Dr. An Van Pham went home to be with the Lord in May 2025, shortly after moving back to his home country of Vietnam.
Dr. Pham served Pennsylvania/South Jersey as the coordinator for language church extension in 1996.
Better known for his role as a North American Mission Board (NAMB) missionary and Georgia Baptist state missionary, An Van Pham had a heart and passion for church planting. In 2007, he received the “Asian Church Planting Missionary of the Year” award from, then, Southern Baptist Convention President Frank Page.
During his time in Duluth, Ga., Pham worked with 100 Asian congregations – Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino. In 2006, he planted seven new Asian churches in Georgia and 15 churches total from 2005-2007.
Additionally, during his earlier days in Georgia, Pham was asked to establish Hispanic churches, despite an English and Spanish language barrier. He remedied the barrier by devoting himself to 10-hour days of language classes.
Pham was also a graduate of Wingate College, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
He was married to Lienhoa, and together they had two children.
An Van Pham’s journey with the Lord started when he was just a boy growing up in Vietnam. In the war-torn country, Pham met tragedy at a young age when he witnessed his father be killed.
After accepting Christ, Pham was imprisoned. Taking a note from Paul, Pham began to preach the Gospel in prison, reaching so many people within those walls that he objected to being released.
He and his family survived a harrowing overseas journey to escape communist Vietnam and made their way to America, where Pham would continue to influence lost people with Gospel.
Read more about Dr. An Van Pham’s church planting journey here.
