Key Employee Commitments

Employment Working at Bethel

At Bethel, our employee community plays a central role in our mission to develop whole and holy persons. We teach and mentor students and support one another in upholding our Covenant for Life Together and Affirmation of Faith. As a community shaped by varied Christian traditions, we may hold differences in beliefs that are not central to Bethel’s theological identity. In matters of Christian conduct or topics not directly addressed in Scripture, we seek to exercise responsible freedom and thoughtfulness in our choices (Philippians 4:8; 1 Corinthians 6:12).

As employees, we commit to supporting Bethel’s positions and abiding by its employee policies as responsible, biblical, and thoughtful approaches for a Christian university. We agree to avoid divisiveness and dissension related to these positions, recognizing that we can live in communion with one another despite differences in beliefs that are not central to Bethel’s theological identity.

Key Policies Employees Should Uphold:

  • Continuing to grow in knowledge and likeness of Jesus and actively participating in Christian community, spiritual practices, and other growth opportunities (Col 3: 15-17).
  • Renouncing discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, and disability.
  • Abstaining from gossip, deliberate divisiveness, and malicious humor (Genesis 1:27;
    Ephesians 4:1-7, 15-16; James 2:1-13).
  • Making choices in leisure, entertainment, and recreation consistent with a pursuit of whole and holy living. This includes thinking carefully about forms of media, including film, television. Actively practicing respect and kindness in engagement on social media.(Romans 14:1-23; 1 Cor 6:12; 10:23-24).
  • Caring for God’s creation, including rejecting materialism and exploiting natural resources (Gen 1: 28-31).
  • Living free of sexually impure, sexually exploitive, or abusive behavior in any form. This includes viewing pornography and sexual misconduct of any kind (1 Cor 6:18-20).
  • Stewarding one’s sexuality through fidelity in marriage and abstinence in singleness. Bethel holds a historical interpretation of Scripture that marriage is between one man and one woman, and forms of intimate sexual expression are reserved for monogamous marriage relationships. This includes prohibiting cohabitation relationships. Employee marriage relationships are expected to reflect the University's definition of marriage (Gen 1:27-28, Gen 2: 22-25, Exodus 20:14, Matt 5:27-30, Mark 10:6-9, 1 Cor 7:3-5).
  • Not consuming alcohol in the presence of students in the College of Arts & Sciences or on-campus. Not consuming tobacco and illegal or non-medicinal drugs. All forms of tobacco, including vaping devices, may not be used on or off Bethel premises. Employees should be mindful of supporting the university policy as well as student policies related to the use of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal or non-medicinal drugs. (Ephesians 5:18, 1 Cor 6:19-20).

Additional policies are listed in the employee handbook.