Bethany Christian Services has announced a renewed commitment to its evangelical Christian identity, with its board approving measures to strengthen the organization’s faith-based standards for both employees and foster care partners.
The Michigan-based nonprofit said its Board of Directors voted to clarify and reinforce the ministry’s Christian beliefs through an updated Statement of Faith and Belief. According to the organization, staff members will be expected to personally affirm and follow the revised statement, which draws from the Apostles’ Creed and biblical principles long embraced by Bethany.
Founded in 1944, Bethany also reaffirmed its commitment to working alongside churches to recruit and support foster families whose convictions and lifestyles align with the ministry’s Christian mission.
Bethany President and CEO Keith Cureton told The Christian Post that the decision to reaffirm the organization’s faith commitments “is really about three things: it's about clarity, it's about conviction and it's about faith and belief.”
Reflecting on his arrival at Bethany in 2023, Cureton said he quickly became concerned about the ministry’s sense of purpose and identity.
“When I first came on board,” he said, “we were really struggling with our identity.”
The latest announcement follows changes introduced under Cureton’s leadership. In 2024, reports surfaced that Bethany had ended the practice of making hiring exceptions for non-Christians. The organization adopted a policy limiting employment to Christians who affirm its core beliefs and barred staff from promoting political causes in the workplace, a move that reportedly generated criticism from some employees.
Drawing on Matthew 16:13-17, where Jesus asked His disciples to declare who they believed Him to be, Cureton said Christian organizations must be rooted in a clear understanding of their faith.
“I had come to believe that we really had an identity crisis, and this was about the clarity around our sincerely held Christian beliefs and identity,” he said. “Because we believe, our leadership team and our board, that it's essential to the long-term health and sustainability and impact of our mission.”
Beginning in June 2027, Bethany will also require foster families seeking new licenses or license renewals to hold beliefs and practices consistent with the organization’s Christian mission.
The organization previously drew national attention in 2021 for permitting LGBT couples to foster and adopt children before Cureton assumed leadership.
Cureton said families who conclude they cannot meet the new expectations will be supported through a transition process to another child-placement agency.
He said those families will be assisted “through a transition process to another child placement agency, with a goal of minimizing disruptions for children, because that's our number-one focus.”
Cureton added that Bethany hopes its public commitment to Christian beliefs will attract individuals who share the ministry’s values. Describing the organization as one “of attraction, not promotion,” he noted that Christians remain among the groups most likely to participate in foster care and adoption and expressed hope that a clearer faith identity will encourage more believers to become involved in the ministry.
