Alan Scarfe is a bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. He has been the bishop of the Diocese of Iowa

Episcopal Diocese of Iowa

The Episcopal Diocese of Iowa is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America which covers all of Iowa. It is in Province VI. Its offices are in Des Moines, and it has two cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of St...

 since 2003.

Early life & Ministry

Bishop Scarfe was born in Bradford

Bradford

Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...

, Yorkshire

Yorkshire

Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. He earned a Master of Arts

Master of Arts (postgraduate)

A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...

 degree in theology

Theology

Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...

 from Oxford University, England in 1972. He completed post-graduate studies at the Romanian Orthodox Institute in Bucharest

Bucharest

Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....

, Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

 in 1975.

On August 23, 1975 he married his wife Donna and they have four children. Prior to his studies for the priesthood he was the chief executive officer of Keston College USA, which is an independent research institution advocating freedom of religion

Freedom of religion

Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any...

 in communist countries. He was also a lecturer at Wheaton College

Wheaton College (Illinois)

Wheaton College is a private, evangelical Protestant liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago in the United States...

 in Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton is an affluent community located in DuPage County, Illinois, approximately west of Chicago and Lake Michigan. Wheaton is the county seat of DuPage County...

.

In 1986 he received a Masters degree in Sacred Theology from the General Theological Seminary

General Theological Seminary

The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church is a seminary of the Episcopal Church in the United States and is located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York....

. He was ordained a deacon

Deacon

Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...

 in February 1986 and a priest

Priest

A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...

 in December of the same year. After ordination he served St. Columba’s Church in Camarillo, California

Camarillo, California

Camarillo is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 65,201 at the 2010 census, up from 57,084 at the 2000 census. The Ventura Freeway Camarillo is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 65,201 at the 2010 census, up from 57,084 at...

. He was serving as the rector

Rector

The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...

 of St. Barnabas Church in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 when he was elected bishop. He also served on various boards and committees for the Diocese of Los Angeles

Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles

The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles is a community of 85,000 Episcopalians in 147 congregations, 40 schools, and 18 major institutions, spanning all of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties, and part of Riverside County....

 while he was involved in parochial ministry.

Bishop of Iowa

Alan Scarfe was elected the ninth Bishop of Iowa at a special diocesan convention in November 2002 and was consecrated in Des Moines

Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...

 on April 5, 2003 by Bishops James Jelinek

James Jelinek

James Louis Jelinek was the Eighth Bishop of Minnesota in The Episcopal Church.-See also:* List of Succession of Bishops for the Episcopal Church, USA-References:# The Diocese of Minnesota-External links:*...

, C. Christopher Epting and Gayle Elizabeth Harris

Gayle Elizabeth Harris

Gayle Elizabeth Harris was ordained as Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts in 2003, succeeding Barbara Harris.This is the first time in the Episcopal Church in the United States that a woman bishop has been succeeded by another woman bishop.-External links:* from Louie Crew...

. He was seated at the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul

Cathedral Church of Saint Paul (Des Moines)

The Cathedral Church of St. Paul, is located at 815 High Street, Des Moines, Iowa in the United States. It is the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 as St. Paul's Episcopal Church.-St. Paul's Episcopal...

 the following day. Bishop Scarfe is the 983rd Episcopal bishop consecrated in the United States. From 2006 to 2009 Bishop Scarfe served on the Standing Commission on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations for the Episcopal Church.