meet our leaders
We can't wait to meet you this Sunday
Decolby Hill, Senior Pastor
Pastor Colby is a millennial, multiethnic, multiplying leader, pastor, and church planter who is passionate about reaching the city of Waldorf, MD and creating a church that even people who don’t like church would want to attend. Colby is a raw, passionate, and humorous teacher of God’s Word.
Pastor Colby is married to his middle school sweetheart LaToya, who is an administrator and master teacher in her own right, having served in education and leadership for over a decade. She currently works as the Lead Instructor for the Goodwill Excel Center charter school in downtown Washington, D.C. Toya is a loving wife and mother, has a heart for ministering to women and teens, and is known and loved for her keeping it real style of ministry.
Originally from Indianapolis, Colby and LaToya made their way to the DMV in 2019, after serving in various ministries and pastoring for nearly 10 years. Shortly after relocating, Colby became the Lead Pastor of Encounter Church in May of 2020 and together with his wife, began the process of replanting it as REAL Church.
The Hill’s are foodies and love great food whether home cooked or discovering a new restaurant. They’re always down to play tennis, host a game night or karaoke with friends – and are of course committed to living, loving and leading like Jesus in every aspect of their lives. Colby and LaToya live in Waldorf, MD with their three children – Taylor, Trinity, & Chase.
Minister Marciel Whitehurst
Minister Marciel Whitehurst has been part of the REAL Church family for the past 18 months, where he serves in teaching, preaching, and the Sunday Morning Worship Experience. His ministry is shaped by a deep conviction that the Word of God meets people right where they are — in the pulpit, in the classroom, and in the quiet moments in between.
Marciel earned his Master of Divinity from Truett Seminary and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry at Howard University. His formation has been as much pastoral as academic: he completed more than 2,000 hours of Clinical Pastoral Education in mental health at the Dallas VA Hospital and served three years as a United States Army Chaplain. Those years walking alongside soldiers and veterans continue to inform the compassion and steadiness he brings to ministry today.
Outside of church life, Marciel is the proud father of his daughter, Emrie. He enjoys photography and has a wide appetite for sports, theatre, and movies — and he's just as happy spending an afternoon cooking as watching a game.
Serving on the ministerial team is, for Marciel, an opportunity to keep growing — in spiritual depth, in the craft of preaching and teaching, and as a leader. He looks forward to supporting Pastor Colby's vision and to seeing how REAL Church continues to impact the community in the years ahead.
Minister Charlie M. Johnson
Minister Charlie M. Johnson loves Jesus Christ and has committed her life to spreading the Good News of salvation! She joined REAL Church in November 2022. Min Charlie was born in Alabama and raised in upstate New York. She earned a B.S. from Cornell University and a J.D. from Albany Law School and is a licensed attorney (since 1988.)
She served 21 years on active duty in the U.S. Air Force and is a retired Colonel. Although Min Charlie was busy working for the federal government for decades, she was also very busy working for God, pointing people to Jesus. With a rich history of service in the Methodist and Baptist traditions, Min Charlie served in whatever capacity the Church needed her: as Usher Board Chair, Worship leader, Ministry trainer, Bible Study or Vacation Bible School Teacher and to pray, preach, teach, work with youth and seniors and visit the sick and shut in. She received the Call from God to become a pastor in November 2023. In obedience to the Holy Spirit, she quit her federal position as an Administrative Law Judge for the Social Security Administration in July 2024 to attend seminary full time at Virginia Theological Seminary, (M.Div., May 2027.) Since arriving at REAL Church, Min Charlie continues to serve wherever she’s needed. She preaches sermons, prays corporately, opens/closes Sunday worship services, baptized eleven people, and recently served as a Funeral Officiant. She is the proud mother of one daughter, Jasmine Leigh.