Assemblies of God missions leader dies at 86

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — J. Philip Hogan, a longtime Assemblies of God world missions director who is credited with greatly increasing the ranks of the Pentecostal denomination’s missionaries, died Oct. 27.

Hogan, 86, died after a lengthy illness, the denomination said.

He served as executive director of the Division of Foreign Affairs for the Assemblies of God from 1959 to 1989, during which time the denomination’s missionary force grew from 788 people in 69 nations to more than 1,500 in 120 countries. Hogan began working overseas in China in 1947 and later moved to Taiwan, where he helped start the first Pentecostal ministry on that island. Denominational leaders said Hogan’s formation of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship contributed to international evangelism activities.

“His heartbeat for world missions, his passion to see the gospel preached in every nation set the course for the fellowship’s world missions efforts,” said Thomas E. Trask, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God, in a statement.