University Bible Fellowship

Overview

University Bible Fellowship (UBF) is a mission organization whose purpose is to teach the Bible and preach the gospel to university students. It is an interdenominational body not affiliated with any particular denomination, and it is classified as evangelical in orientation. Many of the campus mission organizations active in Korea originated abroad and were later introduced into the country. UBF, by contrast, is noted for having begun in Korea in 1961. Its motto is "Bible Korea, World Mission." Its national headquarters is in Seoul, and its international headquarters is in Chicago.

Founding and History

According to UBF's official account, the organization began in the fall of 1961 in Gwangju, South Jeolla Province. Sarah Barry, a missionary of the Presbyterian Church in the United States (the Southern Presbyterian Church), had come to Korea in 1955. Lee Chang-woo (Samuel Lee), who had completed his studies at a Presbyterian seminary, was leading university students at Daein Church in Gwangju. UBF grew out of the Bible study and prayer meetings the two began holding together. It is reported, however, that the Southern Presbyterian Church never officially approved or sponsored the organization.

UBF subsequently expanded, establishing chapters in Daejeon, Daegu, Jeonju, Seoul, Busan, and elsewhere. Since 1968 it has published the devotional Daily Bread, which has been used for early morning prayer and Bible study. In 1969 it sent out its first overseas missionaries. In the early 1970s its overseas activity centered on Korean nurses among its members who had gone to work in Germany. In 1974 it held its first World Mission Conference in Switzerland, and that same year it began sending missionaries to the United States, South America, and other regions. During the 1970s internal conflict led some members to leave. Lee Chang-woo later moved to Chicago in 1977, and the headquarters moved with him.

Major Activities

• One-to-one Bible study: Rather than lecturing on topics, participants read a biblical passage together and ask and answer questions about what they observe. UBF presents this inductive method of one-to-one Bible study, which draws meaning out of the text itself, as its most distinctive feature.
• Campus ministry: UBF maintains chapters in university areas and carries out evangelism and discipleship training among university students.
• Overseas missions: UBF has emphasized self-supporting missions, in which members hold regular jobs and support themselves while doing mission work. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, it also sent missionaries to Russia and Eastern Europe.
• Literature ministry: UBF publishes Bible devotional and study materials, including Daily Bread.

Organization

UBF is not a denomination but a mission organization incorporated as a nonprofit association, and its members serve through regional chapters. As of 2024, it reportedly had about 88 chapters in Korea. Overseas, it has chapters in more than 90 countries.

Controversies and Assessment

In the 1970s UBF reportedly faced accusations of heresy from established churches and other mission organizations. Criticism also grew within the organization that its founder, Lee Chang-woo, led it in an autocratic manner. Those who called for reform eventually left and founded Evangelical Student Fellowship (ESF). A column in one Christian publication noted that UBF has undergone several divisions, including this one. The same column concluded that UBF has now largely put the heresy controversy behind it.

UBF and its supporters describe it as an evangelical mission organization grounded in conservative Presbyterian faith. They also credit UBF's overseas university missions with helping to spur the Korean church's transformation from a mission-receiving church into a mission-sending church.