Taylor University Chapel

Gary MacPhee

As a young professional, Gary was an architect at the University at Buffalo for over a dozen years, eventually becoming the Director of Architectural Services.  He incorporated his own private architecture consulting practice at the same time, and gutted and rebuilt a few homes along the way.

During those years, Gary and his wife Judylynn were active in the leadership of their local church, until God redirected them into full-time missions ministry; Gary then studied with Elim Bible Institute and is an ordained minister with Elim Fellowship. 

For nearly 30 years, Gary has served on the mission field through EMI – Engineering Ministries International.  EMI is made up of architects, engineers, and construction managers, serving The Kingdom all over the world.  They have grown from a tiny little group that he joined in the 90’s to 250 men and women in 12 offices all around the world.  EMI is passionate about reaching into the hardest to reach places of the earth with the Gospel – they can “go into all the world” because Gary’s visa doesn’t say he’s a church planter or missionary evangelist – it says only that he is an architect!

Today, half of all of EMI’s staff around the world are young nationals that EMI is discipling, mentoring and raising up into leadership to serve their own countries.

EMI has worked in over 100 countries – with thousands of project partnerships with missionary effort worldwide, making the invisible God visible to people through hospitals and schools, rescue works for orphans and the trafficked, clean water and safe power, and disaster relief after earthquakes and floods.

It has opened remarkable doors for the Kingdom. 

Gary was a part of the small executive team that shepherded EMI as it grew to the EMI world of today.  He has served in many capacities, working in over 40 countries.  For most of those years he was Vice President of Human Resources and Ministry Development and the Global Director of Recruiting, investing himself in discipling and developing others, raising up and preparing staff for new EMI offices worldwide, while affirming and inspiring vision in the next generation!    With the publishing of his book, If You Must Stay, Gary now travels around the country nearly every month speaking in churches, schools, conferences, and mission events.  His singular passion is to inspire every member of the Body of Christ to “Find Where They Fit in God’s Plan to Reach the World” – as he often says, “whether that’s the Eastern Hemisphere or just the east side of your town!”

Gary and Judylynn have been married for 41 years, and have three children and eight grandchildren.