About Mark
The Rev. Mark Whittall is the pastor of Trinity Anglican Church in Ottawa, Canada. He is the author of ReInvention: Stories from an Urban Church which recounts the beginnings of St. Albans, the story of a new church plant set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing culture. His new book In the Wilderness: Preaching a Pandemic is my journal of the pandemic, a collection of sermons that explores what happens when we let the stories of our lives intersect with the stories of our faith. Mark is an engineer by training, and he obtained graduate degrees in Theoretical Physics and in Development Economics from Oxford University. His first career was as an engineer, executive and CEO in the high-tech sector. Mark then left his business career to pursue the study of theology. He was a lecturer in Science at Augustine College in Ottawa from 2002 to 2007 and was ordained an Anglican Priest in the Diocese of Ottawa in 2008. After a brief stay in a rural parish, he was tasked with building a new congregation at St. Albans Church in 2011. Mark speaks and preaches regularly at churches, conferences, workshops and educational events. He and his family live in Ottawa.
This book, ReImagine: Preaching in the Present Tense, is about what happens when we let the stories of our lives intersect with the stories of our faith.
Released October 2017
I would love a double portion of Mark Whittall's courage. Where most of us shy away quiet, Mark clears his voice, and speaks a word from the Lord. No wonder his parish in Ottawa is flourishing. This is a model for preaching in mainline liberal parishes across Canada and beyond.
Jason Byassee, Butler Chair in Homiletics and Biblical Hermeneutics, Vancouver School of Theology
Mark is a church planter with the rare combination of reflective leadership, soulful storytelling, and real-life experiences. This book thoughtfully weaves a narrative that enables post-modern believers to grow in their faith by dwelling on a broad range of biblical, theological, sociological and practical themes. Mark skillfully, and optimistically unpacks, compares and contrasts contemporary society with ancient biblical wisdom through poignant homilies that speak to the big questions of the 21st century.
Mark Dunwoody, Missioner, Anglican Diocese of Montreal
It’s not just about going to church. It's about being church.
