enriching our discipleship
Updated: Aug 26
Beloved in the Lord,
As you all know, Trinity Church runs the Alpha Course at the Washington County Jail, as well as here at our own building. The Alpha Course does two things for us as a community. First, it is a simple, respectful, fun way to share the gospel with our friends and neighbors. Evangelism can feel like a big scary proposition, but inviting someone for a meal and a discussion feels much more natural. The second thing the course does for us is enrich our discipleship. Running the course depends on volunteers who are willing to lead and pray and share their faith. These are all important aspects of discipleship. As many of you have discovered, “doing ministry” is often when we feel ministered to ourselves-we often receive even more than we give when we set out to do the Lord’s will.
Jamey and I hope to continue to integrate the Alpha Course into our life as a Parish. We hope that sharing our faith and participating in ministry become as natural as breathing in our community. Below is a publication of the Alpha Course, describing the foundational values of the Course. I have also left printed versions of this in the Narthex if you’d like a hard copy. Please consider taking the Course if you have not yet. We are also asking every member to invite at least one person to the Course.
In grace and peace, Tracey+
4 Foundational Values of the Alpha Course
“Alpha has the most impact when these four foundational values are woven into the very fabric of the course, influencing the way it is run and shaping the experience of the guests.
Be Real
Our first value at Alpha is being real. Being real refers to two things: being real ourselves and presenting the real message of Jesus. First, let’s look at being real ourselves. More than ever our culture is searching for authenticity. People are looking for:
Real love. Real hope. Real vulnerability. And real friends.
On Alpha, this all starts with your team being themselves. Every week the Alpha talks present different elements of the Christian faith and then during small group time, people share with one another. When the small group hosts open up about their joys and struggles, doubts and fears, they model authenticity and give other people in the group the opportunity to follow their example.
People may admire confidence and strength, but they connect deeply around openness and honesty. Being vulnerable can lower their defenses and give them permission to share freely about where they’re at—both in life and in their relationship with God. Often this is how genuine friendships are formed on Alpha which leads us to our next value, being relational.
Be Relational
The most effective Alphas are always built on genuine friendships. In 1 Thessalonians 2:8, Saint Paul writes to people in Thessalonica, “Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well.”
Saint Paul didn’t just share a meal and a message with these people. He opened up his heart to them, leading to caring, long-standing relationships with the church. In a similar manner, as small group hosts open up their hearts and lives to their groups, deep and genuine friendships are formed.
It’s been said that “Alpha is designed to fail unless God shows up!” This reflects our third foundational value at Alpha — reliance on the Holy Spirit.
Rely on the Holy Spirit
There are two key areas in Alpha where relying on the Holy Spirit is crucial. The first is during the prayer ministry times on the Alpha weekend (or day away) and after the session on healing. As people are prayed for during these sessions, we ask God to touch them with His love and power, and we trust in His perfect timing to move in their lives.
The second scenario is week to week in the small group discussion times. One distinctive of an Alpha small group is that we allow guests to disagree and encourage hosts not to correct them. This demonstrates that the host values the guests’ contributions without being dismissive, even if the host disagrees with their viewpoint. It gives the host the opportunity to depend on the Holy Spirit to be the one to change hearts rather than relying on their own persuasiveness.
In the letter 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, Saint Paul wrote these words: “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.”
Our hope and prayer at Alpha is that when people come to faith, their newfound belief would rest on God’s power, not just on persuasive words or human wisdom. Thankfully, God uses imperfect people to be a part of what He is doing! This brings us to our fourth foundational value which is being reproducible by empowering others.
Reproduce by Empowering Others
One of the common concerns that church leaders express is that there are rarely enough lay leaders to do the work of ministry. Churches struggle at times to develop new leaders for their various projects and new initiatives. This is a valid concern and a big challenge which the last foundational value at Alpha addresses—to develop and reproduce leaders.
On Alpha, it is quite common for people to progress from being guests on one Alpha, to serving as helpers on the next one, to eventually hosting their own small group. Not only that, but many people who first step into this type of leadership role on Alpha later launch into other more expansive and challenging leadership roles in their local church and community.
As you run Alpha on a continuous basis as part of your church’s DNA, momentum builds up over time. More and more people are included and empowered along the way. Leaders are developed and reproduced who then serve the church and impact the world—all as friends continue to invite friends to encounter the love of Jesus.
Be real.
Be relational.
Rely on the Holy Spirit.
Reproduce by empowering others.
When churches embrace the values at the heart of Alpha, there is a shift in church culture and slowly, these values become reflected in other areas of ministry—authentic relationships, welcoming communities, leadership development. These values are bigger than an Alpha course, but no Alpha course can thrive without their guiding presence. Take a moment right now to think about how you and your team will practice these values during your Alpha experience.”
