Church in the UK
What are Alpha and Christianity Explored?
They are free short courses, run by churches across the UK, that introduce the Christian faith to people who want to find out more. Each session usually includes food, a talk and an open discussion in which any question can be asked.
How these courses work
- They run once a week for several weeks, usually on a weekday evening.
- Each session begins with a meal or refreshments, followed by a talk or film and then discussion in small groups.
- They are free.
- Nobody is put on the spot. You can say as much or as little as you like, and you can stop coming at any time.
- They are designed for people who are not Christians, and new Christians find them helpful too.
Alpha
Alpha began at Holy Trinity Brompton, an Anglican church in London, and is now run by churches of almost every denomination around the world. It runs for ten or eleven weeks. Sessions take up questions such as “Who is Jesus?”, “Why did Jesus die?” and “Why and how do I pray?”, and there is usually a day or weekend away focusing on the Holy Spirit.
Christianity Explored
Christianity Explored was developed at All Souls, Langham Place, in London. Over seven sessions it works through Mark’s Gospel, asking who Jesus is, why he came and what it means to follow him. It suits people who would like to look closely at the Bible text itself.
Find a Christianity Explored course
Which should I choose?
Both cover the heart of the Christian message, and people come to faith through each. In practice the best one is whichever a church near you is running soon. If you already know a Christian, ask whether their church runs something similar; many have courses of their own.
Who goes?
All sorts of people: the curious, the sceptical, those who went to church as children and those who never have. You will not be the only one with questions, and nobody will expect you to believe anything by the end.
The Bible itself commends people who check things out for themselves. When Paul preached in the Greek town of Berea, this was how his hearers responded:
Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.