This dramatic growth led to the purchase and construction of a new 71-acre (29 ha) facility with more than 46,000 square feet (4,300 m2) of space in the new church building.

However, the Assemblies of God's bylaws required Bethel to invite the leadership of the Northern California-Nevada District to speak to the congregation.

[6] In 2015, Bethel Church issued a press release regarding the October 2015 Colorado Springs shooting in which 3 people including the shooter died.

[1] Bethel Church gained national press coverage in December 2019 over a campaign to pray for the resurrection of a worship leader's deceased two-year-old daughter.

[8][9] The mother, Kalley Heiligenthal, a recording artist with Bethel Music and worship leader at the church, posted to Instagram asking for her large social media following to pray that her daughter Olive Alayne would be raised from the dead.

[10] In a public statement, the church said that physical resurrection was possible in modern times,[11] and in a video addressing critics, senior pastor Bill Johnson said that there was a biblical precedent for this belief,[10] and that Jesus commanded his disciples to raise the dead.

[8] The prayer efforts concluded six days after the passing when the church put out a press release that the family would transition towards a memorial service.

When asked about the video, Shasta Community Health Center CEO Dean Germano said it was disconcerting to see leaders disavowing masks.

Beni Johnson later apologized for "the insensitivity and making light of this pandemic" while maintaining that she still questions the importance of a mask, but that she wears one when the situation requires it.

It teaches that all miracles described in the Bible can be performed by believers today and happen regularly, including faith healing of everything from curing cancer to regrowing limbs, raising the dead, speaking in tongues, casting out demons and prophecy.

[22][2][23] Services may have congregants laughing uncontrollably, lying on the floor,[24] shaking, staggering, screaming,[22] and dancing, which they teach are signs of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

[29][22] The NAR is an evangelical movement that seeks to take over "seven mountains of culture", including business, government, and media, to prompt the return of Jesus.

[41] The school also made questionable claims that the gold dust from the golden street in Heaven, the shekinah glory of God, and angel feathers, appear in services.

News articles report that students seek out people in wheelchairs and crutches to pray for in grocery stores and parking lots.

[2][22] Reportedly, the students are banned from prophesying to tourists around the Sundial Bridge after incidents[22] and they have similarly been kicked out of local stores.

[2] Another regular practice is "treasure hunts", where they believe God gives them clues that match people they are to find and encourage, pray for, or prophesy to.

The two others that were with him, including one student at the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, believed he was dead and tried to find him for six hours in order to raise him back to life, rather than calling 9-1-1.

The school would visit such graves for inspiration and prayer, and there the practice developed among students from an interpretation of the Biblical story of the prophet Elisha.

He further stated that he believed the criticism the church got over this, and other practices such as students attempting to walk through walls, actually stemmed from disagreements on charismatic theology.

[46] Some critics allege that Bethel leaders, including senior pastor Beni Johnson, have in fact practiced and promoted grave soaking.

[58][60] CHANGED uses the term, "once gay"; it has been noted by critics that the label is similar to ex-gay", an anti-gay and lesbian movement that started in the 1970s.

[61] In June 2021, CHANGED participated in "Freedom March in Washington DC", promoting it as an event for "formerly LGBT-identifying people who share testimonies of how Jesus transformed their lives".

[2][22][36] In 2018, a direct flight from Redding to Los Angeles was opened, and Bethel Church used its business relationship with the United Airlines as leverage and committed $450,000 to a revenue guarantee fund needed to operate the line.

[63] Seven months after receiving the donation, Redding City Council unanimously approved a $96-million new Bethel campus, despite dozens of formally submitted citizen concerns.

A group connected to the church later opened a public charter school, which, according to a teacher job ad, has a "Kingdom culture and all Bethel-connected board of directors and principal".

[22] In 2016, senior pastor Bill Johnson outlined why he voted for Donald Trump in a Facebook post, where he criticized abortion, open borders, the welfare system, same-sex marriage, socialism, political correctness, and globalization, all as contrary to God's will.

[36][70] In April 2021, Bethel's senior associate leader—Kris Vallotton—spoke against the Equality Act with Elizabeth Woning, the co-founder of the CHANGED Movement, encouraging people to contact their senators and voice their opposition to the bill.

[72] In September 2019, former Bethel worship leader Sean Feucht announced he was running for Congress as a Republican on a socially conservative platform.

His announcement video featured a Bethel Music song with the lyrics "We won't stop singing until the whole world looks like heaven".

[74] There have been many articles written about Bethel and its ministry, including in Christianity Today,[2] BuzzFeed News,[22] The Daily Beast,[75] The Washington Post,[76] the Redding Record Searchlight,[33] and Charisma magazine.