How Much Does It Cost To Run Alpha?

It’s important to note that at Alpha, we believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ should be freely offered to all who will come and hear. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not charge guests for the Alpha course.

However, because the Holy Spirit Weekend or Day Away is a retreat, we think it is appropriate to ask guests to help offset the cost of it by paying a fee, or making an offering. If you have guests that cannot pay the requested amount, you might ask church members to sponsor those guests for the retreat. Or, you might ask for an offering on the retreat.

Below is a list of costs to consider for the Alpha course.

Course Materials (onetime start-up costs): $500-600

Your material costs to run the Alpha course for 25 people will be $500-600. This cost is only for your first course. Many of the materials will be reused on subsequent Alpha courses. Below is a list of recommended materials for your first Alpha course. Clicking on each item will take you to the Alpha Resources website, where you can view current pricing and order materials.

Just Beginning Kit	Kit includes everything you need to start and run the Alpha course for 25 guests. Includes: Alpha Course DVD, Course Manuals, Leader Guides, Leader Training DVD, Director's Handbook, Resource books/booklets for guests, promotional posters, invitations and Alpha Cookbook. For details and pricing, click here
Alpha Course Manuals	Additional needed if you have more than 25 guests (1 manual per guest)
Small Group Leader’s Guides	Additional needed if you have more than 4 leaders (1 guide per leader
Invitations	Additional needed if you want to give out more than what's included in the Just Beginning Kit
Posters	Additional needed if you want to post more than what's included in the Just Beginning Kit

Course Materials (on-going costs): $5 per person + varied promotional costs

The cost of Alpha course materials after your first course will vary according to the size of your courses and your promotional needs. In general, material costs will be approximately $5 per guest/leader. Keep in mind that some leaders will return, so they will not need new guides. Also, some Alpha courses ask their leaders/helpers to contribute to the cost of their training materials. Below is a list of possible materials for each ongoing Alpha course. Clicking on each item will take you to the Alpha Resources website, where you can view current pricing and order materials.

Alpha Course Manuals	One manual per guest
Small Group Leader"s Guides	One guide per leader/helper
Promotional items	Alpha Resources provides invitations, posters, DVDs and brochures to help you promote your course
Guest resources	Alpha Resources provides a variety of books and booklets to help guests answer their questions about Christianity

Other Alpha Costs: varied by course

Below is a list of other costs to consider in your Alpha course budget.

Meals	Food, tableware, decorations
Childcare (if applicable)	Childcare workers, supplies
Retreat	Facility rental, meals, snacks, supplies, guest scholarships
Alpha training and networking	Regional training event, national conference
Promotional items	Newspaper ads, flyers
Miscellaneous supplies	Name tags, CDs, songbooks

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