About Us
UBI Publishing is a non-profit publishing enterprise of the Union Bible Institute. UBI Publishing
exists to serve Union Bible Institute and the churches of southern Africa by providing materials to
encourage believers’ devotion to Christ, commitment to biblical truth and ability to minister in a
changing world.
Our Mission
We accomplish our vision in dependence on God and in partnership with other Christian publishers,
by publishing, distributing and promoting products that:
* are in line with UBI’s purpose of developing Christ-like servant leaders
* are based on the divine inspiration and authority of the Bible
* are relevant to the emerging needs of the church
*are readable and affordable
* serve the language groups of southern Africa, primarily isiZulu
* reflect an interdenominational perspective
Our Values
We are committed to excellence in every aspect of publishing–in the quality and design of our
books, as well as the standard of writing, editing and translation. We are committed to caring
customer service which includes timely responses to orders and providing ample supply to meet
market demand.
UBI Publishing publishes over 70 different Bible commentaries and devotional books in isiZulu.
About 13,000 of these books are sold every year, making UBI one of the largest publishers of isiZulu
Christian literature in southern Africa. We also produce books and literature in the other languages
of southern Africa. These books are available online, from our premises at the Union Bible Institute
or your local Christian bookshop. We also make books available for sale at selected church
conferences and services. Contact us to find out more.
Our History
Standing beside his father’s grave in October 1945, B A Johanson strongly sensed God calling him to
carry on the work of writing Christian literature in isiZulu that his father had begun. Having grown
up speaking isiZulu from childhood and after eleven years of editing isiZulu manuscripts at Mission
Press, Johanson was uniquely qualified for this ministry.
It was five years later at a UBI council meeting, as principal of Union Bible institute, that Johanson
suggested starting a literature department for publishing books in isiZulu. The first publication was
a small book of meditations on the Lord’s Prayer. In the years that followed, UBI published
commentaries on books of the Bible compiled from UBI class notes as well as other titles useful for
building the church and encouraging personal devotion to Christ
From the beginning, UBI was committed to providing Biblical instruction and training in isiZulu, the
language most of the students used in their work. Johanson felt that the Bible message would
remain foreign unless it was communicated to the hearts of people in their own language. Because
of this heritage, UBI Publishing remains committed to providing printed material for building up the
church in the languages of southern Africa, primarily isiZulu.
UBI Publishing continues to be one of the largest publishers of isiZulu Christian literature, with over
70 titles currently available. We give God thanks for the vision of B. A. Johanson that continues to
this day.’