Tracks and Sessions

ALPHA ESSENTIALS is for those who have never been on an Alpha course, are not familiar with what it is and how to run it, or who want to refresh their understanding of the basics. By attending this track, you should be able to start and run an Alpha course or improve your current and future courses with confidence.

ADVANCED ALPHA is intended for experienced practitioners who are familiar with Alpha and how it runs. This track is designed to build a deeper understanding of Alpha to enhance and improve your courses so that they can be as effective as possible.

THE MARRIAGE COURSE is for those who are interested in learning more about the Marriage course and how to run it.

MULTI–CULTURAL / ALPHA ESOL is geared for churches in many parts of the U.S. that have opportunities for outreach to people in and around their communities who are English Speakers of Other Languages. This track will focus on the presentation of the Alpha course in multi-cultural settings.

ALPHA IN A CHURCH PLANTING CONTEXT is produced as Alpha is a natural church planting tool. Learn from experienced church planters who give their perspective & practical guidance.

SENIOR LEADERS track will help senior church leaders better understand how Alpha can play a central role in their evangelistic and discipleship strategies. Hosted by Gary Gulbranson, Senior Pastor of Westminster Chapel, Bellevue, WA, sessions will include interactive discussions of the cultural context, becoming more outwardly-focused, casting the vision for Alpha, how to take advantage of Alpha’s ability to raise up and energize future leaders and more - all from the perspective of the senior leader.

Featured Sessions

PRINCIPLES OF ALPHA: Nicky Gumbel unpacks the key New Testament principles underlying the Alpha course, making it one of the most effective means for evangelization in the world today.

HOW TO RUN THE ALPHA COURSE: this crucial presentation details the basic practicalities of how to run the Alpha course including “What is Alpha?” scheduling, team selection, helpful resources and promoting the course within the church and the community.

MODEL ALPHA EVENING (Evangelism in the Power of the Holy Spirit): follows dinner with stories of lives changed, inspiring worship and a talk on the values underlying the Alpha course, including a discussion on the role of the Holy Spirit.

ALPHA SMALL GROUPS: this talk describes the goals, structure, workings and dynamics of the most important component of the Alpha course – the small group.

PRAYER ON ALPHA: this breakout will look at all aspects of the church’s prayer activity supporting the Alpha course including; corporate prayer meetings, leaders’ time of prayer and individual prayer.

GETTING ALPHA STARTED: this breakout covers the practical, logistical, and administrative side of running an Alpha course including all the behind-the-scenes work to ensure the smooth running of your course.

INTEGRATING THE VALUES: Nicky Gumbel offers a Senior Pastor’s perspective on how to recognize and incorporate ten key values that help churches attract people outside the church, help them mature in Christ and become fully engaged in life and mission of the congregation.

HOW TO ATTRACT GUESTS TO A COURSE: would you like to attract more people to your Alpha course? They may be closer than you think! You will learn practical and effective steps to help guests find their way to Alpha.

HOW TO GIVE A GREAT ALPHA TALK: although the Alpha course DVD’s are excellent, the best way to present the Alpha material is by using a live speaker. This session will give you the tools you need to help you maximize your potential to put together and present a great Alpha talk.

PERSUASIVE LISTENING: people are much more attracted by how we relate to them than what we have to say. Former Olympic trainer and corporate coach, Lynne Ruhl provides Alpha leaders with practical skills for connecting more deeply with course participants and naturally encouraging fruitful evangelistic conversations.

BUILDING YOUR LEADERSHIP TEAM: having the best leaders possible is a key to an effective Alpha course. This talk will help you recruit, train, retain & grow your Alpha course leadership team.

THE ALPHA INVITATION: starting with 1 in 2007 and 3 in 2008, there are now 34 cities across America in which churches are working together to transform their communities through the Alpha Invitation. You’ll learn about this exciting initiative and how to facilitate an Alpha Invitation in your city/community.

ALPHA FOR PRISONS & RE-ENTRY: Alpha is now running in over 80 percent of the prisons in Britain and is growing rapidly in prisons around the world. This session will explain how to deal with some of the practical obstacles that may be encountered in setting up a course and discuss the long-term vision of aftercare for those leaving prison having completed an Alpha course.

CAMPUS ALPHA: Alpha is now running in over 70 percent of the universities in the UK and in over 30 countries. This session will look at why Alpha is so relevant for students and the practicalities of running Alpha within the university context. It will include topics such as publicity on campus, budgeting, fitting the course into academic terms, and follow-up to Alpha on Campus.

ALPHA IN A CATHOLIC CONTEXT: this breakout covers issues such as its validity for Catholics and popularity in the Catholic Church. It looks at how the Alpha course can be implemented in the Catholic setting as an introduction to the Christian faith and also as a foundation for catechesis.

ALPHA IN THE WORKPLACE: the workplace is often overlooked as a place to offer an introduction to the Christian faith. However, courses that have been offered during the lunch hour have had wonderful results. You’ll learn how to go about offering and running a workplace Alpha course. You will hear how the course has offered hope to employees & changed company environments.

DAYTIME ALPHA: many churches find that people are not always able to attend evening Alpha courses. This session will equip you with ways to run effective daytime Alpha courses.

GLOBAL ALPHA TRAINING: teams from everywhere going anywhere! At this breakout you’ll learn how you and/or a team from your church can be part of the speaking team for an Alpha training event in another country. GAT is where global mission meets local evangelism.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER ALPHA: What happens to the guests at the end of the 10-week Alpha course? Explore some possibilities of Alpha course follow-ons including Pastorates.

YOUTH ALPHA: is an exciting way to share the message of Christ with 11-18 year olds, no matter where they are on their journey.
Session 1: Learn the basics of Youth Alpha; how it can fit into an effective strategy to introduce teens to Christ, while simultaneously helping you develop young people into effective leaders and witnesses to their friends.
Session 2: Discover ideas for being authentic, godly mentors to teenagers in your community.  How can mentoring principles help Youth Alpha leaders have a greater personal influence? 
Session 3: Come prepared to share your ideas and experience of working with 11-18 year olds. This session will involve brain storming different topics related to Youth Alpha to help you run more effective Youth Alpha courses.