Running an Alpha Course for the first time

If you have had a chance to attend an Alpha National Conference or Alpha Training event, we hope that you caught the vision and are excited to begin a course in your church or home. But along with anticipation for getting a course started, there can be some real basic questions, like… “What are my next steps to really get this course off the ground?”

Launching a course does involve various steps, but is supported by many resources. The specific process for setting up a course will vary slightly with different groups, but we encourage you to follow the recipe. Over 20 years of refining Alpha has proven that following the recipe will make the difference between significant fruit or minimal impact. To read the testimonies of pastors who have followed the recipe and seen their church grow through the Alpha course, click here. 

The following pages are meant to walk you through the seven steps we have identified that are necessary in getting a course off the ground.

Watch Nicky Gumbel teach on the Principles of Alpha.  Part I can be accessed at the top of the page and Part II can be viewed at the bottom. 

Order How to Run the Alpha  Course.  It is available as an official production on DVD. Use it to train your Alpha teams and volunteers.

Order your copy now.

Pick up and read the comprehensive resource "How To Run the Alpha Course - Director's Handbook".  It provides a guided tour through every stage of setting up and running the Alpha course. Complete with reusable checklists, forms for recording and organizing information. This is one of the most important tools in setting up and running an Alpha course. Access the Alpha course job description pdf's here. >>

>> Step One - Prepare for your course

>> View Part II of Nicky Gumbel's Principles of Alpha here.