Mark Lattime was elected the eighth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska in 2010.
A child of the Finger Lakes in Western New York, he grew up in a rural community near Ithaca, NY before moving to Rochester, NY, where he graduated high school. He attended Dickinson College, in Carlisle, PA where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology and Religion. He worked for 6 years in group homes and vocational services for developmentally disabled adults before he began his formal journey to ordained ministry in the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester. He earned his M.Div. from Bexley Hall in May 1997. Following his ordination, he became the Associate Rector and Chaplain to the Canterbury Fellowship at Grace Memorial Church in Lexington, VA where he served for three years. He returned to Western NY to serve as the Rector of St. Michael’s, Geneseo. In addition to his parish ministry at St. Michael’s, he volunteered with the Fire Department as an ambulance driver; was a board member of the Wadsworth Library; and raised his three children: Allison, David, and Jack. He also fulfilled his life-long dream to become a pilot earning his Private Pilot License in 2005.
Lattime served as a Deputy to General Convention representing the Diocese of Rochester for 2003, 2006 and 2009. He has been a Diocesan Stewardship Consultant and continues to serve on the Assessment Review Committee for the Episcopal Church. He also serves on the General Convention Task Force on Care of Creation and Environmental Racism.
As Bishop of the geographically largest Diocese in Episcopal Church, Lattime spends much of his time traveling. He serves among a diverse population of Episcopalians from many cultures. Over 10 different language dialects are spoken in the Diocese of Alaska, and while Bishop Lattime continues to learn some of those languages, he remains committed to supporting the work of Alaska Native language revitalization and preservation. Additionally, Alaska is on the forefront of climate and culture change. One of Bishop Lattime’s ministry passions is to support the voices of Alaska’s indigenous communities as they strive to maintain their traditional subsistence lifestyle and economy. He is also committed to “walking the land” with the people of Alaska as a living expression of stewardship. As a Diocese of small, rural, and isolated congregations, Bishop Lattime focuses on the formation and support of local indigenous leadership.
“My ministry goal is to call, prepare, and support the leadership of the Baptized. The Diocese of Alaska’s isolated rural communities—many only accessible by air or river, do not fit the Episcopal Church’s traditional institutional model of parish leadership by an ordained leader with higher education credentials. I am interested in exploring and developing new models of education and formation for leadership, including ways to form and prepare team ministry.”