Founded in 1971, and now located in St. Paul, Minnesota, Bethel Seminary is one of the 15 largest recognized seminaries in the United States. Nearly 1,400 seminary students are enrolled through the main campus at St. Paul and San Diego and teaching centers in New England and Washington D.C. Guided by orthodox and evangelical beliefs with roots in Pietism, Bethel Seminary is guided by a high view of Scripture and focuses on obedient, personal faith. The St. Paul campus is the only residential campus, which is also the largest campus of Bethel Seminary that occupies 245-wooded acres, including a spring-fed lake. The seminary currently offers a variety of master of arts degree, a master of divinity degree, a doctor of ministry degree as well as graduate and post-graduate degrees.

Bethel Seminary is affiliated with Converge Worldwide (Baptist General Conference) although it serves students from more than 50 denominations. The Seminary operates within Bethel University and the current president is James (Jay) H. Barnes III. He has repeatedly listed Pietism among the distinctive influences on himself.