For 26 years, the Ukrainian Bible Institute has taught God's word to eager disciples and trained them for ministry. Thousands of lives have been touched by hundreds of graduates, and it is our prayer that our institute will continue to influence the church in positive ways for decades to come.
But as we look to that future, it's so important we realize the world is not the same world it was twenty-six years ago. Ukrainians have changed. Ukraine has changed. Humanity's relationship with education and technology has changed. And even though our core mission will always be the same, the Ukrainian Bible Institute must also change.
And we certainly have changed. Our benevolence program has grown over the last year-and-a-half in ways we never would have imagined. Not only are we providing help to thousands of people in need each month, we are doing it in a way which supports local congregations and ministers. We are very happy to see how God has used UBI to build an effective network for providing help.
Regarding our residential school, however, change hasn’t come quite as quickly, even though we have been thinking and praying for several years about how UBI might adapt to this new world—since even before Covid began. Now, one pandemic and an ongoing war later, those changes feel even more important, and they also feel more possible. And so, after several years of prayer and brainstorming, we are ready to begin implementing significant changes at UBI beginning this fall.
What Is UBI?
We don't want to simply train students with facts and knowledge about God's word, which only puffs up (1 Cor. 8:1), but we want our students to acquire skills for ministry—to give them practical skills to be effective doers of the word (James 1:22). But we don't want to stop there. We don’t want our students to study their Bible and acquire skills without developing a true, personal relationship with God (Eph. 3:17–19). We want to create a well-rounded program that trains faithful, confident disciples of Christ who know how to lead themselves, their families, and others to also become faithful, confident disciples of Christ.
We want to create a well-rounded program that trains faithful, confident disciples of Christ who know how to lead themselves, their families, and others to also become faithful, confident disciples of Christ.
UBI has always sought to grow our students in these areas, but as we move forward with students in a new world—and scattered around the world—we will be intentional about training the head, the hands, and the heart. These changes seek to "balance our portfolio" as it were—to make sure our spiritual investments are in the right areas which will, Lord willing, perform well in His kingdom over the long term.
We will not be making these changes all at once. It will take a couple years to realize what we have in mind. (And until this war is over, we will have to stay flexible to accommodate our ever-changing situation.) That being said, here are the changes we are making to create a stronger UBI for years to come.
UBI's degree program is now 18 months
From the very beginning, UBI has offered a two-year training program. With our program operating completely online, as well as the fact that our program has always included long summer and winter breaks, we see an opportunity to shorten our program by a full six months. This will allow students to finish sooner, but it will also allow us to implement a new aspect to our program that I am very excited about:
UBI will offer an optional six-month internship program
Upon completing their 18-month “residential” program, those students who are interested and able will have the opportunity to participate in an additional six-month internship program. We will match our students with active UBI alumni around Ukraine where they will serve in local ministries. During these six months, the students will take continuing-education classes online.
This six-month program will allow our students to apply many of the skills they have learned, give them important ministry experience for their life, and it will also be a way that UBI can stay connected and support our alumni.
Our program will now include a constant Spiritual Formation unit
Beginning this fall, our students will have a weekly class which will focus solely on spiritual growth and formation. We want our students to learn to look inside themselves, at their own hearts, at the same time that they are learning God's word and developing practical ministry skills. These classes will include subjects which will teach studying and practicing the spiritual disciplines, learning to support and encourage one another spiritually, and deepening one's prayer life through instruction and practice. We want our students to have a confident and personal relationship with their Heavenly Father, and we believe this will be an essential part of that journey.
UBI will incorporate mentors to check in with our students on a regular basis.
Utilizing UBI alumni, we will train mentors who will meet online with a small group of students on a weekly basis. This will provide an experience outside of class which will allow the students to get to know each other better, as well as an opportunity to connect with a mentor who can guide them through their studies, pray with and for them, and be a voice for them if there are issues that need to be addressed by administration. At a time when classes are 100% online, this will be a vital connection for our student body life. (And for our students who will continue on in the six-month internship, this relationship will keep them connected while they are volunteering on the field somewhere in Ukraine.)
UBI will continue to offer an online program
An important part of the UBI experience is our residential program—living and growing together in the same physical space. We eagerly await the day when we can do that once again.
However, we also have come to appreciate the opportunities that being online have presented. This last school year, we were joined daily by Ukrainian students in Ukraine, Poland, Ireland, Germany, and Belgium. As we move toward the future, we will continue to provide online classes for students who are able to join us live, and we will offer pre-recorded classes for those who cannot. We look forward to growing and strengthening our online program, but again, our passion is for the spiritual experience students gain from a residential school.
Big Changes Require a lot of Prayer
We are very excited about these changes. We have been praying about them and planning them for some time. We have been re-working our curriculum in a way that will benefit the journey our students will take with us. We are confident these changes will strengthen our institute and better prepare our students to minister to today’s Ukrainian church, in whatever country that church may be located.
We ask for you to pray very fervently for these plans. Pray that these changes will bring about the growth we hope they will. Pray that we are able to get all the plans and preparations finished before the start of the new school year. Pray that we will have a new group of students who are excited to take this new journey with us. (I am personally praying for 15 new students.)
A New Look
As I reflect on what the Ukrainian Bible Institute has been for the church in Ukraine over the last 26 years, I think of a lighthouse. UBI has stood as a light in the dark for people and churches across Ukraine for many years. It has been a beacon of hope, of training, of love, and of sacrifice by its staff, students, and alumni.
As we look toward a new future in a new Ukraine, we have also taken the time to develop a new logo. It’s a small but important step that honors the role UBI has played in the kingdom of God in Ukraine and reminds us that, no matter what we do, our foundation rests on the word of God.
Thank you all so much for your unwavering support. If you have any questions, comments, or words of encouragement, we would love to hear from you. Praise God for you, dear partners.
Until next time,
Brandon Price
On the highest rock of a tiny island
at the edge of the world stands a lighthouse.
It is built to last forever.
Sending its light out to sea.
—Sophie Blackall, “Hello Lighthouse”