Bethel is a village in Shelby County, Missouri, United States.

[4] Bethel was founded as a Bible utopian colony in 1844 by Dr William Keil (1811–1877), a Prussian-born preacher.

[5] He and his followers, who were almost exclusively German immigrants to America, believed that the Book of Acts required that Christians hold all property and means of production in common and they organized their Colony accordingly.

It owned thousands of sheep, cattle and horses, and had over 3,500 acres under cultivation.

The remainder of the Bethel Colony retained their communal ownership of property and shared means of production until three years after his death in 1877.

In 1880, the property was divided among the remaining members, thus ending Missouri's most successful communal experiment.

Also listed on the National Register of Historic Places are nearby Elim and Hebron.

[8] According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.14 square miles (0.36 km2), all land.

There were no families and 6.8% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 42.9% of those over 64.

The Communistic Societies of the United States from Personal Vision and Observation.... 1875.