God and His Word have driven the history and development of the congregation which is known as Bethel Baptist Church. During the late 1800's the Bible Readers Movement was sweeping through Scandinavia. As believers read and studied God’s Word and put their trust in Jesus Christ for eternal salvation they came to realize that much of what was practiced in their state churches was contrary to the Bible. As they sought to follow the teaching of Scripture they came under increasing persecution for their convictions and practices. Over the last few decades of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century many of these Bible believing Christians emigrated from their Scandinavian homelands to seek religious freedoms in the United States of America.

Some of the early Swedish immigrants to the Marquette area desired to fellowship and worship with others believers from Sweden. Several Swedish settlements in the Upper Peninsula had established Swedish congregations in their communities, the mining community of Negaunee being one of them. Early in the 20th Century a group of eighteen Marquette area Swedish believers, who loved God and His Word, organized the Swedish Baptist Church of Marquette and conducted their first worship service on December 13, 1903, in the facility of the First Baptist Church. In the early years the small congregation met in rented facilities until 1909 when they were able to purchase an old boarding house. In1924 they erected a house of worship at the corner of Third and Ohio Streets. The congregation had grown to a membership of 66.

During the 1930's some other significant changes developed. In 1932 it became necessary to use both Swedish and English in their prayer meetings and by 1936 all of their services were in English. So in 1937 they dropped “Swedish” from their name and replaced it with “Bethel” which means “The House of God” in Hebrew. During this era the longevity of pastoral ministries increased significantly from durations of only a year or two to an average of six to seven years. This helped to lend stability and consistency to ministry. The 1950's were years of patient, persistent ministry that was challenging but set the stage for changes that came in the second half of the century.

Bethel experienced its most accelerated spurt of growth in the 1960's growing to an average worship attendance of nearly 170. Such growth more than filled their beloved facility and the need and vision for a larger facility was born. In May, 1974 the congregation moved it’s home to our current facility on Grove Street. With a sanctuary seating almost twice the previous one, an ample gym/fellowship hall, and some Christian Education classrooms the congregation thought they had a home they would never outgrow. During the next two decades the church enjoyed a period of stable, solid ministry, adding AWANA Clubs for children while attracting many younger families.

Throughout the later third of the century the Marquette area continued to experience societal changes as the iron ore industry slowly declined while government became the largest employer with the growth of K .I. Sawyer Air Force Base, Northern Michigan University, the Marquette Branch Prison, and several regional offices. Marquette General Hospital emerged as the primary regional hospital for the Upper Peninsula drawing medical related personnel to our community. Throughout this time the population of Marquette County, much like the entire Upper Peninsula, continued to gradually decline. However, Bethel’s ministries continued to thrive.

Throughout the later third of the century the Marquette area continued to experience societal changes as the iron ore industry slowly declined while government became the largest employer with the growth of K .I. Sawyer Air Force Base, Northern Michigan University, the Marquette Branch Prison, and several regional offices. Marquette General Hospital emerged as the primary regional hospital for the Upper Peninsula drawing medical related personnel to our community. Throughout this time the population of Marquette County, much like the entire Upper Peninsula, continued to gradually decline. However, Bethel’s ministries continued to thrive.