What is The Bethlehem Institute?

The Bethlehem Institute is the non-credit program division of Bethlehem College and Seminary. In other words, The Bethlehem Institute provides rigorous, God-centered Bible and theology courses to men and women living in the Twin Cities area, whether they attend Bethlehem Baptist Church or not.

Courses are available at the three Bethlehem Baptist Church campuses during the fall and winter/spring semesters, and at the downtown campus during the summer. We have both 6- and 12-week courses. We charge a small fee (usually $50 for a 12-week course and $25 for a 6-week course) in order to enable us to continue to develop new courses. If finances are a problem, we have a pay-what-you-can-afford policy.

Foundation Series

We have four core courses designed to lay a solid foundation for understanding the whole counsel of God and to teach the necessary skills to study the Bible. It is our hope that every regular Bethlehem attendee will take each of the four Foundation Series courses. These courses are:

  • Mining God’s Word: How to Study the Bible
  • God-Centered Living
  • Theological Foundations 1
  • Theological Foundations 2

Each course in the Core Foundation Series is 12-weeks long.

TBI Essentials

Bethlehem Institute also offers TBI Essentials, a two-year class that covers similar material as the Foundation Series under the tutelage of a Bethlehem elder or seasoned teacher. This course is cohort-based, meaning that the same group of students work through the material together over the length of the course.

Biblical Languages

Each year Bethlehem Institute offers a series of courses in Greek and Hebrew. First, second, and third-year Greek classes are offered at the downtown campus every year. First-year Hebrew is typically offered, given enough registering students.

Additional Courses

In addition to the courses mentioned above, The Bethlehem Institute offers a variety of courses that are available on a dynamic basis. These additional courses vary from campus-to-campus and year-to-year. Included are courses in church history, racial harmony, manhood and womanhood, the biblical basis for pro-life, doctrines of grace, and the pleasures of God. Courses are either 6- or 12-weeks long.

Weekend Seminars

Bethlehem Institute offers a variety of weekend seminars throughout each academic year. These weekend seminars are free to everyone, and typically last for two hours on Friday night and three hours on Saturday morning. Pastor John Piper leads two or three of these seminars each academic year. Additional seminars are led by Bethlehem pastors, elders, and BCS instructors.

Over a three to four year period, Pastor John leads ten seminars, including:

Desiring God: The Pursuit of Joy in Life and Ministry
Living By Faith in Future Grace: The Pursuit of Holiness in Life & Ministry
The Pleasures of God: God's Delight in Being God
Suffering for the Sake of the Body: The Pursuit of People Through Pain
Gravity and Gladness on Sunday Morning: The Pursuit of God in Corporate Worship
Prayer, Meditation, and Fasting: The Pursuit of Communion with God
Sexual Complementarity: The Pursuit of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
TULIP: The Pursuit of God's Glory in Salvation
Why We Believe the Bible: The Inspiration, Inerrancy, and Authority of the Bible
Let the Nations Be Glad: The Pursuit of God’s Glory in the Joy of the Nations

Audio and video from past seminars may be downloaded.