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Bethel University history
Bethel University company history timeline
The committee, in join session with the Board of Trustees of the college, resolved on December 30, 1871, to move the school to McKenzie, its present location.
A collection of selected documents from the History Center: Archives of Bethel University and Converge that illustrate Bethel's 1871 beginnings as the Swedish Baptist Theological Seminary in Chicago to its present status as Bethel University located in St Paul, Minnesota.
Bethel University has its origins in the Baptist Theological Union's Swedish Seminary, which was founded by a Swedish Baptist pastor John Alexis Edgren in Chicago, Illinois in 1871.
In 1872, Bethel President W.W. Hendrix led the initiative to move Bethel from McLemoresville to its current location in McKenzie, where the Nashville, Chattanooga & St Louis Railway intersected the Louisville & Nashville Railway.
Beginning in 1873, Mennonite settlers had come from [Russia, Switzerland, Germany] and Pennsylvania.
Eventually, representatives of the Newton community and the Kansas Conference of Mennonites came together on May 11, 1887, to sign the charter for Bethel College, to be built on a plot of about 120 acres north of Newton.
The next report to the General Assembly which gave any statistics on the conditions of the college is found in the Minutes of the General Assembly of 1887: "Bethel College matriculated for the year just ending 230 students.
Further expansion of the charter of Bethel College was made by an act passed by the General Assembly on March 23, 1891.
Preparations were made so that the school could start operations in McKenzie at once.35 The charter changes regarding the location were not made until 1891, when the school was put under the consolidated Synod of Tennessee.
20, 1893, there was a service of dedication for the building and classes began.
Mennonite Brethren in Christ (MBC) founder Daniel Brenneman first called for a training institute in 1893.
After the conflict the doors of Bethel College opened to the public, but the Theological Department did not reopen until 1908, when it was resumed under the direction of Reverend P. F. Johnson at McKenzie, Tennessee, its present location.
In 1908, the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church recommended that a teacher be secured to give instruction in a theological school to be operated in connection with Bethel College.
In 1914, the Baptist General Conference has become the school's main partner.
In 1919, the Synod of West Tennessee tendered Bethel College as a gift to the General Assembly.
Published first in 1921 by the students of Bethel Academy, it continues to record Bethel’s news, history, and culture up to the present day.
In 1923, the college was reorganized on a thoroughly standardized basis and has since continued to render a creditable service in the field of education.
Various other buildings have come and gone since the Ad Building went up, but of those still remaining, the next to be built was the current Franz Art Center, in 1947 – originally the general shop, home of the industrial arts department and the shop for the Bethel College farm.
Though many things have changed since the college first opened in 1947, the Christ-centered, academically challenging focus has remained steadfast.
The library finally moved into its own building in 1952 – today this is the Mennonite Library and Archives.
Quinton J. Everest, Doctor of Divinity, May 26, 1974
R. Gordan Bacon, Doctor of Divinity, May 23, 1976
Pronoy Sarkar, Doctor of Divinity, May 5, 1984
Donald M. Taylor, Doctor of Humane Letters, May 4, 1985
Dinesh Chandra Gorai, Doctor of Divinity, May 3, 1986
In 1986, Mantz Library was built on to the old library and Kauffman Museum got its current building.
John E. Tucky, Doctor of Divinity, May 2, 1987
Myron S. Augsburger, Doctor of Humane Letters, May 7, 1988
In 1989, non-theological graduate programs were launched, followed by bachelor's degrees for working adults along with online learning options.
Roger W. Otterson, Doctor of Divinity, May 2, 1992
Glandion W. Carney, Doctor of Divinity, May 8, 1993
Engbrecht, Dennis. "Marriage, Memory, and Mission: On the 25th Anniversary of the MCA/UMC Merger." Emphasis on Faith and Living, July/August 1994, 4, 13.
Erdel, Timothy Paul. "The Missionary Church: From Radical Outcast to the Wild Child of Anabaptism." Illinois Mennonite Heritage, September 1997, 60, 59.
Billy W. Kirk, Doctor of Divinity, May 3, 1998
Bethel Publishing expanded rapidly and entered the retail market, then collapsed, ceasing both publishing and retail store operations during 1998.
William A. Hossler, Doctor of Divinity, May 5, 2002
Jerry Bruce Jenkins, Doctor of Humane Letters, May 4, 2003
Richard E. Felix, Doctor of Humane Letters, May 2, 2004
Wesley L. Gerig, Doctor of Divinity, November 7, 2004
Joyce Newman Giger, Doctor of Humane Letters, April 30, 2005
Belsazar Nunez, Doctor of Divinity, May 4, 2008
Timothy Allen Rouse, Doctor of Divinity, May 2, 2009
Millard Dean Fuller, Doctor of Humane Letters, May 3, 2009 (Posthumously)
John Abram Huffman, Jr., Doctor of Divinity, May 1, 2011
Wayne Jay Gerber, Doctor of Humane Letters, May 4, 2013
Congratulations to our twenty Spring 2022 graduates! Click through to read the opening reflection and prayer of invocation that Prof.
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| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bemidji State University | 1919 | $23.0M | 863 | - |
| St. Catherine University | 1905 | $129.4M | 2,000 | 18 |
| The College of St. Scholastica | 1912 | $78.0M | 1,302 | 29 |
| Hamline University | 1854 | $80.2M | 1,356 | 25 |
| Saint Mary's University of Minnesota | 1912 | $89.3M | 1,028 | 23 |
| Dunwoody College of Technology | 1914 | $50.0M | 200 | 2 |
| Minneapolis Community and Technical College | 1914 | $6.7M | 500 | - |
| College Of Saint Benedict And Saint John’s University | 1857 | $75.6M | 200 | 32 |
| Edgewood College | 1927 | $66.8M | 858 | 47 |
| Concordia University Wisconsin | 1881 | $6.2M | 200 | 83 |
Bethel University history FAQs
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