Bethel Seminary aims to develop the student experience to be pleasant and supportive. The following represents some of the amenities available to students. 

Academic Support

The specialists at Bethel's CAPS, Seminary, and Graduate School Academic Resource Center can help build students' skills in academic work and professional life. Students may schedule an appointment by visiting the academic support page or by emailing: caps-sem-gs-arc@bethel.edu, or calling 651.635.8777.

Accessibility Resources and Services

Bethel Seminary provides services and reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities, such as sensory, physical, systemic, learning, and psychiatric disabilities through the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services. Contact them at 651.638.6833 as soon as possible if disability-related accommodations are needed.

Once accommodations have been established, an email will be sent to the appropriate offices and instructors detailing said accommodations.

Athletics and Wellness

On-campus facilities are available for Bethel Seminary students, staff, and faculty.  The campus is ideal for cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing in the winter, and outdoor tennis courts and a disc golf course are available for the summer. Seminary students are also invited to use the two wellness centers on the university campus: (1) the Sports and Recreation Center, which includes an indoor six-lane running track and basketball, tennis, and volleyball courts, and (2) The Wellness Center, a two-story workout facility with cutting-edge training equipment and studio spaces for group fitness. Facilities are designed so that students can enjoy amazing views while running on treadmills near floor-to-ceiling windows, move through a circuit-training workout, or join a group fitness class.  

Course Materials

Bethel Seminary textbook lists are posted online before classes begin, along with pricing. If students would like to purchase from Barnes & Noble College, they can visit the website and type Bethel University in the dialog box, then select Bethel Seminary and click on Let's Get Started. Choose the term you wish to purchase books for and click on the Campus drop down option. Once selected you will be able to search by course subject and number. Example: Campus choice, Courses A-M, to search for BT510-Brown.

Students may purchase textbooks from alternative sources if they prefer to do so.

Community Worship Opportunities

There are a variety of community worship opportunities available to students on our St. Paul campus, including regular chapel services. 

Computer Access

Since ours is an increasingly technological society, faculty members seek to integrate and maximize technological resources in the learning experience. There may be instances when a faculty member will ask students to put devices aside for a given class session. The seminary and university libraries have computers available for student use.

Counseling

Bethel provides two resources for students who desire personal counseling:

• Short-Term Counseling: The Associate Dean of Formation and Professional Development (651.635.8524), has a limited number of counseling hours available for students free of charge. Students can contact the associate dean directly.
• Professional Counseling: The Office of Counseling Services provides short-term individual and relational counseling. The number of sessions will be limited based on available resources. All Bethel students are welcome to access services at the 3900 Bethel Drive campus during normal business hours.

Email

Once students have created their Bethel community account and have been registered, all students are assigned a Bethel email address. Bethel Seminary uses the Bethel community email account for all official correspondence. Therefore, it is essential for students to regularly check their Bethel email for pertinent communication from faculty and administration, and to use their Bethel email for official correspondence. Bethel email may be redirected to a home or business email address, if preferred.

Food Service

On campus students may purchase meals from the university’s Monson Dining Center, 3900 Grill, or Royal Grounds. Ice, water, and vending machines containing beverages and snacks are also located in the Anderson Center.

Health Services

On campus students have access to the Health Services facilities located on the university campus. A registered nurse is on duty at regular hours Monday through Friday with a physician on campus at scheduled times during the week. This service is provided for minimal cost to full-time students. Health Services hours, services, and the schedule of the campus physician are listed on the Health Services website.

Health Insurance

Students are required to participate in a hospital insurance plan. This may be done by purchasing a policy from an insurance company of the student’s own choosing or by participating in a plan where the student or his or her spouse is employed. 

Jerusalem University College

Bethel Seminary provides an outstanding opportunity both to study the Bible in the land of the Bible, as well as to study language, social and political culture, religions, and historical relationships in the Near East. Bethel Seminary is a member of the Consortium of Associated Schools, which is based at Jerusalem University College on Mount Zion, along with some 85 other accredited institutions of higher learning from around the world.

Jerusalem University College (JUC) is also an independent graduate degree-granting institution of higher education in Israel. Courses are taught by Israelis and Palestinians as well as expatriates who have lived in the land for some time. Among the faculty of JUC are those who are also on the faculties of Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, Bethlehem University, and Bar-Ilan University.

Bethel students can study at JUC for a semester as part of their Bethel program or take advantage of one or two short-term field-based courses. Students should consult the Bethel representative and registrar prior to enrolling.

For more information, contact Bethel’s JUC representative Kaz Hayashi (kah54922@bethel.edu) or:

JUC
4249 E. State St., Suite 203
Rockford, IL 61108
800.891.9408

Library

The resources of Bethel University Library are available to support the seminary programs. This includes more than 200,000 print books; 12,000 non-print items; 50,000 journal titles; 249,000 electronic books; and over 100 online databases.

As an integral part of the educational process, the Bethel library strives to provide relevant resources for all Bethel communities. It is a member of many library associations, such as MnPALS, Minnesota Theological Library Association (MTLA), and Minitex. This network of associations provides the Bethel community with access to millions of resources. The variety of delivery systems enables the library to serve the information needs of students and faculty worldwide. Visit the library’s webpage at bethel.edu/library for more information.

My Bethel

All Bethel information is accessible through myBethel, which is Bethel’s internal web hub with features and information customized for each individual, depending upon their role at the university. Once a Bethel community account is created, students, faculty, and staff have access to a variety of online services, including registration, course schedules, grades, degree evaluations, the Moodle learning platform, student accounts, and payroll information.

Office of Formation and Professional Development

Opportunities for community involvement, spiritual and professional development, and personal wellness are coordinated through the Office of Formation and Professional Development. They include:

• Opportunities for community involvement through community lunches/dinners.
• Opportunities for spiritual and professional development through chapel services, community prayer, community lunches/desserts, brown-bag lunches, and small group experiences.
• Opportunities for emotional, physical, and relational wellness through counseling addressing personal or relationship concerns and the Sunshine Fund (emergency fund for students).

Office of Student Success and Retention 

Academic advising is provided by the Office of Student Success and Retention. Each program has a designated Student Success Advisor (SSA) who serves as the first point of contact for student advising and support. Students are introduced to their SSA once they enroll in classes. The SSA will assist students with course selection, program planning, and other academic and registration questions. They are also able to provide referrals to a number of other support offices on campus, based on each student's particular needs. Contact your program's SSA with your questions or concerns or call 651.638.6868. You can also visit the Office of Student Success & Retention website for more information.

The M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy degree receives academic advising and support from the program director and faculty. Students connect with their program director for advising assistance.  

Placement

Placement resources at Bethel Seminary are available through the offices that direct the Supervised Ministry experiences. Primary functions include provision of resources and assistance for students as they build the networks needed to explore and secure vocational ministry positions. Through the seminary formation and subsequent internship processes, Supervised Ministry/Mentored Leadership staff invest significant energy getting to know students, helping them construct developmental goals, discerning God’s call on their lives, and moving effectively into vocational ministry or other professional roles.

Since most ministry placement is done through established national, district, and local networking, students are expected to take the initiative in seeking placement during their time in seminary. Taking into consideration a wide range of vocational options, Bethel partners with students early and often in their programs, assisting them in identifying what is at the far end of their seminary journey and how best to get there. If the student is seeking ordination, licensing, or certification, identifying and meeting with the appropriate governing bodies is especially important as specific steps will need to be taken to ensure completion of requirements. Bethel maintains a strong networking community of churches and ministry organizations and desires to connect students with these contacts.

Publications

The seminary and university distributes E-Announcements three times a week to all students, providing information on campus activities and items of special interest. Students are responsible for knowing the information included in E-Announcements. 

Special Events

Special events are designed to enrich community life, facilitate open discussion of ideas and issues, and provide opportunities to develop meaningful relationships. These events encourage interaction beyond the classroom and include seminars on information not covered in the curriculum, in-depth interaction through weekend retreats, pizza nights, banquets, concerts, and entertainment for the entire community. Special programs are also planned for children and spouses of seminary students.

Adolf Olson Memorial Lectures

The Adolf Olson lectureship was established to perpetuate the memory of Professor Olson’s 40-year ministry at Bethel by bringing noted theologians to the seminary for lectures in biblical and theological fields. These lectures are presented at intervals as determined by the income from the trust fund that has been established. Presenters have included John Weborg speaking on “Spirituality: Questions and Quest”; Wolfhart Pannenberg addressing the subject “Christianity, Marxism, and Liberation Theology”; and Stanley Grenz lecturing on “The Gospel and the Star Trek Generation.”

Edwin J. Omark Preaching Competition

Half a century ago, Dean Emeritus Edwin J. Omark established a competition at Bethel Seminary designed to bring out the best in biblical preaching from the students. Each year, Bethel Seminary hosts this competition as one more way to help develop the best communicators of the Gospel. Each contestant submits a video recording of a 25-minute sermon to be judged by faculty and students.

Zondervan Awards

To inspire and reward excellence in the areas of Biblical Language and Theology, Bethel Seminary partners with Zondervan Publishing Company to offer Zondervan’s Awards for Excellence in Greek, Hebrew, and Theology. These awards are given annually to the most outstanding students in Greek and Hebrew grammar and exegesis, and Theology as determined by residential faculty in consultation with other instructors at the seminary. The winners will receive a prize of a Zondervan product of his or her choice, a commemorative pin, and have his or her name engraved on a plaque displayed at the Seminary.