Bethel Seminary is an evangelical seminary founded by John Alexis Edgren in 1871 in Chicago where for fifty years it was the Swedish Department of the University of Chicago Divinity School. In 1914, the seminary relocated to St. Paul under the aegis of the Swedish Baptists (later known as the Baptist General Conference and most recently as Converge Worldwide). Swedish pietism has deeply influenced the school's development. The educational philosophy of the seminary is constantly being refined by the question: "What kind of leadership does the 21st century church need?" The curriculum seeks to address 1) theological wisdom, 2) personal and spiritual wholeness and 3) leadership ability.