In his youth, Ekman was a left-leaning atheist and sympathiser of Swedish Communist party KFML(r) before becoming a Christian before graduating from high school in 1970.

He studied for a year at Rhema Bible Training Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States and upon his return to Uppsala in 1983 founded the Charismatic Evangelist church Livets Ord.

Through his church he has sent missionaries to Bangladesh, Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Albania, Israel and India.

[2][3][4] The couple described the split as mainly amicable, and Ekman explained their decision in a lengthy sermon, citing Saint Paul's appeal in Jesus' name, in 1 Corinthians 1:10, for unity among Christians, as well as growing and more enthusiastic theological closeness to Catholic doctrine – including during a lengthy stay in Israel, where the couple took up residence in the early 2000s – as the main reasons.

Many critics claim that Word of Life's teachings about health and economic abundance created a survival of the fittest attitude, in opposition to the Christian ascetic ideal of being poor and humble.

[citation needed] Ekman claimed that a false image was created in the Swedish media on Word of Life as being against, for example, disabled persons, when the outspoken message was that God promises deliverance from sickness.

[citation needed] Ekman's theology, along with other representatives of the Word of Faith movement, was criticized for having gnostic elements.

In 2006 the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Stockholm, Anders Arborelius, was invited to Word of Life church in Uppsala for a public discussion.

Vår väg till katolska kyrkan, he claims that an important factor in his conversion to Catholicism was information about Međugorje in Herzegovina and subsequent visit to the place, where Ulf and Birgitta met with Franciscan Jozo Zovko.