Andreas Lavik

Andreas Johannessen Lavik (18 August 1854 – 18 December 1918) was a Norwegian revivalist, temperance advocate, magazine editor, farmer, headmaster and politician.

Early life and family He was born in the Eksingedalen valley as a son of farmer Johannes Andersson Lavik and Kari Andersdotter Kyte. He was a brother of journalist and newspaper editor Johannes Lavik and actor and theatre director Dore Lavik. In 1881, he married Margrethe Christine Matthiessen. They had eleven children. His wife Margrethe was elected as deputy representative to the Parliament of Norway in 1915. He was an uncle of parliamentarian Nils Lavik and journalist Herbrand Lavik.

Career From 1878 to 1887, Lavik worked as a travelling lay preacher for the organization Bergens Indremisjon.

He was a co-founder of Det Vestlandske Indremisjonsforbund in 1898, an organization still active today with about 1,500 local chapters. Lavik served as the organization's first Secretary, and editor of its magazine Sambåndet. He was a member of the Church Commission of 1908. From 1917, he was headmaster of a bible school in Bergen. He published several books, including the song book Sions sange from 1901. A Pietist, he regarded activities such as dancing and cinema as unfavourable ways of socializing.