Bethel Lutheran Church is a socially oriented and inclusive congregation. It welcomes members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and focuses on issues such as housing, hunger and the environment. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
It works to educate younger attendees about how they should lead their lives and is a congregation that places importance on music in a classical sense. Contemporary services are held from time to time and feature a worship band. A variety of age groups are represented. There are 35 to 40 parking spots in a lot next to the church, and free parking is available on Sundays on Forsyth. A campus group has a service at the building at 8pm Sundays during the school year.
The congregation is affiliated with Bethel Lutheran School, which offers an approach to education that is welcoming to students from diverse backgrounds. The congregation supports missionary work such as the construction of a school in India and the support of orphans affected by AIDS in Ethiopia. The St. Louis branch of Lutherans Concerned/North America meets at the building.