ALPHA Course: Christianity Lite J
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Time
Magazine [March-July 2000]
[Alpha
is the] miracle formula church
leaders are hoping will reverse this religious decline...
It’s
a 10-week introduction to the basics of the Christian faith - what is new or
revolutionary in that? Quite a lot, it turns out...
To emphasize the interdenominational aspect of
the course, the assistant editor of
the Catholic weekly The Tablet was quoted. She told Time, "This is a
significant movement. It's having an
amazing success in the Catholic Church."
"The
biggest selling point is that many claim Alpha
has changed their lives, and appear
genuinely happier for the experience. And they are going to church...” [emphasis added]
The official website from the
headquarters of Alpha
July 20th, 2001
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What
the Church leaders say about ALPHA
[abbreviated
for purposes of this report]
International
church leaders and influential evangelists, archbishops and bishops,
distinguished academics and well-known missionaries - all enthusiastically
recommend Alpha as one of the most effective introductions to the Christian
faith available today. Here's what they say...
Bishops and Archbishops
"I
think it's superb. I commend it wholeheartedly."
The
Most Rev 'd and Right Hon George Carey
Archbishop
of Canterbury
"Alpha…
a clear way into Christian faith for a wide variety of people. I warmly and
heartily commend the Alpha course"
The
Most Rev'd and Right Hon. David Hope
Archbishop
of York
"The course is simple, direct, illustrated by wonderful stories...It doesn't contain anything that is contrary to Catholic doctrine. What's more, it provides in wonderful form the basis of Christian belief which many Catholics have never cottoned onto..."
Bishop
Ambrose Griffiths OSB
Hexham and Newcastle
International Leaders
"Alpha
seem especially blessed in that the Lord is using it to reach all sorts of
people in all sorts of spiritual condition."
Luis Palau
Evangelist
"Alpha
is ingenious in the way that it brings people into a private setting by
invitation. So you are accommodating the 20th Century culture in a very
manageable and functional way and I am thrilled with it. I am not surprised to
hear of its immediate acceptance and use by hundreds of churches all over the
world."
The
late John Wimber
Association
of Vineyard Churches
Missionaries
"Alpha
is a soul winning, discipling, multiplying, spiritually dynamic ministry that
has already touched the lives of thousands. I believe this vision will continue
to expand and truly become an international blessing."
Loren Cunningham
YWAM
Church leaders and
evangelists
"The
great Command to make disciples of all people is still relevant today. Alpha
provides us with a contemporary response to cringe free evangelism which
deserves the increasing profile it is currently receiving."
Joel
Edwards, General Director
Evangelical Alliance [UK -Regional member of the
World Evangelical Fellowship/WEF]
"Alpha is the most effective and transferable introductory course to the Christian faith that I know."
Steve
Chalke
"Nothing
is more apparent to me than the blessing of God on the Alpha course."
Dr
R. T Kendall
Westminster
Chapel
"Alpha
courses are proving incredibly successful as an evangelistic format to reach
people with the relevance of the Gospel for our generation. The UK is being
widely impacted by them and I would wholeheartedly encourage Christians in the
USA to open their doors to the full impact of the ministry of Alpha."
Terry Virgo
NFI sponsors the Stoneleigh
International Bible Week
Speakers
in past years have included:
√ Mike Bickle [see below] Metro Christian Fellowship [formerly Kansas City Vineyard]
√
Larry Tomczak (USA) [The Call, D.C.
Board of Directors]
√
Ken Gott (Sunderland, UK) [associated with the Toronto Blessing-- Revival Now!]
"The
Alpha course has been of enormous value to churches in strengthening fellowship
and increasing effective evangelism in the local community."
David
Coffey
General
Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain
Academics
“At
the heart of the gospel is both evangelism and discipleship. Alpha courses are
designed to do both effectively. We have used the program in our local church
with good success. I am glad to commend it.”
Gordon D. Fee
Professor
of New Testament and Dean of Faculty, Regent
College, Vancouver, Canada
[ATS member]
"The
Alpha course has now become one of the most reliable and important means of
drawing people into the church. It has enormous potential."
Alister McGrath
Wycliffe
Hall, Oxford and Regent College,
Vancouver [ATS
member]
"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 [ATS member]
All images, text and other material
contained herein © Copyright Holy Trinity Brompton 2001
________________________________________________________________________________
Cook Communications Ministries
Alpha
resources are sold through the David C.
Cook Foundation--known now as Cook
Communications Ministries International.
The
A-Z of Running Alpha on Campus
The Alpha Course meets the
vital test of being both open and faithful—welcoming all, while presenting the
gospel message with clarity and power.
George
Gallup, Jr.
Chairman,
The George H. Gallup International Institute
This
manual is designed to take leaders through the different stages of setting up
and running an Alpha course in a university, college, or place of higher
education. Its guidelines and content grow out of experiences encountered by
more than a hundred student courses already running successfully.
A
copy [pdf. version] of The A-Z of
Running Alpha on Campus can be
downloaded on this web page.
Excerpts from
The A-Z of Running Alpha
on Campus:
Scripture
quotations are taken from the New
International Version published by the International
Bible Society. [IBS is an Associate Member of the World Evangelical Fellowship/WEF]
"Our
aim is to introduce Alpha on university and college campuses across the U.S.
and Canada in order that every student has the opportunity to attend an Alpha
course while studying."
"Various
Christian groups run Alpha course as part of their yearly program of events on
campus and feed new Christians into their existing structures of cell groups, Bible study groups and
discipleship groups. Some of these include InterVarsity
Christian Fellowship Campus Crusade for Christ, Navigators…"
"Have
something going on as guests arrive. Many courses have music playing, a video
playing (from a popular show or MTV,
etc.)"
Fuller's Alpha Home Page: “Welcome to Alpha”
A
Model for Dynamic Outreach in the Local Church
A
cooperative ministry of Fuller
Theological Seminary and Alpha North
America.
The
Richard and Margaret Horner CENTER FOR LIFELONG LEARNING
Formerly
the Division of Continuing and Extended Education (CEE)
At Fuller Theological Seminary's Center for
Lifelong Learning, our vision is to serve you and your learning needs in
flexible ways. As one of the largest multidenominational, evangelical
seminaries in the world, Fuller continues to be on the leading edge of
innovative ministry practice. Fuller's Center for Lifelong Learning (CLL) is
uniquely positioned to be your lifelong
learning partner through our programs of Doctor of Ministry,
Extended_Education, Distance_Learning, Conferences and Seminars, or
Subscription_Services.
Learn to
revitalize your local church
Conference Locations and Information:*
(Click
the city name for conference information)
• Eugene, Org.,
July 19-20, 2001
• Pasadena, Calif.,
August 3-4, 2001 (with Nicky Gumbel)
• Chicago (Naperville), Illinois, August 6-7, 2001
• Seattle (Bellevue), Wash., August 27-28, 2001
Visit
Alpha web site: http://www.alphana.org
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Why Alpha?
*
Church attendance is in decline in major denominations. Churches running the Alpha course are experiencing dynamic
new growth and revitalization.
* One
out of two marriages is heading for divorce. Alpha participants are experiencing changed lives and mended
relationships.
What is Alpha?
The Alpha course is a ten-week
practical introduction to the Christian faith. It is designed primarily for
non-churchgoers and those who have recently become Christians. It was established
at Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB), London, over 20 years ago, and there are now
more than 8,000 Alpha courses
throughout the United Kingdom and over 600 courses in the United States.
Alpha is
a flexible and practical model which can work for any group of any size.
Churches and Christian organizations of every background and denomination are
discovering it to be a simple and effective way of presenting the gospel of
Jesus Christ in a clear and non threatening manner to people from all walks of
life.
What is the conference about?
The conference
is specially designed to provide practical, effective, and proven ways of
bringing evangelism to your local church. It is also for those who would
like to start Alpha courses, as well
as for churches who are running evangelism programs, but who would love to see
further growth.
The Alpha Conference covers:
* how
to start an Alpha course
* how
to develop an existing course and draw in new people
* how
to train, inspire, and deploy a leadership team
* how
to run a small group
* how
to lead worship in an Alpha course
* how
to pray with others
* how
to care for people during and after the course.
The
conference will look in detail at all aspects of setting up and running an Alpha course including the weekend
away, which covers the person and work of the Holy Spirit.
There
will be opportunities to hear reports of those whose lives have been changed by
the course, and to hear from those who have started Alpha courses in their own churches. There will also be opportunities
for prayer ministry during the conference.
Who is it for?
The
conference is designed for leaders to come either on their own or,
better still, with their proposed or existing leadership teams. Over
36,000 church leaders have attended Alpha conferences throughout the United
Kingdom, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya,
Australia, Finland, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland, Holland, Russia,
Canada, and the United States.
Who are the Speakers?
The conference
speakers are all seasoned Alpha veterans having run Alpha courses in
their churches….
Nicky Gumbel
Nicky
runs the HTB Alpha course. He is the
author of "Why Jesus?" "Searching Issues," "A Life
Worth Living," "Telling Others," "Why Christmas?" and
"Challenging Lifestyle," as well as his book Questions of Life, which
is based on the Alpha course talks.
Alpha Conference Schedule
Day One:
*
10:00 a.m. - "The Principles of Alpha"
*
1:30 p.m. - "The Practicalities of Alpha
*
7:00 p.m. - "Model Alpha Evening"
Day
Two:
*
9:00 a.m. - "Small Groups and Pastoral Care"
*
11:30 a.m. - "Ministry on Alpha"
*
2:00 p.m. - Questions and Answers
*
3:30 p.m. - "Integrating Alpha
into the Church" or "Pastoral Care"
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No.
1 -- August - November 1999
"Everywhere I go, I hear
about Alpha" says Sir Cliff [singer Cliff Richards]…
C. Peter Wagner on ALPHA courses:
From
church circles, another significant message of endorsement arrived last month
from American author C.Peter Wagner. He wrote, “The Alpha Course is a
wonderful and proven tool for evangelism in the local church... I enthusiastically
support and recommend Alpha.”
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ALPHA North America
2001 Conference Schedule
Abbreviated for purposes of this report. A total of thirty ALPHA conferences are scheduled throughout the U.S. in 2001.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CALIFORNIA - March 19 &
20, 2001
The San Francisco (Bay Area) Alpha Conference
Co-Sponsored by Fuller
Theological Seminary
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WASHINGTON - May 17 & 18,
2001
The Spokane Alpha Conference
Co-Sponsored by Fuller
Theological Seminary
------------------------------------------------------------------------
OREGON - July 19 & 20,
2001
The Eugene Alpha Conference
Co-Sponsored by Fuller
Theological Seminary
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CALIFORNIA - August 3 & 4,
2001
The Los Angeles Alpha Conference - Venue in Pasadena
Co-Sponsored by Fuller
Theological Seminary
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ILLINOIS - August 6 & 7,
2001
The Chicago Alpha Conference
Co-Sponsored by Fuller Theological
Seminary
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WASHINGTON - August 27 &
28, 2001
The Seattle Alpha Conference
Co-Sponsored by Fuller
Theological Seminary
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEVADA - September 17 &
18, 2001
The Las Vegas Alpha Conference
Co-Sponsored by Fuller
Theological Seminary
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CALIFORNIA - November 1 &
2, 2001
The San Diego Alpha Conference
Co-Sponsored by Fuller
Theological Seminary
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OREGON - November 5 & 6,
2001
The Portland Alpha Conference
Co-Sponsored by Fuller
Theological Seminary
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Last Updated: 17 February 2001
Alpha Course referenced in the Mission America The Light-House Vision
article.
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