Characteristics Southern California is a unique place, offering wonderful climate and geography as well as many enviable recreational opportunities. It is a region characterized by energetic innovation; it frequently gives birth to national trends that preview the future of the country and the world. The ethnic diversity of the immediate environment of San Diego is ­remarkable.

Bethel Seminary San Diego is geographically and spiritually positioned to touch the hearts of a diverse population, in particular San Diego’s vigorous Hispanic-American community, one unmatched anywhere in the U.S. The South and Southeast Asian influence can be felt in nearly every neighborhood as San Diego is also becoming an increasingly strategic entrepôt and partner with Asian countries on the dynamic Pacific Rim. The seminary’s student body, faculty, and staff represent this rich ethnic and cultural diversity.

Contextualization is the process of communicating the meaning of the Word of God in terms that are maximally relevant for each of the cultures of today’s world. It answers this question: How do we transfer what was said by “holy people of old” who lived in ancient cultural contexts, through our own cultural understandings as ­modern students, into the languages and worldviews of peoples who live in still different contexts? We ask this question in our classes while at the same time remaining committed to the position that biblical truth is absolute and must not be compromised. Animated by the Spirit of God, we are energized to obey our Lord Jesus Christ’s command to communicate His gospel to all peoples everywhere.

Each student at Bethel Seminary San Diego, therefore, is embraced as a unique gift from God. Every member of the community of scholars is appreciated for the context from which they have come and in which they thrive. Insofar as is possible, we attempt to make the student’s learning relevant to her or his life situation and calling. Each learner’s family and community background, language of preference, traditions of worship, and vision of life are taken seriously as arenas for theological contextualization.

Theological teaching and learning at Bethel Seminary San Diego are designed to reach the highest standards of biblical scholarship, personal devotion, and community relevance. The process of interpreting Holy Scripture is informed by the most proven methods of research. The meanings of the Word of God are derived and applied using context-sensitive, grammatical-historical exegesis and contemporary theological methodology. Time-honored strategies for understanding the Bible are combined with field-proven, social scientific models to conceptualize the gospel message in the cultures and maximize its impact in the lives of those who seek God’s truth in contemporary societies.

Training for evangelism and mission at Bethel Seminary San Diego emphasizes the indigenization of methods for outreach and the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Language and culture learning are valued and emphasized as appropriate for cross-cultural ministries. Church-planting techniques and the dynamics of church leadership and management are communicated in ways that respect the ethos and worldviews of the peoples we serve.

At Bethel Seminary San Diego, the training of pastoral counselors and professional therapists is based on the holistic truths of the evangelical Christian faith. As Christ heals the whole person, our students receive professional counseling preparation that integrates the spiritual, psychological, biological, and social domains of human experience. Focusing on marriage and family relationships equips our students to bring the grace of God to despairing people within the contexts of their internal confusion and relational disarray.

Bethel Seminary San Diego is dedicated to providing outstanding theological education in an environment that ­embraces human diversity and celebrates godly wholeness. Biblical studies, theological learning, ministry preparation, and personal discipleship are all embraced by a commitment to strategic contextualization for life in every society. A graduate of Bethel is prepared to understand the many historical traditions of applied and situative faith and to incarnate the gospel of Christ in any environment to which God may call him or her.