In Australia, around 2,000 churches of all denominations offer Alpha Courses as a practical introduction to the Christian faith. As a result, every year literally thousands of people come to faith in Jesus Christ!

The Alpha Course is a 15-session program run over 10 weeks, including a weekend or a day away. Each session includes a meal, a talk and a small group discussion. Core topics include Who is Jesus?, Why Did Jesus Die?, Prayer, The Bible, Guidance, and How Can I Make the Most of the Rest of My Life?

In the small group discussion, each person is free to ask whatever questions they have and express whatever views they wish. Everyone's views are respected, and emphasis is put on allowing guests to explore at their own pace. A team of three or four 'hosts' and 'helpers' from the host church are attached to each group to facilitate the discussion. 

A note from The Reverend Sandy Millar

Honorary Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of London (and a pioneer of the Alpha Course)

Questions about God have fascinated human beings since time began. Many men and women today experience a very real sense of spiritual hunger without having any contact with a church.

One of the most frustrating aspects of church life, until recently, has been our ineffectiveness in reaching people with this hunger and getting them within the sound of the gospel. We have longed to find a way of enabling them to discover the liberating, life-changing power of God, revealed in his Son Jesus Christ through his Holy Spirit, in a way that allows them to explore in an unthreatening atmosphere of love and acceptance.

This I think is one of the reasons why the Alpha Course has proved to be so popular in such a wide variety of countries and cultures. The issues are clearly put and the claims of Christ examined - all in the company of other searchers. Stripping the gospel down to its bare essentials, it makes Christianity accessible to men and women of today's culture.

It is not of course simply hard work which has brought about the growth of Alpha - although there has been plenty of that. The teaching and the experience of the Holy Spirit has brought the course to life from beginning to end. By revealing the power of Jesus Christ to forgive, release, empower and equip, many people have found the reality of God's love and become committed to Jesus Christ.

If you are wondering whether to start an Alpha Course I would encourage you in every way I can to have a go. Most people who start do so with a lot of questions and a good deal of hesitancy about their own abilities.

I am confident though that if you do run an Alpha course you will find over a period of time that many people come into the kingdom of God and will be grateful to you into eternity.