Rev. Mashaun D. Simon(he/him/they) is an award-winning journalist, writer, preacher, and thought leader. Through his work, Mashaun attempts to inspire and empower others to ask hard and obvious questions, realize purposeful fulfillment, and cultivate joy. His first book, Faith Deconstruction For Dummies, is set to be released in November 2025.
A native of metro Atlanta and survivor of neuroendocrine carcinoma, a rare form of cancer that makes up about 0.5% of all cancer diagnoses, Mashaun is a Doctor of Ministry candidate at Columbia Theological Seminary. His research engages the relationship between Black church culture, church hurt and Black LGBTQ+ grief. He hopes to use his research for Project Joshua, an initiative committed to curating authentic environments of communal collaboration and belonging. The former senior pastor of House of Mercy Everlasting (HOME) in College Park, GA, he currently serves as chief executive officer of the non-profit, community-based initiative HOME Outreach, Inc.
As a journalist and contributor, Mashaun has written for NBC News, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Black Enterprise, Bloomberg News, Ebony Magazine, and ESSENCE Magazine, Q.Digital, the Counter Narrative Project’s (CNP) The Reckoning, and GLAAD. He is also the former co-associate editor of Geez Magazine, a seasonal, non-profit, ad-free, print magazine about social justice, art, and activism for people at the fringes of faith in both Canada and the US. For three seasons, Mashaun co-hosted B4Nine Podcast, an audio-only, pop culture podcast. And in the summer of 2025, Mashaun received a NLGJA: the Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists’ Excellence in Online Journalism award for his work with LGBTQ Nation. He is also a four-time Atlanta Association of Black Journalists’ (AABJ) Pioneer Black Journalists Awards winner.
In addition to his writing, ministry, and community work, Mashaun has successfully produced cultural competency and affirmative action programming; led several local, regional, and national media relations and marketing campaigns; and provided recruitment messaging support for several institutions of higher education and non-profit organizations in the metro Atlanta area and beyond.
Mashaun was a 2022 DO GOOD X startup accelerator Fellow, a member of the 2022-2023 class of Collegeville Institute’s Emerging Writers Fellowship, a member of the inaugural class of Sojourners’ Rising Leaders Fellowship (2021-2022), and a CNP Narrative Justice Fellow (2021-2022). He served on the 2024 CNP Leadership Council, the AID Atlanta advisory board (2018-2020), the inaugural PRISM board of Teach for America Metro Atlanta (2019-2020), and the advisory board for the CNP (2018-2019). He is also a co-founder of the LGBTQ Task Force of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). In 2005, Mashaun became the first out student representative on the board of directors for NABJ. And is believed to be the first out, Black male president of the Candler Coordinating Council of the Candler School of Theology at Emory University.
His other accolades include The Peter Gomes Award for Transformational Leadership and Service in Church, Community, and Academy (Black Church Studies program, Candler School of Theology, 2013), the Community Service Award (Candler School of Theology, 2013), and the John W. Rustin Award in preaching (Candler School of Theology, 2013). He was also named among the Who’s Who in American Universities and Colleges in 2013 (Emory University).
Mashaun holds a professional writing degree from Georgia Perimeter College, a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Kennesaw State University, and a Master of Divinity from Emory University's Candler School of Theology.
