The Alpha Program Charismatic Evangelism For The Contemporary Age

The Alpha Program  Charismatic Evangelism For The Contemporary Age

Click to join the conversation with over 500,000 Pentecostal believers and scholars

Click to get our FREE MOBILE APP and stay connected

| PentecostalTheology.com

               

Pneuma 27,1_f5_65-82II 8/17/05 7:51 AM Page 65

Pentecostal Theology, Volume 27, No. 1, Spring 2005

The Alpha Program: Charismatic Evangelism for the

Contemporary Age

Stephen Hunt

Introduction

British Christianity has stumbled across the big idea that has eluded it for most of its feeble Decade of Evangelism. It is not so much a big idea, as a small one brilliantly executed. Its popularity owes little to mission strate- gies or the thaumaturgical extravagances of the Toronto Blessing. Its milieu is mundane and domestic.1

The extract above is the observation of a leading secular media reporter on religious affairs in the UK. It is a telling quote that puts the increas- ingly popular Alpha program in perspective—one that denotes its Charismatic roots, its innovatory strategies, and its mass appeal in Christian churches.

A simple depiction of the Alpha program is that of a unique evange- lizing course designed specifically for the contemporary age, and one that advertises itself as “a ten week practical introduction to the Christian faith.” The founders of Alpha have set it out as a project constructed to present the simple principles of Christianity in a relaxed and informal environment to those enquiring about the faith. There is the opportunity to discover, as the Alpha program advertising poster proclaims, whether or not Christianity really is “Boring, Untrue and Irrelevant.” Alpha also attempts to reach those already convinced but who wish to refresh their faith or desire to go further in their Christian journeying. The Alphacourse, then, is multifaceted. To some degree this accounts for its success. Yet, there are other explanations too, since Alpha marks an accumulation of the lessons learned within charismatically inclined evangelical quarters over several decades, and the development of techniques that make use of sociological, psychological, and business organization insights.

Over the last few years Alpha has constituted a vast enterprise of evangelism, one informed by Charismatic theology and praxis. The endeavor, which began in the UK, has been supported by tens of thousands of others

1

Damien Thompson, The Times, 2 February 1998.

© 2005 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden pp. 65–82

1

Pneuma 27,1_f5_65-82II 8/17/05 7:51 AM Page 66

Pentecostal Theology, Volume 27, No. 1, Spring 2005

across the world, representing practically all denominations and traditions. This paper seeks to explore the wider context of Alpha, namely, its Charismatic emphasis and the thinking that has gone into the program over a number of years. It seeks to survey the content and working phi- losophy of Alpha, consider a number of the controversies that surround it, and attempts to measure its success by various criteria. The findings reported in this paper are based on a nation survey of Alphaamong churches of various denominations in the UK.2

Alpha’s International Appeal

Alpha has to be put in historical perspective. As an evangelizing enter- prise it proved to be a rather late contribution to the so-called “Decade of Evangelism” of the 1990s in UK churches. It followed two large- scale evangelizing campaigns that were inspired largely by Charismatic/ Pentecostal groupings. “The Jesus in Me” (JIM) campaign was instigated by the Elim Pentecostal denomination, while “From Minus to Plus” was the idea of the South African evangelist Reinhard Bonnke. Both cam- paigns turned aside from the large-scale soul-winning crusade and placed a greater emphasis on distributing booklets and persuading people to pay a visit to their local church. Both were, for the most part, monumental failures.

In September 1998, over 4,000 churches came together to launch the first £1 million so-called national Alpha initiative in the UK. Alpha seemed to display certain advantages that earlier initiatives lacked. Not least of these were its emphasis on group dynamics and the opportunities it offered to know more about the faith through discussion and questioning. To be sure, the program had been in existence for several years. By the end of the 1990s, however, Alpha moved to center stage in UK Charismatic churches, promoted by its founders at Holy Trinity in Brompton, London (more colloquially known as HTB). Towards the end of 1998 nearly 2,000 billboards were posted in towns and cities nationwide, while advertising space was taken out in hundreds of national and local newspapers. This was the first national initiative aimed at bringing the program to saturation point in order to enhance a greater public awareness of what Alpha amounted to.

2

See also my earlier publications: Anyone for Alpha? Inside a Leading Evangelising Initiative (London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 2000); “The Alpha Program: Some Tentative Observations,” Journal of Contemporary Religion 18 (2003): 77–93; The Alpha Initiative: Evangelism in the Post-Christian Era (London: Ashgate, forthcoming).

66

2

Pneuma 27,1_f5_65-82II 8/17/05 7:51 AM Page 67

The Alpha Program: Charismatic Evangelism for the Contemporary Age

The poster campaign epitomized a fresh strategy, since it marked a new way of thinking about communicating with the public. Posters and advertisements did not include quotations of biblical texts or calls to repentance. Rather, they were deliberately designed to be eye-catching and challenging:

An Opportunity to Explore the Meaning to Life.

Christianity: Boring, Untrue and Irrelevant?

Job, Flat, Car, Girlfriend, Season ticket to United. Still not Satisfied? You’re born. You live. You die. End of story?

The growth of the program was initially “in house.” Alpha courses had already steadily proliferated from the mere four administered at Holy Trinity in 1991, to 200 in 1993, rising to 2,500 in 1995, and then advanc- ing to 10,500 as a result of the national initiative of 1998.3 Over 7,000 churches in the UK (one in four) now sponsor the Alpha program. Yet, the impact of Alpha is by no means limited to UK churches. Long before the launch of the 1998 national campaign, the program had taken on global dimensions and was soon running in 75 countries by the end of that year. In 2003 this had risen to over 20,000 courses in approximately 130 coun- tries. On a global scale Alpha is believed to have attracted close to 4 mil- lion people to its program.4

Outside of the UK, Alpha courses have been set up in Eastern Europe, including Albania, Hungary, Romania, the Ukraine, and other former Soviet bloc countries. Australia, countries in Latin America, the Far East, and Africa have also embraced Alpha. Where Alpha has achieved con- siderable acceptance, however, has been the USA. Thousands of Alpha courses have been set up, thus establishing North America as the major growth area for the program in recent years. At first it spread largely through the Association of Vineyard Churches with which Holy Trinity, Brompton, and other major Charismatic churches in the UK had devel- oped a close contact since the early 1980s. More recently Alpha, through the active work of Holy Trinity and its associates, has expanded to thousands of other churches in the USA. Over 3,500 American churches were registered in early 2002 as running Alpha courses compared to 2,300 in September 2001. According to the Alpha website this had risen to 5,000 courses by the end of 2003, with over a million people graduating through

3

The statistics are from Alpha News(the official newspaper of the program) (November 1998–February 1999), 1.

4

This figure is provided by Alpha News (November 2001–February 2002).

67

3

Pneuma 27,1_f5_65-82II 8/17/05 7:51 AM Page 68

Pentecostal Theology, Volume 27, No. 1, Spring 2005

the program. The USA has held the largest-ever Alpha conference, with 1,500 church leaders gathered in Boston. It was just one of the forty Alpha conferences taking place throughout America during 2001.5

The Significance of Holy Trinity, Brompton

A large poster outside of Holy Trinity, Brompton, proudly proclaims “HTB—the Home of Alpha.” The first impression is of an inconspicu- ous-looking parish church positioned in an affluent part of West London. HTB’s modest structure, however, belies its national, indeed international importance in evangelical quarters. Today, HTB is the wealthiest Anglican church in the UK with an annual income of several million pounds. A good part of this income is derived from the sale of evangelizing mate- rials, not least of all that of Alpha. To this are added donations from the church’s wealthy parishioners, while £1.7 million is provided by other gifts, trusts, and benefactors.

Alpha is undoubtedly HTB’s brain-child. The beginnings of the course can perhaps be traced back to late 1969 with the publication of the book Questions of Life that was initially conceived as a four-week introduction to the basics of Christianity. However, Alpha emerged in earnest in 1977 when Charles Marnham, a clergyman at HTB, sought a means of pre- senting the basic principles of the Christian faith in an informal setting. The initial aim of Alpha was to educate new converts; only later was it extended to non-churchgoers when course leaders noticed that people were bringing along their unconverted friends and associates. John Irvine took it over at the beginning of the 1980s: he lengthened it to ten weeks and added a weekend on the theme of the person and work of the Holy Spirit. When Nicky Lee replaced Irvine in 1985 there were about three dozen people on each course held exclusively at HTB. Under Lee’s lead- ership the figure grew to over one hundred.

Even before Nicky Gumbel took command, in 1990, Alpha was a central feature of HTB’s church life. However, it was then substantially developed by Gumbel in 1992 and has continued to evolve. Under Gumbel’s command the course has become longer in length and more informal in its orientation. Perhaps Gumbel’s greatest contribution, however, is his modification of a key component of the course, the so-called “Holy Spirit”

5

The largest Alpha conferences prior to this were those held in Johannesburg, South Africa, with 1,300 delegates, and a conference for 1,200 delegates hosted by the Roman Catholic churches in Vancouver, Canada, in 2000.

68

4

Pneuma 27,1_f5_65-82II 8/17/05 7:51 AM Page 69

The Alpha Program: Charismatic Evangelism for the Contemporary Age

with its controversial element of “Ministry Time.” Gumbel has continued to refine Alpha by sending questionnaires to those who have completed the course and by welcoming comments by the churches involved.

There are a number of anecdotes associated with Gumbel and his link to Alpha. One relates that he was “empowered” by the “anointing” of the late healing evangelist and leader of the Vineyard movement, John Wimber, in the mid 1990s to take Alpha nationally. Gumbel’s mission then, is a special one, legitimated by one of the most influential evangelists in recent times. It is also this kind of anecdote that more than suggests the conti- nuity of Alpha with broader developments in the Charismatic Movement over the years. At the same time its growing success would appear to fulfill a distinct prophecy, some thirty years old, associated with HTB. This concerns one male member of the congregation who for many years prayed for God to perform something special at the church. This devel- oped into something of a prophecy: that, with God’s blessing, something special would occur at the church. Quite what this would amount to was not part of the revelation.

Today, to help spread the program and cater for the needs of the course, a one hundred-member full-time staff runs the Alpha project from HTB, and this includes organizing approximately fifty international conferences every year. At HTB there are also fifty pastorate groups with between thirty and forty people in each. In 2001, fourteen pastorates sent teams to support churches all over the UK as part of their Alpha training days and regional events. At the churches’ request, these pastorates support training, give talks, lead worship, and otherwise help with Sunday ser- vices. In this way HTB, its teaching, practices, and culture penetrate thousands of churches in the UK. More recently such training teams have exported Alpha across the world, disseminating a unique evange- lizing package.

From the Toronto Blessing to Bible Study

HTB’s impact is not merely due to the profile afforded it by Alpha. Rather, the church has for years been well enmeshed in the cultural milieu of the Charismatic Movement and is one of a cluster of high-profile, influential “mega”-Charismatic churches that have grown up in the last two decades or so, many of which are based in the capital. Pro- minent leaders at HTB, including Sandy Millar and Nicky Gumbel, were recognizable figures within the wider movement, both nationally and inter- nationally, even before Alpha launched them to further fame.

69

5

Pneuma 27,1_f5_65-82II 8/17/05 7:51 AM Page 70

Pentecostal Theology, Volume 27, No. 1, Spring 2005

The Alpha initiative became the fresh focus of interest for many Charismatic churches in the late 1990s. This timing is significant. Indeed, Alpha is entrenched in the experiences of the Charismatic Movement of recent years. It must be appreciated that the Alpha national initiative was set in operation in 1998 as the so-called Toronto Blessing rapidly declined, and was propagated by one of the major instigators that exported its accompanying phenomena from the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church, Canada, to the UK, namely Holy Trinity, Brompton.6 In this context, the Alpha program was partly born of the enduring hope of revival, one car- ried by the Toronto Blessing. Throughout the 1990s, there was much talk of a predicted revival, and this included a prophecy that there would be a revival among the most marginalized groups of society including those in prison and “on the streets” (to which Prison Alpha would seem to address itself).7

The Charismatic and evangelical dimension of Alpha is part of an attractive cultural package that is simultaneously supernaturalist and cul- ture-conforming. It is this admixture that potentially makes it so attrac- tive. It amounts to a series of Bible studies within a broader program of events. While it marks a movement for many Charismatic churches away from the esotericism of the Toronto Blessing to the biblical “Word,” Alpha tones down the traditional evangelical language associated with the call for repentance, the awaiting punishment of hell, or old-fashioned terms like salvation. It has also learned from such successful churches as Willow Creek, Illinois, of the advantages of easing people into a church culture and the significance of group dynamics. At the same time it has an ele- ment of John Wimber’s “Power Evangelism,” albeit limited to the “Ministry Time” of the Holy Spirit Weekend. Indeed, there can be little doubting Wimber’s influence on HTB given his personal connections with the church from the early 1980s and his personal friendship with several of HTB’s leaders.8

6

Margaret M. Poloma, Mainstreet Mystics: The Toronto Blessing and Reviving Pentecostalism (Walnut Creek, CA: Altama, 2003), 18.

7

Prison Alpha is run in approximately thirty countries. There is also Youth Alpha and Student Alpha, but these are on a much smaller scale than the program run in the churches.

8

Stephen J. Hunt, “‘Doing the Stuff’: The Vineyard Connection,” in Charismatic Christianity: Sociological Perspectives, ed. S. Hunt, M. Hamilton, and T. Walter (Basingstoke, UK: Macmillan, 1997), 77–96.

70

6

Pneuma 27,1_f5_65-82II 8/17/05 7:51 AM Page 71

The Alpha Program: Charismatic Evangelism for the Contemporary Age

The Structure of Alpha

The structure of the Alpha program is fairly standard by way of both a typical evening meeting (alternatively, it may be run in the daytime) and the content of the topics taught. Each weekly event is administered for some two hours over a duration of eleven weeks, including the begin- ning- or end-of-course meal). Ideally it is hoped that the course will be run at the house of a church member, thereby creating a conducive and less threatening environment.9

The great majority of churches generally adhere to a typical evening on the Alpha course, based on Nicky Gumbel’s recommendations, even following the precise timetable and the time of year they may run. This stringent acceptance of the course structure clearly enhances the stan- dardization of the Alpha product. The schedule for an Alpha course is laid out in the literature as follows:

6:15 p.m. Leaders and helpers meet to pray 7:00 p.m. Supper is served

7:40 p.m. Welcome

7:50 p.m. Songs of worship

8:00 p.m. Video talk

8:50 p.m. Coffee

9:00 p.m. Small groups

9:45 p.m. Finish

The overall three-hour weekly program and its components are of inter- est since they have been set out to create a specific environment and to produce calculated effects. The Alpha evening begins with a meal upon which a great deal of emphasis is placed (although there is considerable variation among churches as to what “Supper” constitutes). Although seen very much in terms of group dynamics, it is clearly an act of hospitality in good Christian tradition, conducive to creating a relaxed and cordial atmosphere, and thus one of the principal means by which the Alpha “guests” and course leaders can integrate.10

Before or at the end of each ten-week Alpha course a meal will be served that is sometimes quite elaborate. It is a special event: a time when

9

Nicky Gumbel, Telling Others: The Alpha Initiative (Eastbourne, UK: Kingsway, 1994), 48.

10

A small donation for the cost of the meal is usually expected.

71

7

Pneuma 27,1_f5_65-82II 8/17/05 7:51 AM Page 72

Pentecostal Theology, Volume 27, No. 1, Spring 2005

a farewell is said to those “guests” that have stayed for the duration of the previous course, and an occasion for welcoming prospecting “guests” for the next time around. Those who have taken the course, along with members of the congregation, are encouraged to invite friends to attend and, presumably, as a result of one of the national initiatives, there will be at least some who have contacted the church as a result of poster adver- tising or leafleting.

The weekly meal is followed by a short period of worship. This is kept deliberately brief so as not to alienate the unchurched. Yet, in this wor- ship period Alpha reveals its Charismatic orientation, despite HTB’s rec- ommendation to include familiar hymns alongside the new “choruses” that have been part and parcel of Charismatic church life for some time. The style of worship is undoubtedly Charismatic, although singing in tongues is not encouraged because of its potential cultural shock to the “guests.”

Worship time is followed by the forty-minute video presentation. The video is not only the central feature of Alpha but also one of its most standardized products. While the video is not absolutely required, most churches running the course will opt for it since it is a ready-made visual component. Those who subscribe to Alpha will show the video relevant to the theme of that week. In our visually-oriented culture the video pre- sentation can be an impressive tool in propagating Alpha.The Alpha group watches each weekly video in conjunction with the relevant section of the Alpha Manual followed by every guest. Sometimes the helpers on the course will sit next to the guest with an open Bible, encouraging the guest to make notes in the manual as they go along, largely in order to empha- size points in the ensuing discussion groups.

Nicky Gumbel plays the pivotal role in the video presentation, which adds personality to the visual medium and provides him with something of a celebrity status in church circles. The celebrity component adds to Gumbel’s authority as “the face” of Alpha and affirms the legitimacy of his message. Each Alpha video shows Gumbel speaking to a large and appreciative gathering of church members at HTB—a sea of smiling and laughing faces. He comes across as friendly, approachable, and polite. It is a professional and refined performance that displays the sincerity and seriousness of an evangelist with a sense of urgency, although he punc- tuates his talks with anecdotes, jokes, and the all-important personal expe- riences that lend a human touch.

A discussion follows the video presentation. This takes place ideally in small groups of some half a dozen to a dozen people, with a recommended

72

8

Pneuma 27,1_f5_65-82II 8/17/05 7:51 AM Page 73

The Alpha Program: Charismatic Evangelism for the Contemporary Age

ratio of one church helper to every two guests. The discussion takes up most of the rest of the evening and is likely to last between thirty to forty minutes. It is expected that the discussion will focus on the topic con- sidered in the video for that week. Hence, for example, “Christianity: Boring, Untrue. and Irrelevant?” is the theme for discussion on the first evening. Guests may be encouraged to open the conversation with ques- tions or comments, although the Alpha supportive literature advises course leaders to set the agenda sometimes by posing their own “provocative questions.”

Raising questions and talking through issues, then, is a vital part of “exploring Christianity.” While the discussion group is the most obvious and important forum for issues to be explored and contested, opportuni- ties for questions present themselves more informally throughout each Alpha evening. HTB is well prepared to answer a range of questions and has clearly conducted research regarding those issues likely to come up during a course, grouping them under the rubric of the “most frequently raised objections” about Christianity. To help course leaders deal with these principal “objections” the brief publication Searching Issues Manual looks at the most frequently advanced major objections.11

The Alpha Team Training Manual12 recommends a number of themes to encourage discussion. For example, in Week 1, “Who Is Jesus?” the following themes are likely to be covered:

• The guests’ previous concepts of Jesus;

• What do other people think of Jesus?

• The question, “‘If you had the chance to meet him how would you feel?”

Weekly Topics

Fifteen basic topics have been selected by HTB to be taught over a period of ten consecutive weeks on the standard Alpha course. Each topic has supplementary reading indicated in the Alpha Manual. This can range from C. S. Lewis’Mere Christianity to the popular Pentecostal work, The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson. Added to these works are a fair number of Gumbel’s own writings.

11

Searching Issues Manual (London: HTB, n.d.). Nicky Gumbel’s book Searching Issues (Eastbourne, UK: Kingsway, 2000) supports the manual for Alpha leaders.

12

Alpha Team Training Manual (London: HTB, n.d.).

73

9

Pneuma 27,1_f5_65-82II 8/17/05 7:51 AM Page 74

Pentecostal Theology, Volume 27, No. 1, Spring 2005

The fifteen-topic framework is expected to be rigidly adhered to and constitutes the “basics” of Christianity. These topics present themselves in the form of questions and are as follows:

1. Christianity: boring, untrue, and irrelevant? 2. Who is Jesus?

3. Why did Jesus die?

4. How can I be sure of my faith?

5. Why and how should I read the Bible? 6. Why and how do I pray?

7. How does God guide us?

8. Who is the Holy Spirit?

9. What does the Holy Spirit do?

10. How can I be filled with the Spirit?

11. How can I resist evil?

12. Why and how should we tell others? 13. Does God heal today?

14. What about the Church?

15. How can I make the most of the rest of my life?

Through many of these topics, those churches that are not initially Charismatic will find themselves exposed to the beliefs and practices of the Charismatic Movement as it has developed over the last few decades. The significance of this is that, given the numbers of churches involved, the extensive use of Alpha is, to some extent at least, a measurement of the impact and spread of Charismatic Christianity. The distinct dogma characterized by the speaking in tongues, prophecy, healing, and baptism in the Spirit are the Charismatic hallmarks stamped all over the “basic Christianity” of the Alpha program. Much is at least implicit in such sub- jects as “How can I be sure of my faith?” Included at this point is a dis- cussion of the experience of the Holy Spirit and spiritual regeneration. “How does God guide us?” includes a discussion of the believer’s relationship with God and what God expects of the converted is linked to a discussion of role of the Holy Spirit. “How can I resist evil?” has a strong emphasis on the nature of the demonic and how to resist it: Satan’s strategies and spiritual warfare. “Does God heal today?” includes teach- ings of physical, emotional, and spiritual healing that have long been pop- ular within the Charismatic Movement, and discusses the function of healing as a spiritual gift.

74

10

Pneuma 27,1_f5_65-82II 8/17/05 7:51 AM Page 75

The Alpha Program: Charismatic Evangelism for the Contemporary Age

The Holy Spirit Weekend

Approximately one-third to halfway through the Alphacourse the guests will usually be invited away on what amounts to a weekend retreat. This “Holy Spirit weekend” is expected to occur after the talk on prayer but before the talk on healing, and for very good reasons. The weekend is held in the company of leaders and guests on the course. It is not a com- pulsory part of the program, although it will be offered more often than not and is certainly very strongly recommended. The weekend away partly amounts to an attempt to create a relaxed ambience conducive to further bonding between guests and course leaders. The topics for discussion are the three video presentations on the Holy Spirit. The third, “How can I be filled with the Spirit?” is strongly grounded in the teachings of John Wimber. The Holy Spirit Weekend climaxes in “Ministry Time”—a period when the Holy Spirit is evoked and “manifestations” of the Spirit are fre- quently observable, including healing, glossolalia, “resting:” in the Spirit, and prophecies. For unchurched guests this may be the proof behind the theory advanced by Alphaand represent a rather diluted version of Wimber’s “signs and wonders” theology.

After Alpha

As an exploration into the Christian faith, Alpha clearly sets out not to pressurize. Those who are interested are encouraged not to sign up for an entire course, but only for one week at a time. If they do enlist, guests are eased into the course with a gentle touch. Alpha’s subtle approach means that if anyone leaves the course they are not usually contacted or persuaded to rejoin. People are not to be put on the spot about making a commitment to the faith at any point throughout the course or afterwards. During and after the course there is no undue pressure either to convert or to attend church. In most cases, a response is awaited by the church running the course.

The Alpha course is a self-contained, off-the-peg program. People join, undertake study, and then leave. HTB says very little about what should occur after Alpha other than the numerous post-Alpha videos and books that have been produced and that add to the ever-expanding Alpha indus- try. These include the nine-week course A Life Worth Living (based on the Book of Philippians), which utilizes a number of follow-up materials to the initial course. Some less convinced about Christianity may wish,

75

11

Pneuma 27,1_f5_65-82II 8/17/05 7:51 AM Page 76

Pentecostal Theology, Volume 27, No. 1, Spring 2005

post-Alpha, to enrol on a “Searching Issues” course that seeks to expand on a number of the difficult questions that have arisen from Alpha and that constitute something of a stumbling block.

The Alpha Industry

Indicative of Alpha’s international appeal is its sale of books and other material supporting the course. Most have been written by Nicky Gumbel, who leads the Alpha initiative and has largely devised it. The sales of Questions of Life, Gumbel’s first and best-selling book to accompany the Alpha course, was published in 2001 for secular bookshops as well as Christian outlets.13 It has sold more than 500,000 copies globally—50,000 in the USA alone—was voted “Christian Book of the Year” in 1994, and has consistently been among the top-selling Christian titles in the UK ever since. It is now translated into fifty-five languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Japanese, Korean, Romanian, Russian, Japanese, and Welsh. In addition, more than a million copies of the half-dozen other books written by Gumbel have also been sold, including 300,000 sales of Searching Issues and more than 60,000 copies of the millennium edition of the booklet Why Jesus? Another sign of Alpha’s international dimension is that the course booklet and other accompanying literature have been published in at least seventeen languages. There are also Alpha brochures, video and audio tapes, a poster pack, sweatshirts, and car stickers, and the Alpha Cookbook, all of which add to Alpha’s ever- expanding commercial industry.

Alpha: An Evangelical McDonald’s?

At first glance it would appear that a fairly standardized Alpha pack- age has been deliberately and systematically exported across the world by its instigators from one church in the UK, namely, HTB. Perhaps, then, it is not too unreasonable to describe it as a form of “evangelical McDonaldization.” Certainly there is much to suggest that Alpha has at least developed this potential. There is a kind of ideal model of the course both in terms of its content and strategy. Given its scale, the impli- cations are considerable, especially in terms of how the message is put across, the image of Christianity portrayed, and the theological content

13

Nicky Gumbel, Questions of Life (Eastbourne, UK: Kingsway, 1999).

76

12

Pneuma 27,1_f5_65-82II 8/17/05 7:51 AM Page 77

The Alpha Program: Charismatic Evangelism for the Contemporary Age

that is advanced. With the growth of Alpha it is clear that the program is moving toward large-scale adoption, even a near monopoly in some quarters.

In several respects Alpha epitomizes the church-growth imperative of many Charismatic congregations and their increasing tendency toward mass-marketing and commercial mobilization. One clear implication of this tendency is the conscious creation of a “brand,” including a brand name and distinct image. In terms of Alpha, this would suggest that those who subscribe to the course in local churches should cleave to the rec- ommendations of HTB. This is why HTB runs two-day conferences instructing those churches who wish to subscribe, and why it sends instruc- tors to visit congregations on request. In this way HTB penetrates local parishes and churches and subsequently attempts a standard practice. How to conduct Alpha at the grassroots level is something to which HTB has given much attention. For that reason plenty of literature and “plastic” media material has been generated to support local churches and to enforce the recommended way of doing things.

The video is the most obvious method of penetrating local church envi- ronments. In addition, there are aids for church leaders and course admin- istrators, such as the video How to Run the Alpha Course, Telling Others: The Alpha Initiative, or the fifteen-minute promotion pack Introductory Video, which includes material from Alpha courses and conferences held at HTB. In addition, such tapes have been produced as Alpha Worship, which has a “16-track recording of hymns and songs suitable for use on Alpha.” In the conferences, the principles and practicalities of the course are made clear in a “Model Alpha Session.” Nicky Gumbel is frequently quoted as stating, “Running Alpha without attending a conference is like driving a car without taking lessons.”

Is Alpha a Success?

The short answer to this question is, What is meant by a “success”? Can it be measured by a universal acceptance in the churches? Is it win- ning converts? Is it an adequate introduction into the Christian faith? Is it divisive?

To be sure, the organizers of Alpha do not court controversy, and it is more or less assumed that their “basic Christianity” is palatable to all. Indeed, to be fair, the rather unreflective way in which HTB hopes that Alpha will be introduced is tempered by a more modest spirit. Nicky Gumbel writes: “In saying that we believe Alpha is a work of God I am

77

13

Pneuma 27,1_f5_65-82II 8/17/05 7:51 AM Page 78

Pentecostal Theology, Volume 27, No. 1, Spring 2005

not for a moment suggesting that it is perfect. I’m sure that it is greatly marred by human error and frailty.”14

It is clear, however, that by no means all churches or church leaders have warmed to the program. Above all it is, perhaps, the Charismatic element which has attracted most criticism. Just as the Charismatic Movement divided many congregations in the 1960s and 1970s, the insti- gation of Alpha has divided more than a few churches. The critics come from different theological persuasions.15 In attempting to be ecumenical and user-friendly Alpha has tended to antagonize conservatives and tra- ditionalists on the one hand, and more liberal-minded Christians on the other. While liberals tended to see Alpha as too fundamentalist in its ori- entation and lacking in a social gospel, the traditionalists and conserva- tives, especially Protestant evangelicals, Anglo-Catholics, and the more conservative Roman Catholics fear its ecumenical stance and its role in bringing in all things Charismatic “by the backdoor.”16 At the local level Alpha’s theology, praxis, and accompanying culture are not infrequently perceived as alien to the local church, regardless of the denomination.

By contrast, it almost goes without saying that Alpha’s rather Charismatic slant is attractive to those already of a Charismatic orientation. There are, in total, some 24,200 churches in the UK from the various denominations. It might be drawing too much of a conclusion, but approximately 4,000 churches were initially involved in Alpha at the time of the first national initiative in 1998. The question may be legitimately asked as to whether this constituency represents a kind of Charismatic nucleus. Certainly, it is interesting to note that this is just about the same number of churches said to be involved in the Toronto Blessing at its height in the mid 1990s, and by far the great bulk of these were or became of Charismatic per- suasion. If it is true that these churches are Charismatic in orientation, they have, over the period in which the national initiative has been launched,

14

Gumbel, Telling Others: The Alpha Initiative, 23.

15

For a debate of the theological issues generated by Alpha, see my forthcoming The Alpha Initiative: Evangelism in the Post-Christian Era.

16

The Catholic Church has produced the booklet “How to Support Alpha for Roman Catholics.” The publication claims not to be a Catholic version of Alpha. Rather, it is directed toward answering the kinds of questions that Catholics ask about the course and, as it declares, is aimed at “allaying fears that Alpha is not doctrinally sound or is too evan- gelical.” The Catholic Alpha Office, established in 1996, has also produced two videos directed at Roman Catholics within the context of Alpha: “Why should I listen to the Church?” and “Why should I go to Mass?”

78

14

Pneuma 27,1_f5_65-82II 8/17/05 7:51 AM Page 79

The Alpha Program: Charismatic Evangelism for the Contemporary Age

been joined by more than 2,000 others who have been persuaded about the advantage of Alpha.

Alpha also has a relatively high public profile. It has been the subject of many newspaper reports and television documentaries. The so-called Millennium Alpha Initiative, launched in early 2001, was accompanied by a survey conducted by Holy Trinity, Brompton. The research indicated that 12 percent of those asked (some 900,000 people) recognized the Alpha symbol, which appears on posters and leaflets, of a man struggling to carry a large question mark—presumably signifying the quest for the answers to the “ultimate questions” of life. Why am I here? What hap- pens when I die? And what is the meaning of existence? Some 16 per- cent (or 1 in 6 adults) of the UK population surveyed by Holy Trinity identified Alpha as a Christian course, while 41 percent knew someone who had graduated through the program.17

Who Joins Alpha and Why?

My national survey of Alpha in the UKthrows some light on who joins the course and what motivates people to do so. The findings address aspects of Alpha’s potential and actual success in winning new converts and attracting people of different social backgrounds.18 The survey of thirty-one congregations, which included the administration of question- naires, was conducted between the summer of 2001 and late 2002 from a random sample of churches from a variety of denominations listed in Alpha News as participating in the Alpha course.19

In terms of social background, Alpha clearly has a fairly broad appeal, although certain social categories were overrepresented among the guests who subscribed to the course. This general middle-class profile of Alpha guests, as judged by occupation, was reinforced by educational profile. This suggests the attraction of Alpha’s cultural leanings towards a fairly affluent Charismatic constituency. The fact that about one-third of those attending Alphacourses were not in paid employment (the retired, students, and housewives) may indicate the freedom of such people to organize their time to take up a fairly long course that needs a fair degree of dedication.

17

Alpha News (November 1999–January 2000), 4.

18

This is examined in detail in Gumbel, The Alpha Initiative.

19

1,500 questionnaires were administered, of which 837 were returned (a return rate of some 55 percent).

79

15

Pneuma 27,1_f5_65-82II 8/17/05 7:51 AM Page 80

Pentecostal Theology, Volume 27, No. 1, Spring 2005

My initial sample found a fairly wide spread of age categories of those taking Alpha, ranging from sixteen to eighty-five years old. Yet, Alpha appeared particularly popular among those between the ages of thirty and forty. The under thirties and over seventies were conspicuously under- represented. As far as the young were concerned, the relative absence of those under thirty, especially the under twenties, is not good news if Alpha is seeking to win over a new generation of churchgoers. At the other end of the age spectrum, the relative absence of the elderly is feasibly accounted for by such factors as the “youngish” style of the culture generated by Alpha and the sheer degree of endurance of an Alpha course for some older people.

It is perhaps in the area of gender where Alpha is found most to approx- imate broad church attendance figures. Women are clearly overrepresented on Alpha courses. This may simply reflect the fact that they are gener- ally overrepresented in the churches. Thus, they are plausibly involved in Alpha for the same reason that they go to church on a regular basis.20 My survey revealed that 37.5 percent of those attending Alpha courses are males and 62.5 percent are females.

Finally, as far as ethnicity is concerned, the sample of churches sur- veyed was unrepresentative of the population as a whole in that their con- gregations were largely white. At the same time, it is my observation that very few black churches (which are usually of the Pentecostal persua- sion) have endorsed Alpha, although they may increasingly be doing so. The survey indicated that 86.2 percent of guests were white, 6.2 percent black, 2.2 percent Asian, and 5.2 percent “other” ethnic categories.

The survey also revealed interesting facts about the church background of Alpha guests. It was evident from fairly early on in my research that many of those taking Alpha courses, at least in the UK, were already attending a church or had a church background at one level or another. Indeed, what was particularly noteworthy was that many so-called guests were already in the church and most attended on a fairly frequent basis. If so, this was an indication of Alpha’s weakness in that it was failing in its primary aim of reaching the unconverted and unchurched.

Perhaps, then, Alpha’s success can be thought of more in terms of an “internal revival.” Here, there may be nothing particularly new. One famous

20

The publication Christian England, which reports the Church Census of 1990, pre- sents evidence that a greater percentage of churchgoers in the UK are female (58 percent in England, 62 percent in Wales, and 63 percent in Scotland). Peter Brierley, Christian England: What the 1989 Church Census Revealed (London: Marc Europe, 2000).

80

16

Pneuma 27,1_f5_65-82II 8/17/05 7:51 AM Page 81

The Alpha Program: Charismatic Evangelism for the Contemporary Age

study has shown that the large-scale evangelizing campaigns typified by those of Billy Graham had long served this function, that is, most attend- ing were already converted.21Attending such rallies reinvigorated the faith- ful and functioned more as “status confirmation rituals” (such as “altar calls”). In short, they provided a sense of belonging, identity, and revival for those already in the faith, or they brought back into the fold those who had gone astray.

Church Background at Time of Taking the Alpha Course

Church Background %

Already in the church running course 57.8 On fringes of church running course 13.6 Agnostics with some experience of church life 16.3 No church experience, nonbelievers 8.0 Belonging to other churches 4.3

100

Conclusion

What might be concluded about Alpha? My research is only tentative since it is limited only to the UK context. Alpha is now global, and this calls for international research from scholars in countries in which the program has had a strong impact. This would allow a comparative dimension. That work has yet to be conducted.

As far as findings of Alpha in the UK are concerned, it may be con- cluded that Alpha has proved to be primarily a vehicle for revival: Alpha is extending Charismatic Christianity to the churches, including those previously untouched by the Renewal movement. According to inter- views and questionnaires in the UK national survey, it is apparently the Charismatic element which provides a deeper expression of the faith. Charismatic Christianity, therefore, continues to carry on the same function that it has had for over four decades in spiritually revitalizing those already in the churches. This has been by far its major achievement, indeed one of its principal aims. In the UK at least, however, its impact may have peaked. In 1998, 10,500 Alpha courses were being run in

21

K. Lang and G. Lang, “Decision for Christ: Billy Graham in New York City,” in A. Vidich and D. White, eds., Identity and Anxiety (New York: Free Press, 1960).

81

17

Pneuma 27,1_f5_65-82II 8/17/05 7:51 AM Page 82

Pentecostal Theology, Volume 27, No. 1, Spring 2005

the UK.22 By 2001, the figure was down to 7,300.23 I would suggest that this is largely because the guests come to Alpha through networks open to a church, if they are not already actually church members. This sets limits to Alpha’s reach. In short, church members run out of people to ask to attend a course. Alpha has thus reached a “critical mass.” Whether this is a global pattern remains to be seen.

What is clear, however, is that Alpha will continue to develop and its utilization worldwide will continue to spread for some time yet. Alpha has made waves and these waves are global. The sheer scale, direction, and working philosophy of Alpha are noteworthy. Evangelizing initiatives come and go. Yet, Alpha deserves and calls out for attention. It is more than a passing phase or craze in the churches. It is not the ‘here today and gone tomorrow’ of the Toronto Blessing of the mid 1990s. Alpha has been around for some time and will continue to be so. At the very least it has put one London church, Holy Trinity, Brompton, firmly on the map.

In many respects Alpha is a barometer of developments and thinking in the contemporary Church. It utilizes the insights and experiences gained by the churches in a secular world over many years, if not decades. In engaging with secularity, it uses secular tools, applying sociology, psy- chology, and business and organizational studies. It recognizes cultural and social change, while appreciating individualism, consumerism, and the need to be relevant in a relativizing culture. Of course, Alpha will not be to the liking of the conservative-minded Christian (nor for that matter the liberal), but it is in step with much current evangelical thinking.

22

Alpha: God Changing Lives (London: HTB, n.d.). 23

Alpha News (November 2001–February 2002), 2.

82

18

Be first to comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.