EMI: Design, Discipleship & Diversity in Missions

COLORADO SPRINGS – Engineering Ministries International was incorporated in 1982. EMI was God’s call on a structural engineer to develop a group of design professionals to aid and support Christian missions agencies in their outreaches to people most in need. They would do this by using engineering “to win people to Christ who would not be won otherwise.”

The staff at EMI know how to lay a firm foundation and how to build upon that rock in both faith and practice, including their actual work of developing people, designing structures, and constructing facilities for Christian service. The NGO emphasizes three core values to help build a world of hope.

“Design: EMI works within the local context to design and construct culturally-appropriate facilities that are sustainable, affordable, and transformational.

“Discipleship: EMI develops people spiritually and professionally through intentional discipleship and mentoring.

“Diversity: EMI builds the Church by connecting people of diverse backgrounds, abilities, and ethnicities to demonstrate our love for God, our love for the nations, and the unity we share in Christ.”

The first overseas office of Engineering Ministries International was activated in New Delhi, India, in1998. To date, EMI has completed more than 1,500 design projects around the globe. In 2019 alone, EMI

• Worked on 109 projects in 30 different countries, including
  • 31 ministry centers
  • 20 schools
  • 17 orphanages, and
  • 8 hospitals.
• Employed 162 staff members and 170 volunteers, including
  • 41 architects
  • 30 civil engineers
  • 29 electrical, structural & other engineers, and
  • 21 construction managers.

The EMI website contains a complete portfolio of their 2019 projects in Brazil, Cambodia, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Perhaps the best way to understand the EMI mission is in the words of one of the architects who has worked in the MENA region for nearly a decade.

“At EMI, following Jesus means knowing, pursuing, and resting in Him in such a way that His love and His glory are on display in our lives. … We are not serving God out of religious duty or cultural obligation. Rather, we serve Jesus as a joyful and genuine response to His love and grace towards us.

“We ask God to help us model what it looks like to rest, celebrate, grieve, rejoice, and suffer in a way that glorifies Him. … Our neighbors need to see Jesus in us and need to see other disciples of Jesus model these things.”

Isn’t that what we all should be doing?

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