Alpha is a short course that introduces people to the basics of the Christian faith through a series of videos and open discussion. It has become a widely used tool in churches across Aotearoa and beyond, valued for its simplicity, hospitality and ability to engage people who might not otherwise step through a church door.
Rev Matt Watts, vicar of Buller Parish, is an advocate for the Alpha course. In another instalment of our recommendations series, I asked him why he thinks it’s so effective.
Matt: I've seen it work well in my previous parishes and wanted to give the opportunity for that again.
Alpha provides a really good way to do that, by taking them through a ten week course that goes through the basics of what we believe as Christians.
Matt: Across last year’s two Alpha courses we had 14 people join in, and so I journeyed with a number of people, but probably the one I journeyed most with was an older guy who was in a difficult situation. He'd had some exposure to Christian faith in the past, and he was keen to come on Alpha, which was really awesome. From the first week there, he was really into listening and being part of a discussion. But all through his difficult situation he was exploring Christian faith and on the “Holy Spirit Day” – which is part of the Alpha course – he had an encounter with God and has been coming to church ever since then. That's been really encouraging.
Matt: Firstly, it's easy to run. It uses videos which are available online, and you pause the video at different points, when it shows questions on the screens to discuss.
It's also effective because it goes over the basics of what all Christians believe. Who Jesus is, his death and resurrection, what it means to have faith in him, how to pray, how to read the Bible – those kinds of things.
There are other courses that are good too, like Christianity Explored or Simply Christianity. When choosing which one to use, you need to look at what best suits your congregation and your setting. Different courses work better in different settings.
Matt: The best way to support a friend is to come with them on the course, to be there with them and to say, Hey, I'd love to come and support you and be part of the discussion. Just being there really helps build a connection and support for your friend. And then, when appropriate after a session, asking them Did that answer your questions? or Did that make sense to you? So, following up in a gentle way, and allowing the course to do its work, but also engaging them in conversation about what they've been learning or what things they're still scratching their head about.
With each person who came on our course, there was stuff going on in their life. There was a woman who is coming up to retirement, there was another person who'd had some health issues. It's about being interested in what's going on in their life – and then, as you talk with them, being proactive in talking about the spiritual dimension to what their thoughts or feelings are and what, as a Christian, your perspective might be on the things they're facing. It's about being interested in the practical stuff, but bringing a spiritual dimension to the conversation.
Matt: We have to be careful in our language and how we discuss things with people. I think a phrase that I would use is something like, My perspective would be this… So, you're giving room for them to have their view, their perspective, but you're owning your own Christian perspective, speaking in a way that isn't domineering.
Matt: You have to earn the right to speak into someone's life. You earn it by listening to them, and hearing where they're at. Once you've earned that right, it's about praying that you would be aware of God's timing and when it's right to speak. There can be some beautiful moments when someone is just really open to hearing the gospel, hearing what a difference it can make in their lives – and when those moments come, it’s important not to hold back, but to share and to offer to pray.
Matt: I think churches that run Alpha regularly like every year or every six months can build an expectation in the community about what Alpha is. I don't think we're quite at that point yet. We plan to run Alpha again this year. The great thing about running it a second time is that people came on the first course and enjoyed it, will then invite their friends, so you then start to reach further into the community.
Matt: Someone from our congregation had a friend who was asking her about the Trinity – you know, What is this weird thing that Christians believe in?
If you're nervous about inviting a friend to Alpha, then maybe try to invite them to other things first. If you've invited someone for coffee, or if you've invited them to come running with you, or invited to an exercise class, or another group, it just normalises invitation and so inviting someone to Alpha in some ways is no different. If we've already invited people to other things in our lives, then it feels less of a scary thing to do. I'd encourage Christians to be in a culture of inviting people into their lives and then Alpha just becomes an extension of that.
Matt: Follow-up after Alpha is important. In terms of our course, there were 14 people who came on Alpha, but there are probably only four who are coming to Sunday worship regularly, while there are others who have joined Bible study groups as a result of coming on Alpha. So follow-up isn't necessarily church on a Sunday morning. There are other things – and maybe, if people enjoyed the small group feel of Alpha, a Bible study or a discipleship group fits better for them.
Check out Alpha's website here. There are also other great courses to consider, depending on your context, such as Christianity Explored, Simply Christianity, or kiwi-made Long Story Short.
Check out other articles in the
We Recommend
series below.
More articles in the
We Recommend
series are to come.
We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
Alpha is a short course that introduces people to the basics of the Christian faith through a series of videos and open discussion. It has become a widely used tool in churches across Aotearoa and beyond, valued for its simplicity, hospitality and ability to engage people who might not otherwise step through a church door.
Rev Matt Watts, vicar of Buller Parish, is an advocate for the Alpha course. In another instalment of our recommendations series, I asked him why he thinks it’s so effective.
Matt: I've seen it work well in my previous parishes and wanted to give the opportunity for that again.
Alpha provides a really good way to do that, by taking them through a ten week course that goes through the basics of what we believe as Christians.
Matt: Across last year’s two Alpha courses we had 14 people join in, and so I journeyed with a number of people, but probably the one I journeyed most with was an older guy who was in a difficult situation. He'd had some exposure to Christian faith in the past, and he was keen to come on Alpha, which was really awesome. From the first week there, he was really into listening and being part of a discussion. But all through his difficult situation he was exploring Christian faith and on the “Holy Spirit Day” – which is part of the Alpha course – he had an encounter with God and has been coming to church ever since then. That's been really encouraging.
Matt: Firstly, it's easy to run. It uses videos which are available online, and you pause the video at different points, when it shows questions on the screens to discuss.
It's also effective because it goes over the basics of what all Christians believe. Who Jesus is, his death and resurrection, what it means to have faith in him, how to pray, how to read the Bible – those kinds of things.
There are other courses that are good too, like Christianity Explored or Simply Christianity. When choosing which one to use, you need to look at what best suits your congregation and your setting. Different courses work better in different settings.
Matt: The best way to support a friend is to come with them on the course, to be there with them and to say, Hey, I'd love to come and support you and be part of the discussion. Just being there really helps build a connection and support for your friend. And then, when appropriate after a session, asking them Did that answer your questions? or Did that make sense to you? So, following up in a gentle way, and allowing the course to do its work, but also engaging them in conversation about what they've been learning or what things they're still scratching their head about.
With each person who came on our course, there was stuff going on in their life. There was a woman who is coming up to retirement, there was another person who'd had some health issues. It's about being interested in what's going on in their life – and then, as you talk with them, being proactive in talking about the spiritual dimension to what their thoughts or feelings are and what, as a Christian, your perspective might be on the things they're facing. It's about being interested in the practical stuff, but bringing a spiritual dimension to the conversation.
Matt: We have to be careful in our language and how we discuss things with people. I think a phrase that I would use is something like, My perspective would be this… So, you're giving room for them to have their view, their perspective, but you're owning your own Christian perspective, speaking in a way that isn't domineering.
Matt: You have to earn the right to speak into someone's life. You earn it by listening to them, and hearing where they're at. Once you've earned that right, it's about praying that you would be aware of God's timing and when it's right to speak. There can be some beautiful moments when someone is just really open to hearing the gospel, hearing what a difference it can make in their lives – and when those moments come, it’s important not to hold back, but to share and to offer to pray.
Matt: I think churches that run Alpha regularly like every year or every six months can build an expectation in the community about what Alpha is. I don't think we're quite at that point yet. We plan to run Alpha again this year. The great thing about running it a second time is that people came on the first course and enjoyed it, will then invite their friends, so you then start to reach further into the community.
Matt: Someone from our congregation had a friend who was asking her about the Trinity – you know, What is this weird thing that Christians believe in?
If you're nervous about inviting a friend to Alpha, then maybe try to invite them to other things first. If you've invited someone for coffee, or if you've invited them to come running with you, or invited to an exercise class, or another group, it just normalises invitation and so inviting someone to Alpha in some ways is no different. If we've already invited people to other things in our lives, then it feels less of a scary thing to do. I'd encourage Christians to be in a culture of inviting people into their lives and then Alpha just becomes an extension of that.
Matt: Follow-up after Alpha is important. In terms of our course, there were 14 people who came on Alpha, but there are probably only four who are coming to Sunday worship regularly, while there are others who have joined Bible study groups as a result of coming on Alpha. So follow-up isn't necessarily church on a Sunday morning. There are other things – and maybe, if people enjoyed the small group feel of Alpha, a Bible study or a discipleship group fits better for them.
Check out Alpha's website here. There are also other great courses to consider, depending on your context, such as Christianity Explored, Simply Christianity, or kiwi-made Long Story Short.
Check out other articles in the
We Recommend
series below.
More articles in the
We Recommend
series are to come.
