| | Ulf Ekman - a Short Biography Ulf Ekman is the founder and pastor of Word of Life Church in Uppsala, Sweden, which more than 3,000 people count as their home church.
Word of Life has an extensive missions program, runs a number of educational facilities and produces books in several languages in addition to audiotapes, CDs, videos and DVDs containing faith-inspiring teaching, distributed all over the world. In Russia alone, 5 million books have been spread.
Ulf Ekman regularly holds seminars for pastors and Christian leaders in many different countries. His bold preaching has helped, equipped and inspired Christians all over the world to live their lives in victorious faith in God. Together with his wife, Birgitta, Pastor Ulf heads the international ministry of Word of Life.
Ulf Ekman was born in Gothenburg, Sweden, on December 8, 1950. On May 28, 1970, a few days before his high school graduation, he had a personal experience with Jesus Christ and became a Christian – an encounter that radically changed the direction of his life.
Ulf Ekman enrolled at Uppsala University and studied ethnography, history and theology for several years. In the spring of 1976, he met the woman who was to become his wife, Birgitta Nilsson, a missionary's daughter brought up in northern India.
In January 1979, Ulf Ekman was ordained minister of the Swedish Lutheran Church, and for a few years, he worked as chaplain at the University of Uppsala. As he preached boldly about the believer's authority in the name of Jesus, many students were drawn to the Lord, and a smaller revival broke out among the students.
In the beginning of the ’80s, Ulf Ekman moved with his family to Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.A., where he attended Rhema Bible Training Center for one year.
Upon his return to Sweden, in 1983, he left the Lutheran Church and founded Word of Life Church and Bible Centre in Uppsala, Sweden. At the time, this was a very unusual undertaking in the country, and it wasn’t long until his name and face had become known all over the nation.
During the remainder of the1980s, Ulf Ekman and Word of Life Church were more or less constantly in hot water. Media questioned the church, and religious leaders warned against the preaching of faith, victory and the abundant life in the Spirit.
However, despite the fierce opposition, the congregation grew and similar churches sprang up in many places all over Scandinavia; the spiritual climate began to change.
Since then Ulf Ekman is a highly appreciated and often-invited speaker at churches and conferences, not only in Scandinavia but internationally, as well.
Ulf Ekman still functions as the chairman of Word of Life Foundation and as teacher at the Word of Life Bible Centre, which has graduated more than 8,500 students since its inception in 1983. Word of Life has also started Bible Schools in nine other countries, such as Albania, Russia, Israel and Singapore.
Ulf Ekman is also the president and founder of Livets Ord University, affiliated with Oral Roberts University (ORU) in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.A. He has also been a member of ORU's Board of Regents since 1997.
Since 1989 Word of Life Church and Ulf Ekman Ministries has been actively engaged in missions. Over a period of just a few years, more than 1,000 churches were planted in former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, either directly or indirectly as a result of our missions work.
We believe all Christians should be active in missions, in one way or another, and Ulf Ekman often encourages his church members to engage in missions and go on team trips to various mission fields.
Ulf Ekman has authored around 40 books, several of them translated to many different languages, some up to nearly 35 languages. In addition, around 1 million audio- and videotapes with Bible teaching have gone out all over the world from Word of Life in Uppsala.
Today Ulf Ekman can also be seen and heard through the TV program Another Day of Victory on various satellite and cable networks.
Together with his wife, Birgitta, Ulf Ekman heads the international ministry of Word of Life and travel extensively to preach. The primary purpose of the work is presently the establishment of 15 centres, similar to Word of Life in Uppsala, in strategic places around the world. These centres will constitute bases for local churches and educational institutions, as well as outreach work in forms of evangelization and various mercy aid projects.
In addition, Ulf Ekman participates in numerous leadership and pastors' conferences all over the world. |
