The University Bible Fellowship (UBF; ) is an international evangelical non-denominational Christian entity that originated in South Korea in 1961. It was founded through a partnership between a Korean, Samuel Chang-Woo Lee, and Sarah Barry, an American Presbyterian missionary who was sent to South Korea. The international headquarters of UBF is in Chicago. The group members are concentrated in South Korea, but has chapters in 91 countries including American universities and community colleges. The organization's stated goal is student evangelism.Origin, Mission Statement
History UBF began in South Korea as a student movement built around one-on-one teaching sessions for college students using the Bible and instilling the founders' version of Shepherding Movement teachings.Jun Ki Chung, "The University Bible Fellowship: A Forty-Year Retrospective Evaluation", Missiology: An International Review , Vol. XXXI, No.4, October 2003, pp. 474-85 In 1964, UBF began expanding its campus presence through missionary work in South Korea. In 1966, the group established their headquarters in Seoul. In the 1970s, UBF began expanding to North America and is mentioned in the group of campus ministries who actively engaged in student recruitment to create Bible-based societies. In 1975, the organization became incorporated as a non-profit organization in the United States, in the state of Mississippi.UBF incorporation Soon after the incorporation, the organization's international headquarters was relocated from Seoul to Chicago. They continued to establish chapters on college campuses in Africa, Europe, South America, Asia, Oceania, and North America. In 2020, Wheaton College (Illinois) partnered with the Chicago chapter of the group to provide a cross-cultural ministry certification., January 21, 2021, Wheaton College School of Mission, Ministry and Leadership
Reactions Reactions to the group's recruitment efforts on college campuses have been mixed. Some regard the group as a self-supporting missionary model.University Bible Fellowship Fosters Faith and Intellect Leaders, October 31, 2013, The Kukmin Daily, retrieved December 31, 2016. Others have, at times, limited or banned the group from practicing their on-campus recruiting efforts, such as at University of Winnipeg (1989),Winnipeg Free Press, Vol. 114., No. 322, page 1, Oct. 25 1986Wendy Stephenson, "Cult personality draws people to Fellowship: Ex-Cult Member Still Feels Fear", The Winnipeg Sun, Vol. 10, No.90, Tuesday, April 17, 1990, page 5 University of Manitoba (1991),Greg Reage, "Shepherds no band of simple country folk", The Manitoban, VOL. LXXVIII No.9, PAGE 5, October 3, 1990The Silhouette (the student newspaper of McMaster University), February 7, 1991 (Vol. 61, No.22) Page 11 and University of Illinois (1993)Daniel Buckman, "UIC worries about cult recruitment; three cases this fall", UIC News, 12/1/93 The group has been documented by various religious watchdog organizations, such as the New England Institute of Religious Research, the Freedom of Mind Resource Center, and the Evangelical Center for World Survey. The Evangelical Center for World Survey Material Service August, 1991 University Bible Fellowship (UBF) Experience - Report from a Mother Some consider the group to be a hyper-evangelical Christian movement contributing to the restoration of Christianity in the United States and other countries.The Spirit Moves West: Korean Missionaries in America 1st Edition, Oxford University Press, 2015, Rebecca Y. Kim, pg 14 Other observers and former members describe the group as cult-like, excessively controlling, spiritually damaging, or abusive.Apologetics Resource CenterRonald Enroth, Churches That Abuse, Zondervan, 1992
Financials In the United States, the group is registered as a non-profit organization and registered with the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). According to the ECFA, the group reported $2,149,367 of total revenue and $2,073,393 of total expenses for 2019. The group had $13,907,906 in net assets as of the end of 2019.Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability
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