’s why we’re here — and that’s why we’re just getting started.

Ultimately, 2819 is a house of ‘Prayer, Presence, and Proclamation’ —we are so ready for the rest of the world to step into that presence we experience every Sunday gathering!”

While the collective’s debut single under Reach Records has not yet been confirmed, fans are already rallying behind “For Christ Alone,” a song that has generated significant momentum online with over 1 million impressions and growing demand from Christians nationwide.

According to CBN, 2819 Church has rapidly emerged as one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing churches in America. The church has grown from fewer than 200 weekly attendees in 2023 to approximately 6,000 today, often exceeding building capacity and utilizing overflow rooms every Sunday. Lines form as early as 5:30 AM, reflecting the hunger and anticipation surrounding each gathering. In October, the church hosted its ACCESS prayer event, drawing nearly 40,000 to State Farm Arena, filling both the main venue and a nearby convention center; an extraordinary testament to the movement taking place within this community.

This landmark partnership signals a powerful convergence of culture and worship, positioning 2819 Worship to bring its distinct sound and message to audiences worldwide. As Reach Records continues to expand its influence across genres, the addition of 2819 Worship underscores a shared mission: to elevate the name of Christ through music that transcends boundaries and reaches every generation.

For more information on the signing of 2819 Worship, please visit www.reachrecords.com.

Naomi Raine and Chandler Moore have officially announced their exits from Maverick City Music, marking a major shift for one of the most influential worship collectives of the past decade.

The news arrives without scandal or spectacle, but it still carries weight. Maverick City Music didn’t just produce songs — it helped reframe what worship could sound like, look like, and feel like for a generation raised on genre-blending playlists, vulnerability, and authenticity. Naomi and Chandler were central to that identity.

In many ways, the transition had already begun.

Just weeks before the announcement, Naomi Raine released her solo project, Jesus Over Everything, on September 14. The album feels stripped-back and intentional, less focused on communal anthems and more on personal conviction. Songs like “Lost in Hallelujah” lean into restraint rather than climax — worship that doesn’t rush resolution or try to sound bigger than it is.

Addressing the shift directly, Naomi framed the moment as growth rather than departure.

“This isn’t really an ending. It’s a new beginning. A new chapter,” she wrote. “I learned so much about God, about people, and about myself. Every song was written from a pure place — just wanting to please God.”

Her statement reflects a throughline that’s been present throughout her work: faith as something lived and evolving, not fixed or performative.

Chandler Moore followed with his own message, emphasizing clarity and forward momentum rather than nostalgia.

“These last few years have been locked in on what really matters in my life and my career,” he shared. “It’s been scary at times, but full of fresh vision and real excitement about the future.”

That recalibration has increasingly shaped Chandler’s solo direction, which he says is focused less on production and more on connection.

“I’m stepping into the next phase, ready to make music that helps people feel a little more human, a little more understood, and a little less alone.”

That approach mirrors what drew so many listeners to Maverick City Music in the first place. The collective disrupted traditional worship norms by embracing cultural nuance, emotional honesty, and musical hybridity — pulling from gospel, CCM, soul, and contemporary Black music without forcing clean lines between them.

Naomi and Chandler weren’t just contributors to that sound — they helped define it.

Their exits don’t signal an abandonment of that vision so much as an expansion of it. Naomi’s Jesus Over Everything and Chandler’s forthcoming solo work suggest both artists are exploring what faith-centered music looks like when it’s untethered from a single collective framework.

For fans, the moment may feel like the closing of a chapter — but Maverick City Music was always designed as a community, not a container. Its influence was never meant to stop at the group itself.

As Chandler put it plainly:

“The dream hasn’t changed. The sound continues.”

What changes now is scale and direction, not intent.

Naomi Raine and Chandler Moore aren’t leaving behind what they helped build. They’re carrying it forward — on their own terms, in their own voices, and into whatever comes next.

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