Hall was diagnosed with learning disabilities as a child, including attention deficit disorder just before third grade. He also was diagnosed with dyslexia. Mark defines himself as "a broken person made whole". He talks about his trials in his book Lifestories.
Early Ministry
Hall served as youth pastor to the First Baptist Church of Samson, Alabama and other churches while pursuing a music degree at the Baptist College of Florida. Upon earning his degree, Mark and his wife Melanie moved to Loganville, Georgia, where he served as the Minister of Music and Students at Center Hill Baptist Church. In each church he started a youth band as a way to involve students in a ministry that would allow them to use their musical talents and interests. Hall would continue this practice during his tenure at the First Baptist Church of Daytona Beach, Florida.
Casting Crowns began as the student worship band that Hall formed while he was serving at First Baptist Daytona Beach in 1999. As in previous churches, Mark was the lead singer and songwriter; other members would go on to write songs for the group as well. Other members at that time included: Juan DeVevo, Melodee DeVevo, Hector Cervantes, and Darren Hughes.
After two years of service in Florida, Mark Hall and Casting Crowns moved to Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough, Georgia. Almost immediately upon arriving, two others joined the band – Chris Huffman, and Megan Garrett. A year later, Andy Williams joined, completing Casting Crowns. The band recorded four studio records and three live records that were mainly distributed in the Atlanta area and received much praise. "There was the temptation to send our CDs to record companies," Hall says, "but we prayed about it and came to the realization we needed to keep doing our music our way."
Casting Crowns
Mark and the rest of the band say they had no desire to get into the music business. Mark was focused as a youth pastor and felt that that was where God wanted him to be. In 2003, Casting Crowns debuted their self-titled album, full of an edgy-pop sound and rich, heart-felt lyrics, with Miller and Chapman serving as co-producers. Their first single, "If We Are The Body", which challenges Christians in the church to truly look at the needs of people around them, took off fast and set the group on a whirlwind of activity. He received e-mails from pastors and their wives telling them of the impact their song was having in their youth group and with their students. Hall's fundamental message is: "I want to shake people up and help them see that Jesus is not a religion, and God is not a book," Hall says. "You can't pray to a book and you can't draw strength from an idea or standard. If there's no relationship with Jesus as a person to you, you're in trouble. It's about life, not religion. It's about relationships, not books." Melanie, Hall's wife of 19 years, became the band's tour manager. Mark affectionately refers to her as "the other half of my brain."
Record label
In 2015, Hall established, along with Mark A. Miller, the M2T Records, and the first artist they signed together was Hannah Kerr.
Awards
Mark Hall received several Dove Award nominations at the 36th GMA Dove Awards. In 2007, Hall was nominated to a Dove Award for Male Vocalist of the Year at the 38th GMA Dove Awards. The Casting Crowns song "Praise You in This Storm", written by Hall, was also nominated for Song of the Year. The next year, Hall collected five trophies at the 2008 39th GMA Dove Awards. Hall, who was that night's leading nominee with six, won Song of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year for "East to West", which he co-wrote with Bernie Herms. His participation on the multi-artist worship project Glory Revealed brought Hall individual honors for Special Event Album of the Year for the CD, as well as Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year for "By His Wounds". His band also had four nominations and won three: Group of the Year, Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for The Altar and the Door and Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year for "East to West".
