Getting Started with Alpha
Jeff Kirby is the Minister of Discipleship and Men’s Ministry
I just returned from leading a group on a two week trip to Israel and Jordan. We took several minutes to walk along the northern edge of the Sea of Galilee, just a stone’s throw from the historic remains of the Synagogue of Capernaum. Was this the place where Jesus first called his disciples to leave life as they knew it and begin the journey to follow him? Little could they have imagined what their choices that day would mean for them, or for the world. What Jesus did that day in the Galilee he still does, and what Jesus said he still says: “Come, and follow me.”
But today, things seem far less clear. We interact with people everyday who have been around the church and heard Bible stories since childhood but are unaware what they actually mean, unsure if they have a personal faith. The ministry of evangelism has fallen on hard times. The conversion-initiation experience of the New Testament has become for many a confusing and circuitous path of false starts and uncertain beliefs. At lunch not long ago I asked a searching businessman, “Are you confident you are a Christian?” His candid response caught me off guard, “ I prayed a prayer one time, but I don’t think it took.” My friend needed a new place to start. Many in the emerging generation do not know God in Christ nor have even a slight awareness of the timeless essentials of the Christian faith.
I have been a huge believer in and practitioner of The Alpha Course since discovering it nearly 15 years ago. Alpha is a ten week practical introduction to the Christian faith that comes from Holy Trinity Brompton Church (Anglican) in central London. The Alpha Course has spread like a California wild fire around the globe with 50 million participants in over 150 countries. Alpha helps local churches actually do evangelism and also creates an environment for spiritual renewal within our faith communities. Here at the Church of the Resurrection we have all agreed on Alpha as a common starting point beyond attending worship. The Alpha Course provides the church with a clear starting line for the journey of faith.
The Alpha Course can be as small as a half dozen people meeting in a home or workplace, or as large as several hundred participants meeting in one large room. Each Alpha session consists of a shared meal, a 30-minute talk on a Christian essential and a small group experience to discuss what they heard. Alpha is a safe place to ask questions without threat of being made to feel stupid. At the end of Alpha, participants celebrate by inviting friends and family to come and learn through talks and testimony what Alpha is and to invite them to join the next course. We offer Alpha three times a year at our Central Campus, or provide the video tapes for homegroups to use the material at anytime throughout the year. We will begin a new Alpha Course immediately following Easter. It is a perfect entry point for a person who visits the church for the first time this Easter to take a next step to go deeper on their journey of faith.
It is impossible to call men, women and students to begin a life journey of following Christ without making clear just where the starting line is. Join us in the now familiar refrain, “Start with Alpha.” To learn more about The Alpha Course, visit www.alphausa.org or contact me, Jeff Kirby, at the Church of the Resurrection Jeff.Kirby@cor.org
Rev. Jeff Kirby oversees Alpha and Men’s Ministry at Church of the Resurrection. He is a noted speaker and teacher and can be reached at jeff.kirby@cor.org.