Dora Lam was born in Hong Kong and became a Christian in 1967. She received her Christian Education Degree from Trinity Theological College of Singapore in 1974. She served in Methodist Church of Hong Kong until 1985, and worked as a principal in a church run kindergarten until 1995. Then, she received her Master of Divinity Degree from Christian Witness Theological Seminary in 1998. She joined the staff in 2000, overseeing women's ministries and caring ministries.