Mission, Institutional Profile & Statement of Faith

Institutional Profile

The mission of Bethel University, affiliated with the Missionary Church denomination, is to be a community of learners dedicated to building lives of commitment for leadership in the Church and the world. Bethel’s liberating academic programs challenge the mind, enlarge the vision and equip the whole person for lifelong service.

Founded in 1947, Bethel is located in the rapidly-growing northern Indiana region of St. Joseph County, home to 273,000 residents, seven colleges (including the University of Notre Dame), the second largest shopping district in the state of Indiana, more than 16,000 businesses, 50 parks and beautiful riverwalk developments in South Bend and Mishawaka. Resort venues on Lake Michigan are just 45 minutes away. The Bethel community is comprised of 1,130+ traditional and adult/graduate students from 33 states, 45 countries/territories and every continent except the Poles, with about 171 full-time employees. Bethel also hosts thousands of guests annually to arts productions, conference services and athletic events in support of the Bethel Pilots, who have won 54 team national championships.

The university has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report on their annual Best Colleges list since 2005. For 2026, Bethel is also ranked on U.S. News & World Report’s list among the Midwest’s Best Regional Universities and distinguished for social mobility. Bethel has been named to Money Magazine’s “Best Colleges 2025” list, Washington Monthly’s 2025 “Best Bang for the Buck – Midwest” and “Best College for Your Tuition and Tax Dollars” lists, and ranked No. 1 in Indiana and the nation for 2025 BSN NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) pass rates for nursing; this ranking follows the third year in a row that Bethel nursing graduates reached a 100% pass rate for the NCLEX. Bethel was also named a 2025-26 College of Distinction, Christian College of Distinction, Indiana College of Distinction, International College of Distinction and recognized for Business, Education and Nursing.

Bethel’s 23,000 alumni occupy 49 states and 65 countries or territories, enjoy a medical school acceptance rate double the national average, 100% job placement rate in Nursing and 100% pass rate every year on the National Interpreter Certification (NIC) exam for a unique academic major in American Sign Language.

Faculty accomplishments from Bethel include a Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges award; publication in the International Journal of Science & Research Methodology, the Illinois Journal of Mathematics and Current magazine; writing several published books; and a Chief Editor of books in a series of Church choir anthems for Chinese churches.

New academic majors added in recent years include Physics Education, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Computer Science, Cyber Security, Christian Leadership, English as a New Language and Marketing. Academic majors experiencing increases in student enrollment include Art Education, Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, Christian Ministries and Elementary Education. The percentage of students of color has increased from 24% to 33% for the total student body in recent years.

In the past decade, donor gifts have allowed significant facility upgrades across campus. Academic upgrades include the Academic Support Services Center, School of Nursing Simulation Lab, the addition of a kindergarten lab classroom and the renewal of the largest lecture hall renamed for Paqui and Brian Kelly (former Notre Dame head football coach). Athletic upgrades include the building of the Lehman Family Training Center, the addition of intramural fields, the construction of a new softball stadium and a refreshed weight room. General campus upgrades include the construction of new entrances for the East side of campus and athletic park, a remodel of the art gallery, renovation of the Acorn Café, renovation of Sufficient Grounds Café and Campus Store, the Gates Welcome Center, improved Wi-Fi network and phone systems, renovated Center for Computing, including computer science labs, classroom and lounge, and more.

Traditional college-age students rank mentoring as one of the most prominent traits of the Bethel environment. Through alumni surveys, we see very high faith-integration retention after their Bethel years (e.g. understanding biblical texts, feeling equipped for the essential questions of life, strong critical thinking skills, etc.). In addition to mentoring, Bethel integrates strong academics, spiritual formation and lifelong relationships into the student experience.

Bethel’s work values include: Love God, Love People, Humble Excellence and Creative Grit.

Statement of Faith

​Bethel University is affiliated with the Missionary Church and aligns with Missionary Church Articles of Faith. We are a Christian community of scholars and learners dedicated to building lives of commitment for leadership in the Church, the nation and the world. Bethel provides liberating academic programs to challenge the mind, enlarge the vision and equip the whole person for lifelong service.

We Believe

• The eternal, triune God of the Bible – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is the Creator and Sustainer of all creation and the Author of salvation.
• The Bible, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is the written Word of God, verbally inspired by the Holy Spirit and, therefore, true, reliable, and without error in all it addresses.
• God made humans in His image, but their sin enslaves and alienates them, ruining their relationships with God and each other. Therefore, through His unique Son, Jesus the Christ, and through him alone, God has undertaken a work of salvation that will bring about the complete destruction of evil and its effects and the eternal redemption and reconciliation of those who repent of and renounce their sin and turn to God in faith and obedience.
• The Church is comprised of people who are born of and empowered by the Holy Spirit to obey the two Great Commandments to love God and love people and to carry out the Great Commission. Thus, the church is a community of believers who strive to live lives of holy love and mutual edification, while faithfully making obedient disciples of Jesus the Christ.
• The personal return of Jesus the Christ will bring an end to the present evil age and establish the full and final form of God’s eternal Kingdom. Christ’s return will result in the last judgment of all believers and unbelievers, the reward or retribution that each person has coming, and the creation of the glorious new world which believers will enjoy with God forever.