(From Parker Mortuary)
Dr. Jerry Malcolm “Mack” Evans
Born May 28 1942 in Asheville, North Carolina
Growing up in the mountains of North Carolina, Mack’s childhood was shattered by the loss of his father to leukemia, Mack was 11 years old.
A few years later he moved to Calvin, Louisiana with his Mother and new stepfamily. It was there he met Jo Evelyn Carpenter. Although it was love at first sight for Mack, Jo was a bit more reserved. He must have been quite convincing, as they were married on May 15, 1959.
The couple spent their early years in San Diego, California while Mack served on the USS Coral Sea. They returned to Louisiana four years later with a one-year-old in tow. He worked as a welder to support his young family, another child arrived, Then GOD…
Jo had always been involved with Church, Mack less so, but when God intersected his life and he accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior, all the plans and dreams began to change.
Mack believed God had called him to preach, Jo was not as certain, at first. No one needed a young, newly converted Christian preacher, without religious education, but that did not deter Mack or the dream God had put in him.
Finding an old, abandoned church near their home he began preaching, the first week to a crowd of five, three of which were his small family. Fast forward: Life got busy as Mack worked, attended Baptist Christian University on the GI Bill, and began to build their first church. It flourished and then they were pastoring two churches at the same time, South Oak Grove and Logansport Assembly of God. He was preaching up to seven sermons each week. On to Jonesboro, Louisiana, a larger church to start with, but the same vision of growing, developing and teaching the people God loved. In just a few short years he was working on his Doctorate and impacting thousands of lives, Then GOD…
In 1972 Mack believed God was calling him to Joplin, Missouri. Even his affiliated organization told him that better men than him had tried and failed in the southwest Missouri town, but it did not deter him. After a couple of trips to Joplin, they found a small church on West 26th, with just 35 members that had recently gone through a troubled time. It wasn’t much, but he accepted the challenge.
Within a short time the church began to outgrow the building. This church welcomed everyone and people from every walk of life were coming. A new building was needed and Mack negotiated a purchase of the Fox Theater in downtown Joplin. The negotiation was one for the record books, the seller wanted 3 million, back and forth, Mack eventually paid them $135,000, but he did let them keep their popcorn machine.
The church grew exponentially, multiple services, bus ministry, children’s churches, awarded the fastest growing Sunday School in Missouri multiple times, the fastest growing church in Missouri, the awards accumulated. They meant little to him, he was working to win souls for Jesus.
For a time in the late 1970’s, Mack and Jo found themselves pastoring two churches, again. Joplin and an Assembly of God in Beckley, West Virginia. Mack obtained his pilot’s license and bought a used plane with proceeds from his books and sermon tapes and the sales of gospel albums he and Jo recorded together. After a year the West Virginia church was growing and he helped place a new pastor.
For the next 25 years, Mack and Jo ministered across the country and around the world from their base in Joplin. Their ministry trained other ministers, and when calls came in from churches looking for leadership, Mack was able to send them out to help, often subsidizing the expense. Leadership from Joplin went to Kansas, Arkansas, West Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida and other locations. Televised in the Four-State area since the 1980’s, Dr. Mack Evans became and has often been referred to as the Voice to the Four-States. His leadership and ministry have impacted millions of lives around the world.
In 2002 he retired from active ministry due to major health issues, and spent the next 10 years being Dad, Husband, Grandfather, and traveling with Jo and caring for his ranch. Then GOD…
Mack felt God was not done with him and he and Jo started The Sheep Shed in Neosho, Missouri. Once again, finding an empty facility, purchasing it and holding services, this new ministry began to thrive. Mack and Jo continued to preach the Gospel, with a special focus on sharing God’s love with the hurting, the outcasts, those who felt left behind by religion, the people Jesus Christ focused on during his ministry. For the past twelve years, Mack has ministered to people that many churches would ignore. He shared their miracles, their heartaches, their love and their pain, their victories and their defeats. He gladly accepted this role, it was not an act. He did not do it for the glory, he was a very private man and was regularly requested to travel and speak around the US and Europe, however, he preferred to lead his growing flock at The Sheep Shed each Sunday.
He did not do it for the money, refusing to draw a salary since founding The Sheep Shed. The hard-earned contributions of The Sheep Shed members were utilized to acquire and expand a church facility, broadcast the services on local television stations, and support the operation of the church and multiple other charitable outreaches that Mack and Jo, and the church, felt honored to support.
In addition to a lifetime of selfless ministry for the Lord, Mack was an intelligent businessman and capable rancher. He maintained a strong work ethic, laboring tirelessly, both as pastor to shepherd the church, and on his ranch to provide for his family.
Dr. Mack Evans passed away on Monday, June 24, a life well-lived in service to God and to his fellow man. He did not seek to please men but to please God, his only motivation being to preaching the Gospel and Word of God to a hurting world. Mack will be missed by his wife Jo, his three sons, Parrish, Jock and Jeremy, his daughter Melody, and their families. To his friends, family, and many others both locally and beyond, Mack was an epic figure and a true hero of the faith. While his passing is an unthinkable loss and sorrow for all of us, we rejoice that Mack has now gone to be with his Creator, the author of his incredible life and legacy.
Funeral services are 10:00 a.m. Friday, June 28, 2024 at The Sheep Shed with his four children and Mark Smith officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Those honoring his life by serving as pallbearers are John Hughes, Bob Cagle, Don Hames, Jim Butler, Byron Blunt and Dale Oglesby. Friends my pay their respects on Thursday from 1-8:00 p.m. at Parker Mortuary in Joplin, Missouri. In lieu of flowers, memorials are being accepted in c/o the mortuary to be evenly distributed amongst Mack’s favorite charities.
