Pregnancy Policy

God created us as sexual beings; therefore, we use God’s standard as the foundation for addressing sexual behavior in the Bethel covenant. We acknowledge that these standards are sometimes violated by community members and that the result may be a pregnancy occurring outside of a committed, marital relationship. While premarital sexual activity may be subject to the disciplinary process, Bethel’s response to pregnancy is to provide support and resources for the students involved. Both the male and female students involved in a pregnancy may remain enrolled at Bethel during and after the pregnancy. Our hope is that we can minister grace to those who are repentant, hold them accountable for future sexual behavior, and restore them to the community. A more complete copy of our guidelines for responding to pregnancies at Bethel is available from the Office of Student Life.