Transcript Alpha North America
Giving everybody the opportunity to hear about Christ
Nuts & Bolts of an
Alpha
Course
• • • •
Overview
Before You Start
•
Resources
•
Planning/Preparation Running the Course Results
• • • •
Overview – What is
Alpha
?
The
Alpha
Course is a fifteen session program which runs over ten weeks to provide a practical introduction to the Christian faith.
It is designed to provide seekers, skeptics and new Christians a safe opportunity to explore the Christian faith as well as an environment to revitalize mature Christians.
The desired atmosphere is that of guests at a dinner party.
Typical evening includes dinner, brief musical worship, a talk, and discussion in small groups.
• • • • • • •
Overview - A Typical Evening
6:00 PM – TEAM MEETING Your team meets to pray and prepare while the meal, room setup, etc. are handled.
6:30 PM – DINNER A meal is served and the guests arrive. The small groups typically sit together. 7:10 PM – WELCOME A welcome from the leader (perhaps even a joke!) and any announcements are made. 7:15 PM – WORSHIP Optional for smaller courses, desirable for larger ones.
7:30 PM – TALK Either a live talk or video version. 8:15 PM – BREAK INTO SMALL GROUPS Discussion time 8:45/9:00 PM – END It helps to keep the ending time the same so that people know what time they can expect to get home.
Nuts & Bolts of an
Alpha
Course
•
Before You Start
• •
Resources Planning/Preparation
Before You Start - Resources
•
Prayer!
•
Alpha
Conferences
•
Alpha
USA/Houston Office
•
Alpha
Director’s Handbook
•
Materials
Before You Start - Resources
Prayer
•
Prayer for your
Alpha
Course is essential.
•
View the prayer segment on the
How to Run Alpha
Video
•
In the book
The Church on its Knees
, Jeremy Jennings, Pastoral Director at Holy Trinity Brompton, gives the theology behind corporate prayer and offers practical advice on how to get started.
Before You Start - Resources
Attend an Alpha Conference
• •
Churches that have attended an
Alpha
Conference prior to running the course have experienced a far higher degree of success and often considerable church growth.
The conference looks at the principles and practicalities of running an
Alpha
course. It also looks at how to maximize the potential of an existing course, how to avoid burnout and how selecting and training your team can dramatically effect the success of your course.
•
If you are unable to attend an
Alpha
Conference, it is available on video and audio tape, or you can find all the talks in the book
Telling Others
.
Before You Start - Resources
•
Alpha USA/Houston Office
Network with other churches running
Alpha
•
Monthly Gatherings
• •
Seasonal Training Individual consulting and assistance
• •
Guidance from
Alpha
Churches Advisors and Resource Joint ‘Weekend Away’ opportunities
Before You Start - Resources
Read the Alpha Director’s Handbook
•
The
Alpha Director’s Handbook
is a step-by-step guide to running the
Alpha
course. It provides:
• • • • •
Advice on selecting your
Alpha
team Checklists for each week of the course Forms for recording and organizing information Advice on the use of resources Advice on organizing meals, promotion and celebration events
•
Before You Start - Resources
Alpha Materials
All the materials you need to successfully run Alpha are available online at http://www.alphausa.org/resources or by calling 1-800-DO-ALPHA
•
Key resources:
•
Training material/manuals
• •
Talks on video Guest manuals and books
•
Supplemental resources
•
Course promotional material
•
Additional reading for guests
Before You Start - Resources
Alpha Materials
•
Just Beginning
complete start up kit 82982
• • •
Includes the complete
Alpha
Course Video Set,
Alpha Leader’s Training
Video,
Director’s Handbook,
• •
Questions of Life –
7 copies
, Alpha Course Leader’s Guide –
3 copies,
•
Alpha Course Manuals –
25 copies,
•
Why Jesus?
Booklets – 50 copies,
• •
Alpha
Poster Pack – 1, Course Brochures – 2 packages of 50 each
•
and the
Searching Issues
Book – 3 copies
Before You Start – Planning/Preparation
•
THE TEAM
Each
Alpha
course is made up of team members who either lead, or help in a group, or help in the ‘task force’ which is responsible for carrying out all the jobs like setting up chairs, preparing and serving the food, etc.
•
Once you have selected your
Alpha
course team, you will need to train them in running small groups, pastoral care and ministry. Over the years we have found that training the team is an essential part of every
Alpha
course and the success of a course is often dependent on it. The talks for these sessions can be found in
The Alpha Leaders Training
Video or Audio. Each team member will also need a copy of the
Alpha Leaders Training Manual
. The members of your team might also find it helpful to read
Searching Issues
by Nicky Gumbel. This book can often help provide some discussion points for the seven questions most often asked on
Alpha
, including the issues of suffering, sex before marriage and other religions.
• • •
Before You Start – Planning/Preparation
DATES The course takes eleven weeks (including the celebration supper). In order to maintain momentum it’s desirable to run three courses a year, with a typical fall, winter, and spring cycle.
VENUE The ideal venue is a home, if the course is small enough. Once it has outgrown a home a venue has to be found with a welcoming atmosphere. PROMOTE It is a good idea to have a brochure and other promotion materials. Most people come to an
Alpha
course because someone they know has invited them and the key is often the personal invitation. There are a number of resources available that can be given to friends or family to encourage them to attend an
Alpha
course and act as an introduction to the course. Other ways could be to distribute
Alpha
in your area and display posters in the community.
invitations
Nuts & Bolts of an
Alpha
Course
•
Running the Course
Running the Course – First Night!
•
By the first session the team should be well prepared and ready to go. Guests arriving the first evening may feel nervous and awkward.
• •
Guests may look for excuses not to come again or to leave. So it is vital that the organization runs smoothly and everyone is welcoming but not pushy. It may help to have a welcoming team on the first few sessions. They are in charge of taking people to their small groups (these have already been assigned) and introducing them to their small group leaders.
•
The leader can then take over and introduce everyone in the group to each other. It may help to give everyone name badges, especially if the course is quite large.
• • • •
Running the Course - Logistics
FOOD A Meal can be served at the start of the evening. This helps people to unwind and catch up on each other’s news. A charge can be made to cover the cost of the food. If you do not have a catering team then the small groups could take turns in preparing the meal. MATERIALS Each guest should receive a manual; typically this is given to them free of charge or on loan, unless you have advertised the course as having a cost for materials.
BOOKSHOP With the bigger courses it may help to have books on sale. The leader may like to suggest reading
Questions of Life
during the course. Other books are listed at the end of each talk in the manual. ORGANIZING PEOPLE INTO SMALL GROUPS If you have details about the guests, then you can assign them to appropriate groups, paying particular attention to age range. If you have very few details, you can only pray for guidance – it usually works!
•
Running the Course - Logistics
WORSHIP – Experience shows that when you have more than 30 people in your
Alpha
course you can consider introducing worship to your
Alpha
course. It is this element of the course that guests often find difficult at the beginning of the course but by the end they consider it the highlight.
The Alpha Worship Pack
has been designed to help you introduce worship sensitively and includes a cd/tape, songbook, manual and teaching tape.
•
Running the Course - Logistics
THE TALK – Many of the existing
Alpha
courses choose to use the
Alpha
Video Set to run the course. Filmed at Holy Trinity Brompton, the set consists of the 15 talks which make up the
Alpha
course and are presented by Nicky Gumbel. However, if you would prefer to use a live speaker, the book
Questions of Life
provides the talks in written format.
by Nicky Gumbel
• • • • • • •
Running the Course – Evening Schedule
6:00 PM – TEAM MEETING Your team meets to pray and prepare while the meal, room setup, etc. are handled.
6:30 PM – DINNER A meal is served and the guests arrive. The small groups typically sit together. 7:10 PM – WELCOME A welcome from the leader (perhaps even a joke!) and any announcements are made. 7:15 PM – WORSHIP Optional for smaller courses, desirable for larger ones.
7:30 PM – TALK Either a live talk or video version. 8:15 PM – BREAK INTO SMALL GROUPS Discussion time 8:45/9:00 PM – END It helps to keep the ending time the same so that people know what time they can expect to get home.
• • • • • • •
Running the Course - Content
Christianity: Boring,
•
Who is the Holy Spirit?
Untrue and Irrelevant?
•
What does the Holy Spirit Who is Jesus?
do?
•
Why did Jesus die?
How can I be sure of my faith?
How and why should I read the Bible?
How and why should I pray?
How does God guide us?
• • • • •
How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?
How can I make the most of the life?
How can I resist evil?
Why and how should I tell others?
Does God heal today?
What about the Church?
• • • •
Running the Course - The Weekend
•
The weekend is a crucial element of the course when the Holy Spirit is introduced. Sometimes the teaching can be incorporated into a single day, but the weekend is a good chance to cement friendships and take a break away. Time can also be found for counselling, prayer, worship and perhaps some form of entertainment. The weekend is normally held anytime after the fifth week of the course. The suggested program is: Friday 6:30PM Arrive 8:30PM Supper 9:45PM A short introduction
• • • • • • • • • • •
Running the Course - The Weekend
Saturday 8:30AM Breakfast 9:30AM Worship and Talk 1 (Who is the Holy Spirit?) 10:45AM Coffee 11:15AM Talk 2 (What does the Holy Spirit do?) 12 NOON Small groups 1:00PM Lunch - Afternoon free 4:00PM Tea or refreshments 5:30PM Worship and Talk 3(How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?) 7:30PM Supper 9:00PM Revue/Entertainments
•
Running the Course - The Weekend
Sunday
•
9:00AM Breakfast
•
9:45AM Small groups
•
10:30AM Holy Communion and Talk 4 (How can I make the most of the rest of my life?)
•
1:00PM Lunch
•
2:30PM Departure
Running the Course - Celebration Supper
•
At the end of the course a dinner party is held to celebrate and to give people a chance to bring their friends and family along to find out what
Alpha
about.
is all
• •
A dinner is provided and people tend to sit with their groups and introduce their guests. The leader gives a short after-dinner talk on why Jesus is relevant today. One or two people may be interviewed about their experiences of the course. People are then invited to join the next
Alpha
course.
•
It can also be helpful to hand out the booklet
Why Jesus?
For them to take home.
Running the Course – Wrap-up
•
Everyone is asked to fill in a questionnaire with their comments to help you run the next course. Give people an opportunity to describe how their attitude to the Christian faith has changed since the course began.
• •
Some people from this
Alpha
help on the next course.
course may be asked to People then invite their friends and family to the next
Alpha
– the dates of which are published early – and so it continues…!
•
Running the Course - Follow-Up
Strong friendships are often forged in the small groups on an
Alpha
course and sometimes the groups are keen to keep meeting in a small group setting and study the Bible. There are many books and resources that can be used in this setting including
A Life Worth Living
which is based on the book of Philippians. Now available in video format, this nine- week course is aimed specifically for those who are just starting out in the Christian life and explains how it is possible to live the Christian life positively, practically, and joyfully.
Nuts & Bolts of an
Alpha
Course
•
Results
A Transformed Church:
St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church
• Of 970
Alpha
Participants half of them were complete strangers to St. Bart’s • Sunday Service attendance has risen from 250 to 1000 people • 600 Participants have become further involved with St. Bart's • 315 Participants became givers of record • The annual pledge given has increased from $450K to $4M
A Changed Life: Veronica
• • • • Born in a prison A stripper, drug addict Served time in jail Ladies at local church introduced her to the
Alpha
Course • Her life was changed
A Changed Life: Whitney
• • • • • Successful business-owner, President Married, 2 children Grew up attending church as a social duty Accompanied wife on
Alpha
course One night, prayed the acceptance prayer together • His life was changed
What Helped Transform Them?
Belonging Before Believing!
• They were welcomed as they were • They weren’t judged … they were loved • They could say anything … they felt accepted • They found new friends and were supported
“My Life Was Forever Changed ”…
• “I saw for the first time that it was possible to come to faith in Christ in an intelligent way , rather than through blind faith.” • “I have discovered people like me, struggling in life but much more happy inside than me.” • “I asked those questions that I had never dared ask before. I felt accepted whatever I said .” • “New hope. New faith. New friends. New life .”
Alpha
Relies On God:
“This is the first time that the
course church
is being used by
very same every Christian
in pretty well every country in the world. That is an incredible achievement. It’s very hard to think that it is other than a work of
the Spirit
, in which we should rejoice.” -Bishop Ambrose Griffiths
•
Alpha
Train Your Team Resources
How to Run Alpha
Video Set 65045
• • • •
Alpha
Conference Audio Tapes 16634 (all tasks and seminars)
Telling Others
16618
Just Curious
83378
Just Beginning
complete start up kit 82982
• • • • • •
Director’s Handbook
17160
Alpha Leader’s Training
Video 25602 or DVD 25603
Alpha Leader’s Training
Tape 15248
Alpha Course Leader’s Guide
15388
Searching Issues
15412
The Church on its Knees
54064
• • • • • • • • •
Alpha
Promote Your Course Resources
Alpha
Invitations 69823 (yellow) (pkg. of 100) 15446 (green) (pkg. of 50)
Christianity: Boring, Untrue and Irrelevant
Video 54833
Why Christmas?
Video 65755
Why Jesus?
20073
Why Christmas?
20081
The God Who Changes Lives
Video (prison) 97345
The God Who Changes Lives
Vol. 3 100650 Vol.1 16477 , Vol. 2 53314 ,
Questions of Life
15396
Alpha
Poster Pack 16493
• • • • • •
Alpha
Run the Course Resources
Alpha Worship Pack 50831 CD 50831 Tape
Alpha
on DVD 15151
Alpha
Video Set 15149
Questions of Life
15396
Alpha
Course Manual 15305
30 Days
54056
• • • • •
Alpha
Alpha
Follow-Up Resources
Starter Kit 10001
A Life Worth Living
Book 15438
A Life Worth Living
Video Set 69419
A Life Worth Living Leader’s Guide
71365
A Life Worth Living Manual
54809