The HQ Education Department is grateful to God for the strength and opportunities granted to serve in 2024, focusing on the education of UBF leaders and members. Under the leadership of the General Director, we have prayed and undertaken our mission by faith, and we thank our members for their prayers and support over the past year. Empowered by Christ’s love, we are eager to continue strengthening UBF communities worldwide by equipping members for Kingdom impact.
1. HQ Education Committee
The HQ Education Committee (chaired by Augustine Suh and including Kevin Albright, Steve Stasinos, Ezra Cho, Paul Hong, Mark Vucekovich, and Liz Hembekides) meets bimonthly. We unite under core values in three key areas: Biblical-theological Formation, upholding the Word of God as our foundation; Spiritual Formation, cultivating a close relationship with Christ and fostering healthy communities; Missional Praxis Formation, emphasizing disciple-making and teamwork in campus missions and house church ministry.
In November 2024, we held an HQ Educators Gathering at the “Garden of Life” retreat house near St. Louis with sixteen HQ educators. This gathering was a time of genuine fellowship, engaging discussions, and prayer, helping us synthesize our shared vision: “Empowered by Christ’s Love, Equipping Disciples for Kingdom Impact.”
2. UBF Institute
Our educational initiatives are now structured under the UBF Institute, with the publication of the UBF education program catalog. The Institute includes four educational initiatives: Online Continuing Education, Emerging Leaders Cohort, Pastoral Cohort, and Women Encouraging Women. The UBF Institute has launched its website (ubfinstitute.org) and a new learning management system (dashboard.ubfinstitute.org) to facilitate communication and accommodate various courses.
3. Bible Study Teams
HQ Bible Study Team 1, consisting of Ron Ward, Teddy Hembekides, Mark Yang, and Augustine Suh, has prepared materials covering the New Testament, including Acts. This year, they will also develop Old Testament study materials.
Bible Study Team 2 (Steve Stasinos, Ben West, Joshua Hong, Augustine Suh) supported conference Bible study materials and focuses on thematic studies, such as shepherdology. They will continue to work on themes relevant to the Bible and our ministry.
4. Emerging Leaders Cohort
The Emerging Leaders Cohort is our collective efforts and prayers, connecting emerging leaders with seasoned facilitators for a 2.5-year program. The ELC Committee, comprising Kevin Albright, Augustine Suh, Joshua Hong, and Ben West, served two ELC teams in 2024. ELC Foxtrot (6th team: (Michael McCandless, Stephen Gan, Steven Krocheski, Ian Agard, Bahati Kimondo, Alinne Tapia.) started in August 2022 and celebrated its graduation in November 2024, completing 20 courses covering subjects such as God and His Reign, Essential Theology, Holistic Ministerial Person, Grace and Faith, Worship, Word of God, Prayer, Preaching, Walking by the Spirit, Marriage, Leadership, Community, Spiritual Warfare, Apologetics, Biblical Ethics, Evangelism, Counseling, Multicultural Ministry, History of Missions, and Student Missions. We thank God for blessing their dedication and the 20 facilitators’ devotion.
ELC Gospel (7th team) of 6 members finished their first year, is now in their second year, and will finish in the fall of 2025. ELC Holy (8th team) of 7 members launched on February 1, 2025, and will engage in the various courses for over 2.5 years. We thank God for blessing and guiding our prayers for our community and his kingdom.
5. HQ Online Continuing Education Program
This program is accessible to all UBF leaders and members. It employs a communal learning environment where participants engage interactively with facilitators. The five courses offered in 2024 were: (1) New Testament Greek Primary: led by Dr. Ezra Cho, this six-session course introduced students to foundational elements of New Testament Greek. (2) Biblical Doctrine 2 (by Dr. Augustine Suh) studied the person and works of Christ and the biblical understanding of humanity. (3) Emotionally Healthy Spirituality (facilitated by P. Steve Stasinos, Eric Lopez, and Dr. Ruth Yoon) aimed to equip participants with practical tools and spiritual disciplines to foster a balanced and healthy spiritual life. (4) Exploring Early Church History, led by M John Rhee, focused on key issues and figures in the first four centuries of the church. (5) Communicating the Gospel in the Context of 3D Cultures, led by Dr. Sarah Ahn along with collaborators, examined how the multifaceted gospel can engage diverse cultures, addressing elements of guilt, shame, and fear.
Four courses are planned in the spring term of 2025: (1) 1 Peter Study, (2) Living by the Holy Spirit, in Union with Christ, (3) Kingdom, Human Sexuality and Social Justice, and (4) New Testament Greek Basics. Register at ubfinstitute.org. These courses will contribute to certificate programs, to be developed and presented later this year.
6. HQ Pastoral Training Program:
The Pan-Africa Cohort (PAC) aims to provide biblical, theological training for African pastors through a structured four-year program comprising 24 courses. The first cohort began on January 12, 2024, with eleven leaders from various countries, including Nigeria, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Sudan, and Zambia. The cohort, meeting biweekly online, finished five essential courses, such as Biblical Doctrine 1 and 2 (Dr. Augustine Suh), Spiritual Warfare (P Joshua Hong), and Inductive Bible Study (P. Ron Ward and Dr. Mark Yang). Also, they had one in-person seminar that allowed for deeper discussions and fellowship. Courses planned for the 2025 PAC will include New Testament Greek, UBF Shepherdology, Early Church History, Ecclesiology, and Missiology. The initiative, supported by a dedicated committee, seeks to equip African leaders to serve God’s flock effectively.
7. Women Encouraging Women
In 2024, three tracks were carried out. The spring track, “Remain,” facilitated by Dr. Liz Lincoln and P Abraham Lincoln, focused on women in ministry for over ten years, helping them strengthen their relationship with Jesus through scripture meditation. The fall track, “Remain Again,” taught participants from various countries to reconnect with their faith using the Gospel of John and Hebrews. Another fall track led by Dr. Ruth Yoon addressed the unique challenges mothers of children with special needs face, providing a safe space for sharing experiences. Looking ahead to 2025, the program will feature a spring track, “Let’s Pray,” led by Kathy Vucekovich, encouraging women of all ages to unite in prayer, and a fall track, “Renew” (Rom 12:2), co-led by P. Abraham and Dr. Liz Lincoln (register at ubfinstitute.org).
8. Collaborations
We pray for effective collaborations with global partners (Korea UBF and other continents: Africa, Asia, Europe, and CIS), aiming to strengthen leadership and education for mission work. We actively collaborate with the HQ WM-Education liaison department for the Pan Asian Pastoral Cohort.
We praise God for granting us a living hope in the kingdom through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Because of his great mercy, we want to continue to provide training programs and relevant courses to empower disciples for Kingdom impact, equipping lay ministers, professionals, and full-time shepherds. Please continue to pray for us to serve our calling with the living hope in the living God, Christ’s love, and the power of the Spirit.