Student Alpha

No, not the title of a questionably humorous 1960’s Brit film – simply a suggestion of what to do “post Alpha.” It’s likely that as your Student Alpha course progresses, friendships will have formed and some people may even be discovering a new found faith in Jesus. But what to do when you reach the end of your course to encourage those people in those first baby steps of their Christian walk?

The obvious solution is to get them along to church on “any given Sunday,“ to quote a cheeky bit of Kanye. And Kanye is absolutely right. Getting your Alpha group connected into a great church is crucial. But what if you don’t have a local church to connect with, or perhaps the idea of going along to church is a little overwhelming for your Alpha guest at this stage?

The Alpha group that you’ve already bonded with through discussion, sharing thoughts and experiences together, is the perfect safe place for new Christians to explore further who Jesus is. Whether or not they’re also able to make it along to church, continuing to meet weekly or fortnightly as a group provides a brilliant opportunity for new Christians to share thoughts, questions, exciting developments and concerns midweek with people who they trust.

And for you as the leader, the transition from the clearly structured Alpha sessions to small group needn’t be hard work or time consuming. Here are three top tips for running a great small group:

1. Keep it regular: if you’ve been meeting weekly for Alpha on a Thursday at 2pm in your shared kitchen, keep on with that time slot. It’s easy to fall out of a habit, especially a good one, so make sure that the time doesn’t constantly change or they’ll easily lose interest.
2. Keep it simple: An uncomplicated Bible study followed by a short time of prayer is the perfect content for a small group meeting. Perhaps pick a Gospel to work through (Mark’s great because it’s the shortest) and discuss a chapter a week. This will start getting your guests into their new habit of reading the Bible, whilst not panicking about whether they’re meant to start with Titus or Leviticus. Make sure you read the chapter one week ahead of the meeting so that you can be prepared for any tricky verses that might need explaining. Ask the group what they thought of the chapter, what verses jumped out at them. Have a couple of questions prepared to get them talking in case they’re a bit shy to speak out at first.
3. Keep it fun: Intensity is not one of the Fruits of the Spirit… Keep the vibe light, even when conversation runs deep.