Bethany Community Church

I cannot say enough great things about this church. In essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, and in all things charity is true about this church. It changed my life. Incredibly well educated and friendly pastoral staff. Amazing music, passionate sermons, never pressured to give, but welcomed to participate and get involved. There is always something to do with this church. If out of town or sick, you can watch sermons live online. I am a HUGE fan of evening services! Such an amazing place overall. Beautiful buildings, beautiful community. Pastor Richard is someone who I am so blessed to be able to learn from. I could write a novel about this place and how it changes lives for the better. Amazing.

A fantastic community church located in the Greenlake area. For how large this church is– the staff is very proactive at making sure they talk to as many attendees as possible and are available should you need help. The leadership of this church clearly cares about those who attend and helping them beyond any other motive. The church is modern, clean and has a variety of ways to become involved.
Parking can be tough here– but that is because of the location of the church. The church does offer a shuttle from a parking lot and area colleges (for students) and is continuing to add services to help with growth numbers.
Highly recommend Bethany Church.

My husband and I have been attending Bethany for over two years and enjoy the teaching very much. Like any church of this larger size, it’s up to the attender to get involved in a smaller group in order to get to know people. There are friendly greeters each Sunday that help people feel welcome as well as an offering of long term small groups and short term community groups. We ended up starting a Bethany small group since one was not offered in our immediate area. Two areas of caution: Bethany Greenlake Sunday morning services fill quickly so arrive early. Also parking is an issue so if you’re a visitor, park in visitor parking. If not, ride the shuttle bus with us! It is my opinion that church members here strive to value each person despite their personal lifestyle choices since we’re all made in Gods image. Unfortunately church members don’t make up the entire population of church attenders.

If you’re looking for an LGBT friendly church, you will need to keep looking. Although it took me several years to figure it out, gay Christians are not welcome. It is not possible for me as a gay Christian to participate as a member of this church. And although many of the people of the church may be affirming… the church as a whole including the leaders are not. I understand that may be the prerogative of an individual church body, but Bethany seems to talk about love and acceptance, and grace so much that I was just shocked when I realized that the acceptance has a bit of a glass ceiling if you’re gay. So, there you go. If you want a church that’s progressive… you have not found it here.

beautiful, wonderful, well pastored.
Music is always at a good volume (i’ve worshipped elsewhere where i’ve had to wear earplugs eek)
Pastor Richard is really relatable, especially because he’s always sharing seattle based outdoorsy stories.
reminds me of a covenant church i used to go to in southern california as far as how they do things go.
i like.

I have called Bethany home for about seven years, and I love it! I have taken a few classes, have a small group, and have served in a few capacities (and hope to serve much more if I’m able to stay in Seattle). Bethany has grown rapidly in size since I started going, and they have been working hard to emphasize health rather than growth. It’s not perfect, but they are constantly seeking to improve and be a better reflection of Christ. Richard Dahlstrom, the head pastor, is an incredible teacher and writer, and I’ve learned a lot from him. The other pastors are also great. I’ve made some great lifelong friends through my small group. It can seem hard to get to know people, but that may be because the person next to you is also new! Make an effort to join one of the many service opportunities, a 10-​week community group, or a small group. You’ll be rewarded!
In response to the negative reviews, I’m saddened that people from the church are inconsiderate when parking. The pastors have mentioned this numerous times and admonished the congregation to be respectful to the neighborhood. They have added several new bike racks and implemented a shuttle park and ride system to ease the burden on the neighborhood. It’s definitely something that the church is aware of and working to change. Hopefully it will improve.

I wanted to like this church, but after two visits here I was underwhelmed.
The first time there was a few years ago. My husband and I went to the evening service. We weren’t welcomed or greeted by anyone, and during the communion they ran out of bread! After that experience we continued to attend our home church of 5 years that is on the Eastside.
Recently we decided to give Bethany another try, and since we live so close by we thought it might be a good opportunity to find a new church community closer to where we live. We now have two young kids and we were eager to connect with other young Christian families in the Greenlake area.
Last Sunday we brought our kids with us and got them checked into the childcare center and found a seat in the balcony. 5 minutes later the pager went off. I returned to the childcare center and as I came down the hallway the staff person who had checked my daughter in was waiting with her arms crossed. She stated that my daughter had a little bit of a runny nose and that they have a no tolerance policy for sick kids. I glanced over the counter and saw my daughter happily playing in the corner with a toy, not bothering anyone (there were only a few kids in the room). I returned the pager and collected up my daughter and returned to the balcony with her. Given her age, 2, my husband said it was best that we just leave because he knew she would not sit quietly for the sermon. We went back to the lobby and I sat with my daughter while my husband went to retrieve our son. I was tired, frustrated, and embarrassed by the whole situation, so as I sat on the bench in the lobby I began to cry. A staff member of the church (as indicated by the name badge she was wearing identifying herself as the director of something) walked by, looked at me crying, and continued on her way. No smile, no, «Are you OK?» I sure didn’t feel welcomed.
I understand the «no sick kids» policy; our home church has that policy too. However, anyone with kids knows that after they’ve had a cold, they often have a runny nose that can last for weeks! I don’t think my daughter was contagious anymore. I honestly do not think that our home church would be so quick to boot a kid out of the childcare for a runny nose, and if it were a new visitor to the church I think they would definitely not kick the child out and would make every effort to make the family feel welcome.
Based off my experience at Bethany last weekend, I will definitely not be going back there.

Ihave had several opportunities to interact with this church’s staff. Also to use their facilities for meetings.
I am so impressed and inspired by their actions, their projects and their thoughtfulness I may attend their services soon.

I visited this church a couple of Sundays and it is a very nice church. I chose the 5:30 PM contemporary service, and really enjoyed it. It was a quite a bit more toned down than a lot of modern worship experiences, not too traditional, but not charismatic for sure. The lead pastor there is an amazing speaker and seems to be reasonable, somewhat open-​minded (in a good way), yet well-​grounded theologically. There didn’t seem to be any strange doctrines or out of control hell fire screaming from the pulpit, which is always a good thing.
Ultimately it probably isn’t a permanent match for me, but if you are looking for a church that is a nice blend of traditional church and contemporary laid back style you should give them a visit.