What should my church do after Alpha?
Alpha has proven itself to be a brilliant tool to help churches reach out to people and bring them into a real, living relationship with God. But oftentimes, when someone has had a positive experience at Alpha - feeling connected, heard and welcomed - it can be hard to go back to ‘real life’, especially if the life of the wider church has yet to mirror the hospitality and invitation as witnessed on Alpha.
One of the main questions that arises when a church runs a successful Alpha is, what’s next? This is a common thing we hear: “We have a committed group who enjoy each other’s company, and want to continue their journey together. What should we do?” In reality, there is no one fixed solution. But one thing is clear - you shouldn’t just do nothing.
Here are a few possible ways you might like to follow up your Alpha:
Form a Connect Group
A Connect Group is a place where those who have experienced Alpha can go to continue their discipleship journey. It requires a bit of preparation and focus, but it doesn’t need to be a major drain on resources. It can mirror the structure of Alpha - taking place over an hour and a half or 2 hours. Connect Groups should be regular (meeting fortnightly or at least monthly). There could be time for shared food, connection and worship. People could share home-cooked food, for example. It could also feature time for prayer. Often people are looking for quality input for Connect Groups. There are hundreds of resources available for Connect Groups to use, but one that works as an excellent direct follow-on from Alpha is 24/7 Prayer’s Prayer Course. It’s a free, 8-session video series which looks deeper at the theme of prayer. It’s practical and accessible and works with all age groups.
Connect Groups can also use Bible Study resources to help people to learn more about Scripture. These resources range from prayerful reflection like Lectio Divina to more formal, structured courses like The Bible Course. Again, whichever resource you choose can be determined by your own denomination. A key thing to keep in mind though about Connect Groups is to ensure that they remain outward-looking. As more Alphas run in your parish, invite new people into these groups. You could even split the group if the numbers get too big. Doing this ensures that the groups remain missional and not closed off.
Invite people to serve on the next Alpha
An important factor in helping people on their discipleship journey is to encourage them to serve. A good way of initiating them into the life of service is to invite them to serve on the next Alpha you run. Not only is this a good way of helping new people feel involved, it ensures that there is a regular pipeline for your Alpha team. This will ensure the Alpha team itself doesn’t feel overburdened, as the members know they’ll only have a finite amount of time to serve on the team. The new people could be small group helpers, or work in the kitchen preparing food. They might have the skills to help out on the tech side of things, or they could even be great greeters as people arrive. Ensure you have a chat with them and discern their strengths so that they can feel like they are able to share their gifts. You could also encourage them to invite some family or friends to this Alpha, sharing their own experience and what they enjoyed most about it.
People should ideally serve for just two more Alphas after they were a guest. Then, it’s great to …
… get them involved in the life of the church
When people feel like they have been filled (through the ongoing fellowship of the Connect Group), and have gotten a taste for serving through the Alphas, it is ideal to get them involved in the life of the wider church. This could be encouraging them to get involved in Masses or Sunday Services (for example, as lay readers, welcomers or other ministries). If they are musical, perhaps they could serve on the worship team or join the choir. They might also be a good addition to the Soup Kitchen team or another social project your church is involved in. It is ideal if there is a conversation between the Alpha leaders and the wider church team about the specific gifts of the person and where it’s felt they could be the best fit. Remember, it’s not just about getting jobs done, but helping people to feel like they are living out their call to discipleship.
Try Bible in One Year
Nicky & Pippa Gumbel have developed the Bible in One Year as a great tool to help Christians get fed and encouraged through a daily encounter with Scripture. It’s a free Bible reading app with commentary by Nicky & Pippa, and can be accessed as an app on a smartphone, or a daily email straight to your inbox. This is a great way to encourage Alpha guests to get familiar with God’s Word.
Or the Life Shared series
Life Shared is a three session series of episodes to be run in a church small group. It’s designed to mobilise the congregation to invite others to explore the Christian faith: a key component to helping a church understand the importance of mission. Life Shared is a practical tool for both churches running Alpha and those not yet running the course to develop an invitational culture. Contact the Alpha Ireland team for more information.
Written by John Quinn
John is Alpha Ireland’s Director of Church Engagement. You can discuss all of these ideas for the next step after Alpha with him by booking a free one-on-one coaching call.