1. What is the purpose of the Alpha Course?
Equipping churches, ministries, and individuals to help others discover and develop a relationship with Jesus is our mission.
2. What if I can’t make it to all the sessions?
We want you to come as many times as possible, but we understand the difficulty of people’s schedules. The talks are all online and you can catch up on the content if you want.
3. Will there be childcare provided at the church?
We believe that parent-initiated childcare is the best way for Alpha to move forward.
Cost: In the past, we have been unsuccessful in providing church-based child care for small groups. Many times the church would offer childcare, but parents would not use the childcare. We would be paying lots of people to watch very few kids. The workers were demotivated, and we still owed them for the whole evening. Due to the requirements of child-safety policies, insurance, childcare licensing, and payroll requirements, it is prohibitively expensive. The pool of available caregivers is also very small. They all go through background checks and because the people who have been willing to work are also Treehouse employees, they earn time and a half.
Shared childcare between spouses, friends, and groups is a model that has consistently served people that have effectively participated in the Alpha Course.
Babysitters: The youth ministry will have a list of kids in our youth group who have indicated their willingness to babysit. Some money will be available to reimburse families for childcare that they arrange. In the past, families that have arranged at-home care have felt that it is more successful for their kids. They can stay on their normal schedules and the kids are usually happy to be in their own homes.
Shared Care: Many successful small groups find a partner group and they care for each other's kids and alternate when they meet.
4. Who endorses the Alpha Course?
More than 30 million people have participated in an Alpha Course.
It has been translated into 112 languages.
It has been presented in over 100 countries
“One of the most effective evangelism tools for the 21st century” it can “revitalize your church.” It is “inspired by the Holy Spirit to deepen and develop the Church. . . Alpha has my 100% endorsement.” — Rick Warren
“Alpha has succeeded in many cases in turning faithful churchgoers from an inward focus on church work to an outward focus on evangelistic outreach.” — Christianity Today
“Many parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit have found Alpha a great tool for helping men and women hear the initial proclamation of the gospel. I am pleased that our use of Alpha with the archdiocesan staff has invited a recommitment to the basic truths of the gospel.” — Archbishop of Detroit
"The Alpha course is a most engaging way of passing on the basics of Christianity. It is a tool for evangelism and nurture that I highly recommend." — J.I. Packer, Professor of Theology, Regent College, Vancouver
"Alpha seems especially blessed in that the Lord is using it to reach all sorts of people in all sorts of spiritual conditions." “I thank God for the way Alpha is turning the focus of churches on evangelistic outreach. Churches that are running Alpha courses have new enthusiasm for evangelism and are leading people to Jesus Christ... The Alpha course is a first-rate tool in our day to live out the Christian mission.”— Luis Pilau, Evangelist
“Inviting friends, family, or work colleagues to an Alpha course is an outstanding way to share the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in a non-threatening environment. Out of England has come an exciting course that is moving churches around the world from maintenance to mission.” — George Gallup, Jnr.
Wheaton College has a partnership with Alpha awarding a Master of Arts in Evangelism and Leadership. Read about it here.
5. Are people critical of the Alpha Course?
Yes, but people are critical of almost everything in our world.
Our staff and several members of our church watched through the entire Alpha Course material during the spring of 2023. At the end of it, we had 100% agreement that Alpha could help our church. During two of the 15 sessions, we will be adding FBC Athens-specific teaching to help clarify where our theology connects with the Alpha Course.
Pastor Kyle has studied the Alpha Course for more than 20 years. He has attended Holy Trinity Brompton Church in London (where Alpha began) on numerous occasions. He attended Alpha training at Park Cities Baptist Church. He has talked to numerous pastors. He has talked to leaders in the Baptist World Alliance. He believes that Alpha can help our church.