Andrew Lee Evans (born Wilfred Andrew Lever Evans) OAM (born 17 June 1935, in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

) is a

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

in the

Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...

and a former politician in the

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

n Legislative Council. Evans is most notable as pastor of the then Paradise Community Church (now

Influencers Church Influencers Church, formerly Paradise Community Church, is a Pentecostal church affiliated to the Assemblies of God, with congregations in the state of South Australia, Australia, and in the southern United States. It was founded in Adelaide in ...

) for 30 years and co-founding the conservative

Family First Party The Family First Party was a Conservatism in Australia, conservative political party in Australia which existed from 2002 to 2017. It was founded in South Australia where it enjoyed its greatest electoral support. Since the demise of the Austral ...

Early life and education

Andrew L. Evans was born to missionary parents Tom and Stella Evans in

, and is the older brother of pastor Fred Evans. From 1958 to 1960, Evans studied for Christian Ministry at the Assemblies of God Commonwealth Bible College in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

(now known as

Alphacrucis Alphacrucis College (AC, formerly Commonwealth Bible College and Southern Cross College) is a tertiary Christian liberal arts college. In addition to being the largest self-accrediting Christian liberal arts College in Australia, it is the offi ...

in Parramatta, Sydney). He graduated with a Diploma in Theology in December 1960 and was ordained to the Ministry in 1963. He then served as a missionary with

AOG World Missions The Australian Christian Churches (ACC), formerly Assemblies of God in Australia, is a network of Pentecostal churches in Australia affiliated with the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, which is the largest Pentecostal denomination in the ...

in the

East Sepik East Sepik is a province in Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Wewak. East Sepik has an estimated population of 433,481 people (2010 census) and is 43,426 km square in size. History Cherubim Dambui was appointed as East Sepik's first premier ...

province of

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

from 1963 to 1969.

Career

From 1970 Evans served as Senior Pastor first of Klemzig Assembly of God in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, then Paradise Assembly of God (now Influencers Church) when the church relocated there in 1982. In 1977 he became the National Superintendent of the

Assemblies of God in Australia The Australian Christian Churches (ACC), formerly Assemblies of God in Australia, is a network of Pentecostal churches in Australia affiliated with the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, which is the largest Pentecostal denomination in the ...

, which position he held for 20 years and saw a new church started every 11 days. He retired as the senior pastor of Paradise AOG in 2000, after 30 years, the church had reached over 4000 members, when his eldest son assumed the leadership. Another son formed the

Planetshakers Church Planetshakers Church is an evangelical Christian Pentecostal megachurch adult and youth movement based in Melbourne, Australia, with several church campuses around the world. The church is also known for its contemporary worship music, with ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Politics

After retiring, Evans helped co-found the

and was elected into the Legislative Council at the 2002 state election, retiring from service on 3 July 2008.

Awards and achievements

Evans received a Doctor of Divinity from the unaccredited

California Graduate School of Theology The California Graduate School of Theology is an institution of higher learning in Garden Grove, California. History The California Graduate School of Theology was founded and chartered in the state of California in 1969 by William S. McBirnie, ...

on 5 August 1981. He was also awarded a Doctor of Ministries on 20 September 1994 from the School of Theology in California. He was awarded the Order of Australia Medal OAM for his service to the Christian Church 26 January 2003. In the South Australian Parliament from 2002 to 2008, he * introduced the Bill that removed the bar to prosecuting people for sexual offences committed before 1 December 1982 * introduced the motion that established the Select Committee into the Status of Fathers in South Australia * Compelled the State Labor Government to include an interim 2020 target for its climate change legislation

References

External links

Jesus First: The Life and Leadership of Andrew Evans by Denise AustinA brief history of the Assemblies of God in Australia.Family First Party (South Australia) website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Andrew Family First Party politicians Members of the South Australian Legislative Council Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Living people 1935 births Assemblies of God pastors Australian Christian Churches people 21st-century Australian politicians