History of Rio Grande
The Rio Grande Bible Institute was founded in 1946 by Rev. M.C. Ehlert, a Baptist pastor and evangelist, who came to the Rio Grande Valley in 1937 to do tent evangelism. He saw a great need to train Hispanic believers and new converts because there was very little Bible training available for them.
Mr. Ehlert's vision led to the purchase of 40 acres of land in the heart of the lower Rio Grande Valley just south of Edinburg. The first buildings were erected and classes began in the spring of 1947. The school was unique in that it was bilingual, offering three years of comprehensive Bible training in either English or Spanish.
Later the English Bible Institute was discontinued and the Spanish language school was begun in its place. The Bible Institute program was also lengthened to four years, with one- or two-year programs available to college graduates.
Over the past 50 years, God has blessed RGBI with 62 acres of campus in the city of Edinburg. Modern facilities and landscaped areas provide a pleasant environment for ministry and learning. There are approximately 100 staff members serving our Lord at RGBI. The recent enrollments in the Bible Institute have been 100 and 45 in the Missionary Language School.
The challenge of reaching Latin America is continually increasing. It is the goal of the Rio Grande Bible Institute to help meet that challenge by training workers for the Spanish-speaking world. To the staff of RGBI impacting Latin America is a ministry, not a job.
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