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A Spirit-Led Stateman for 20th-Century Missions
Interview with J. Philip Hogan
The life and ministry of J. Philip Hogan demonstrate the sovereignty of God in the life of a believer. Born the son of a cattle rancher, for 30 years he was the key missions strategist for the Division of Foreign Missions, serving as its executive director until his retirement in 1989. With prior ministry in the pastorate and as a missionary to China, Hogan has left his handprint on the Assemblies of God missions enterprise. His decisive leadership facilitated growth in a number of key areas helping the overseas church to experience its most impressive growth.
J. Philip Hogan’s contribution to the 20th-century global revival movement cannot be denied. Richard Schoonover, associate editor of Enrichment Journal, spent time with this missionary giant, reminiscing about his distinguished missions career and getting his thoughts on missions for the 21st century.
What was your earliest association with the Assemblies of God?
Hogan: I was not saved through the ministry of the Assemblies of God. I was born and raised on a cattle ranch in western Colorado. The earliest Pentecostal preachers in our area were independent, so I didn’t have any background in the Assemblies of God until my father and mother sold the ranch and ultimately moved to Springfield to put my older brother Gene and me in Central Bible Institute. So my earliest recollection of the Assemblies of God took place in Springfield when I came to Bible school in 1933.
Who has influenced your life the most for Pentecost and for missions?
Hogan: My own family was the main early influence. My mother was the spiritual head in our family. When the Pentecostal revival swept into the valley where we lived in Colorado, I went with my family to the revival. I was saved when I was 9 years old. We received the baptism in the Holy Spirit along with other farm families in our community.
When I look back, I can’t believe my family, having no background in the Assemblies of God, elected to move to Springfield to put my brother and me in Bible school. It had to be a sovereign leading of the Spirit. W.I. Evans, Ralph Riggs, Myer Pearlman, and J. Roswell Flower all had a very great influence on my life.
When did you and your wife go to the mission field?
Hogan: We went to the mission field in 1946. We were pastoring in Detroit when the Lord called us to China. The war was still on, and we knew it would end and China would be open. We left our pastorate and went to the University of California to study Chinese and Oriental culture. The war did come to a close, and in 1946 we went to the mission field.
Describe your experience on the mission field.
Hogan: China was still feeling the effects of war. There was a threat of a Communist takeover, so things in China were abnormal.
China at one time was one of our major fields. We had 80 missionaries in China, including several districts, Bible schools, and all the other things that go with organizations. Pioneer missionaries had done a fine work in China. We went to East China to the city of Ningpo to pick up the pieces that were left after the war.
The Chinese people are steeped in cultural religions. Though there was a fine work where I went—a very good Bible school and a good church—I couldn’t say that there was a mighty revival going on. Nothing like there is now in China.
Assemblies of god foreign missions has become more resourceful over the years. you must be pleased with what is taking place!
Hogan: I am very grateful for what the Lord is doing in missions. We are experiencing tremendous growth. When I first became director of the Division of Foreign Missions, the Fellowship was about 3 million people worldwide. Today we have approximately 30 million people in the Assemblies of God worldwide. The number of foreign missionaries has also grown from 788, when I first became director to nearly 2,000 today.
I am also encouraged at the growth of national leadership and the quality of national preachers that our program has produced overseas. Some of the greatest churches in the world are now overseas. In fact, up until the time I retired, the largest churches I preached in were overseas.
We are moving up in the world of education, through the Bible colleges and seminaries we are establishing overseas. These are preparing good leadership.
With growth comes change. We have moved from being a small organization that was sometimes looked down on in the religious world to the forefront of religious organizations. We are well known in the world of the church.
I am very optimistic about the foreign missions program. It is well led. It continues to grow. In fact, it is one of the major missions programs in the world today.
What has been the key to the dynamic growth that the assemblies of God has seen in foreign missions?
Hogan: The concept of the indigenous church has been one of the major keys in the growth of Assemblies of God foreign missions. The Division of Foreign Missions has continued the vision of our founding fathers that we would produce national churches that are self-supporting and self-governing. Most of the pioneer missionaries had the idea of producing national churches. We were able to build on that principle, and that’s one of the reasons why there are 30 million people today in the Assemblies of God around the world. In the beginning we never set out to build an American or a Western organization, but to build indigenous churches.
In preparation for the new millennium, what must be our approach in foreign missions?
Hogan: God is a sovereign God bringing forth His will in the world. The most important thing is to discover where God is going and move with Him.
We need to stay on our faces before the Lord. There are indications of sovereign revival movements springing up everywhere. We need to be alert to whatever God is doing and going to do in the world.
With growth you also get various influences. We need to maintain our biblical standards.
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