Bethel Seminary
The History of the Seminary
John Alexis Edgren founded Bethel Seminary in 1871 to respond to
the need for an educated ministry among the Baptist churches being
organized by Swedish immigrants. Except for a few years (1884-1888)
when the seminary was first located for a year in St. Paul, Minnesota,
and then in Stromsburg, Nebraska, all of its first half-century was
spent as the Swedish Department of the Divinity School of the University
of Chicago and its predecessor, the Baptist Union Theological Seminary.
In 1914, the churches of the Baptist General Conference assumed full support of the seminary, moving it again to St. Paul. There it was joined on one campus with Bethel Academy, a high school that had opened its doors in Minneapolis in 1905. The new name of the combined schools was Bethel Academy and Seminary of the Swedish Baptist General Conference. During the next half-century, as the immigrant churches became completely Americanized, the educational standards of the seminary were progressively raised. A high school diploma as the entrance requirement to the seminary soon gave way to a junior college education, and finally to the baccalaureate degree that is the current academic prerequisite. The seminary now offers theological education in accordance with the standards laid down by the Association of Theological Schools.
The seminary’s history reveals several distinctives that contribute to the Bethel spirit. Swedish pietism left its mark on the school. The current vision seeks to keep the curriculum Bible-centered, to emphasize the building of the spiritual life, and to embody a spirit of tolerance in areas of evangelical disagreement. At the core of the program is an unwavering loyalty to the Orthodox-Reformed formulations of the Christian faith.
A fire for evangelism and missions arose in the heart of founder John Alexis Edgren, and has marked the lives of teachers and students throughout subsequent decades. Bethel’s graduates have played a significant role in the advance of the Baptist General Conference.
God blessed the seminary with teachers of scholarly attainment, some of whom achieved fame in wide circles of influence. Men of former years, like Edgren, a philologist and biblical scholar, and Carl G. Lagergren, a theologian, laid a solid foundation on which well-trained scholars of the present continue to build.
The Baptist General Conference is a small denomination when compared to the major religious bodies. Consequently, the seminary has maintained a close relationship with the churches throughout the years. A significant portion of each seminarian’s education is underwritten by tithes and offerings from the conference. The school is dependent on this constituency for support in prayers and financial assistance. In turn, the seminary is committed to the ministries of the denomination.
The seminary is still mindful of its original purpose, as outlined by the founder:
The instruction will be so conducted that above all the spiritual life may gain strength, and secondly that knowledge may be gained and understanding developed.
Edgren amplified this principle by stating its intended result in the life of the graduate to:
Go forth in the Master’s service with an increased faith and a deeper insight in the Christian life, and thus be the better prepared by example and teaching to lead others.
The Bethel Seminary Catalog is provided online as a convenience for those who desire course information in electronic form. The printed version of the Bethel Seminary catalog is the official version, and it will be treated as the document of record in all seminary business.