Norman Grubb was born Aug. 2, 1895 in England. Although his father was an Anglican pastor and he was raised in a Christian home when he was a teenager he was asked by a family friend if he belonged to Christ. It was then that he asked Jesus Christ to be his savior.

He was educated at Trinity College in Cambridge and while there had the vision for Inter-Varsity Fellowship, now known as Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship.

He served in WW I and was injured and sent home to recover. While in the hospital he was given a tract telling of C. T. Studd's work in the Belgian Congo. He knew God's call for him to join this work.