University Bible Fellowship

What University Bible Fellowship does

University Bible Fellowship (UBF) is a non-denominational international evangelical religious organization founded in 1961 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It operates a global network of over 400 local chapters across approximately 80 countries, delivering campus ministry, one-to-one Bible study, discipleship programming, and missionary training and deployment. Its primary audiences are college and university students, young adults engaged in missionary service, and members of its local chapter communities; the organization runs primary segment programming such as the World Mission Congress, the Missionary Shepherd Conference, regional and continental conferences, and structured training cohorts.

UBF's digital product stack centers on the Daily Bread mobile app (with an AI-powered Bible commentary service added in mid-2026), the UBF TV and Tentmakers YouTube channels, multi-language online forums and webinar archives (English, Korean, Spanish), a chapter website template system, the UBF Institute for missionary and pastoral training, the UBF Press publishing arm, and searchable Daily Bread and Bible Materials databases. Subsidiary operating entities include UBF Institute, UBF Press, UBF TV, and regional market entities such as Chicago UBF and Korea UBF. The technology layer is operated by a small HQ IT Department that maintains the mobile app, forum infrastructure, conference livestreaming, and integrates AI features.

The organization's revenue model is donation-driven: UBF is a nonprofit that does not charge for core ministry services and raises funds through general online donations (donate.ubf.org), missionary offerings, and targeted relief funds (e.g., the Venezuela Relief Fund). Distribution is community-led, with growth driven by missionary deployment, regional conferences, and digital channels including forums, webinars, and video platforms. Leadership is provided by a General Director (Pastor Ron Ward, inaugurated for a second term on August 15, 2026) supported by continental coordinators and chapter directors.

Name

University Bible Fellowship

Legal name

University Bible Fellowship

Website

https://ubf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

University Bible Fellowship is a non-denominational international evangelical organization operating 400+ chapters across 80 countries, delivering campus ministry, Bible study, and missionary training via the Daily Bread App, UBF TV, online forums, and global conferences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Offerings: UBF is a nonprofit religious organization that operates primarily through donations and mission offerings from its global membership. The organization accepts donations through its website (donate.ubf.org) and has specific relief funds (e.g., Venezuela Relief Fund).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

University Bible Fellowship is a non-denominational international evangelical church that provides Bible study, discipleship training, and missionary deployment services targeted primarily at college students and young adults. The organization delivers its ministry through a global network of 400+ local chapters in approximately 80 countries, supplemented by digital platforms including the Daily Bread App (with AI-powered commentary), UBF TV YouTube channels, multilingual online forums, and the UBF Institute for formal theological education.

Product overview

University Bible Fellowship offers a comprehensive digital ministry ecosystem centered on Bible study, mission support, and global church connectivity. Core products include the UBF Daily Bread App (providing daily devotionals with AI-powered commentary added in 2026), UBF TV and Tentmakers YouTube channels for video content, and the multi-language Online Forum and Webinar Archive for global ministry training. Supporting infrastructure includes the Chapter Website Template for local chapter web presence, Bible Study Free resources, the UBF Institute for formal theological education, UBF Press for publications, and the Daily Bread Database and Bible Materials libraries. These products work together to support UBF's campus ministry, missionary training, and world mission objectives across 70+ countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UBF Daily Bread App Mobile application providing daily Bible study materials and devotional content to UBF members and the broader public worldwide, with AI-powered commentary features added in 2026.
• UBF TV Channel YouTube channel featuring UBF-related videos, news broadcasts, conference recordings, worship content, and global mission updates in multiple languages.
• Tentmakers YouTube Channel YouTube channel providing Bible study and mission-related video content focused on missionary training and tentmaking ministry.
• UBF Online Forum Multi-language online forum providing Bible study resources, webinar archives, and educational content in English, Korean, and Spanish for chapter leaders and members.
• Chapter Website Template Template system allowing UBF chapters worldwide to create their own websites without requiring coding knowledge, with IT Department support.
• Bible Study Free Free Bible study resources and educational materials available through the online platform for individuals and chapters.
• UBF Institute Educational institution offering continuing education courses for missionaries and church leaders, including theology of mission and pastoral training programs.
• UBF Press Publishing arm of UBF producing books, study materials, and Christian literature for distribution through ubfpress.org.
• Daily Bread Database Comprehensive searchable database of Daily Bread devotional materials and Bible study resources organized chronologically and by topic.
• Bible Materials Library Library of Bible study materials and educational resources for chapters and individual learners worldwide.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,800 seats filled at 2026 World Mission Congress, demonstrating significant global participation
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Qumran PublishingminorOthers · 17 May 2026The president of Qumran Publishing attended and remarked on the 2026 World Mission Congress, noting it as a powerful testimony to the hope of campus mission and world mission.
• Dongyang University of ArtsminorOthers · 17 May 2026The former president of Dongyang University of Arts attended the 2026 WMC and praised the conference as something only UBF could accomplish.
• BCM WorldwideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSara Shannon from BCM Worldwide served as a presenter in the 2026 Spring Track: Peacemaker program, contributing to relational wisdom education.
• KIMNET (Kingdom Inter-Mission Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUBF participates in KIMNET, an international missional leadership forum that features missionary insights and global evangelism strategies. Dr. Joseph Cho presented 'IT and AI Integration in UBF Mission Work' at the 2025 Annual KIMNET Meeting.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship: Interdenominational evangelical campus ministry with chapters on U.S. and global college campuses; similar target demographic, Bible study focus, and missionary training orientation.
• Navigators: International Christian organization emphasizing one-to-one Bible discipleship and collegiate ministry; comparable to UBF's small-group Bible study model and global footprint.
• Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ): One of the largest interdenominational Christian campus ministries globally; directly comparable to UBF in its focus on college students, missionary mobilization, and worldwide chapter network.
• Bible Study Fellowship (BSF): Global interdenominational Bible study organization offering structured curricula; closely matches UBF's Daily Bread / Inductive Bible Study educational product line.

Broad incumbents

• Young Life: Large non-denominational youth ministry reaching adolescents and college-age young adults; overlaps with UBF's young-adult discipleship mission though targeting a younger cohort.
• Moody Bible Institute: Established evangelical Bible college and theological training institution; comparable to UBF Institute as a faith-affiliated provider of theological and missionary education.

Others

• Church of the Nazarene: Global evangelical denomination with missionary sending structure; useful adjacent peer for understanding mission-driven church governance and global chapter models comparable to UBF.

Emerging players

• YouVersion (Life.Church): Creator of the most-downloaded Bible app globally; competes with UBF's Daily Bread App in digital Bible engagement and devotional content delivery.
• Got Questions Ministries: Digital-first Bible commentary and Q&A platform; increasingly adjacent to UBF's new AI-powered commentary service in providing accessible doctrinal content.

Regional players

• Wycliffe Global Alliance: International organization focused on Bible translation and missionary training; overlaps with UBF's Bible-centered mission and global missionary deployment model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ubfworldmission
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ubfwebdev
• Facebookfacebook.com/universitybiblefellowship
• Instagraminstagram.com/universitybiblefellowship
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about University Bible Fellowship