Jan-Aage Torp (born 26 June 1957) is a Norwegian pastor and evangelist and president of the organization European Apostolic Leaders. He has developed an extensive international network, and currently hosts the show Hovedstaden med Pastor Torp ('The Capital with Pastor Torp') on the Christian television station Visjon Norge.[1]
Torp was born in Kyoto, Japan, to missionary parents, and spent his formative years in Japan and Thailand until moving to Norway in 1971.[1] Active in the Pentecostal community, he eventually became a prolific interpreter for numerous international evangelists including Billy Graham.[1] After having been a pastor in established Pentecostal congregations for some years, he founded Seierskirken in Lillestrøm in 1990.[1] He then became outspoken in his opposition against the homosexual partnership law and against abortion, working together with Finn Jarle Sæle, Børre Knudsen and Ludvig Nessa.[1]
In 2002, the organization European Apostolic Leaders, part of the Neo-charismatic New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), was founded in Norway by NAR founder C. Peter Wagner. Torp is the president of European Apostolic Leaders. Other influential NAR prophets such as Lance Wallnau and Cindy Jacobs have issued prophecies regarding Torp's divine calling and influence.[2]
From 2016, he became active in work against the Norwegian Child Welfare Services together with Polish organisation Ordo Iuris, which led him to gain an extensive network among international ambassadors.[1] He has also gained contacts and had personal audience with the world's leading Muslim leaders, including Ahmed el-Tayeb, Shawki Allam and Mohamed Gomaa.[1]
Torp's son Anders has spoken out publicly and written a book, Jesussoldaten, about his "extreme" upbringing, which included spiritual warfare, preparing for the end times, twenty-seven exorcisms and fasting for 40 days.[3][4] His daughter Christine has also spoken out about a childhood of being terrified of God, sin and hell, and of having been prepared of being persecuted, tortured and killed because they were Christians in the end times.[5] Two more of his six children have supported the criticism.[6]