Alpha

The Alpha Course (from Holy Trinity, Brompton) consists of a series of talks addressing key issues relating to the Christian faith. The teaching method is a talk or DVD followed by smaller discussion groups, based around food. The strong ‘brand image’ created by the Alpha team means that it is recognised even among people with no church connections. Some churches have ‘Beta’ groups for those who have completed Alpha, and are taking the first steps on their discipleship journey.

Being With

The Being With course helps you to become the type of person who knows how to be with yourself, others, and the world around you, and through this to be with God. It is an invitation to discover faith in the context of discovering friendship.

The course is run over 10 sessions, either online or in person, and it covers topics like essence, story, community, suffering and hope. Each session will hold space to hear the prominent and smaller stories that have made up your life, and for you to listen to those of others. It then puts our stories in the context of a talk, based on thinking from other cultures and times.

There is no judgement, no wrong answer, and no prescribed path for you. Truth is only found as we learn how to ‘be with’.

Believe

Believe – Reflections on the Creed is a six-part series exploring the treasures of our faith as expressed in the Nicene Creed. It is suitable for use with the new English translation. Ideal for Lent, RCIA, small groups, and schools, it is presented by David Payne in various locations including the Holy Land, Nicaea, Rome, Oxford, Cambridge and London.

Session 1 – Why we believe

Session 2 – How we believe

Session 3 – The Almighty Father

Session 4 – The Lord Jesus Christ

Session 5 – The Holy Spirit and the Church

*Session 6 – The Coming Kingdom

Each session lasts approximately 35 minutes.

https://faithcafe.org/products/believe-reflections-on-the-creed-dvd-course

*Following a posthumous investigation into Jean Vanier of L’Arche, we are very sorry to have to warn you that a short interview with him appears in Session 6 of the DVD, and very short extracts of this interview are at the beginning of Sessions 1 and 4, and in the trailer. This DVD is provided by a third party, so we are unfortunately unable to edit these sections out. We highly recommend that you fast-forward through these. The interview and the short extracts have been removed from the downloadable version.

Christianity Explored

Comprised of a book, DVD, and online and print-based material, Christianity Explored includes seven weekly sessions plus material for a day away.

The idea behind the course is simple: put people at ease, let them ask and say what they need to, and don’t put anyone under pressure to say, do, or commit to anything that they’re not ready for. Above all, show you’re not afraid of the tough questions – even when you don’t know the answer.

Where Alpha emphasises the Holy Spirit, Christianity Explored places emphasis on Biblical exposition, reading through Mark’s Gospel. The first five weeks focus on who Jesus is and why he came to us, while the last two sessions and the day away look at what it means to follow Jesus.

There are specialist courses too, ranging from an 11-14s version versions to a prison edition. These allow you to present a welcoming and competent week-by-week invitation to a wide range of people of all ages and backgrounds.

Emmaus

The Emmaus course is an extensive discipleship programme including explanation and exploration, with a fifteen-session nurture course at its heart. It has three stages – Contact, Nurture and Growth.

The introductory ‘Contact’ and ‘Leading an Emmaus Group’ booklets contain ideas on how to launch an enquirers course and make it an integral part of a church’s life.  

Pilgrim

The Pilgrim course is a Church of England teaching and discipleship resource, some elements of which have been used in parishes for those exploring faith. It takes a different approach to other programmes and looks at issues of faith through contemplation and discussion with a group of fellow travellers.

Pilgrim comprises two stages: the ‘Follow’ stage for those very new to faith, and the ‘Grow’ stage for those who want to explore further. Each stage contains four short six-session courses that focus on a major theme of Christian life. 

Share Jesus International

Share Jesus has a simple and practical approach that takes the fear and the anxiety out of evangelism.

As Christians, many of us find it difficult to know how and when to share our faith. In partnership with HOPE and as part of the Crossing London initiative, Share Jesus helps us put our faith into words.

Share Jesus International has produced a 96-page resource to help Christians share their faith. The resource explores:

• Leading someone to faith
• How to spark God conversations
• Different ways to explain the Gospel
• Next steps after a God conversation
• Tough questions
• Helpful reminders

Start!

Start is a six-session basic introduction to the Christian faith. The sessions, mostly based on Luke’s Gospel, use a mix of DVD input, time to chat, simple discussion activities and space for reflection. The style is down-to-earth, enjoyable and honest.

The sessions assume no previous knowledge of the Christian Faith and are helpful for people who are new to thinking about God. It is a great resource for those parishes that have completed the ‘Leading your church into Growth’ (LYCiG) course.

The 4 Points

These four sessions cover the basics of Christianity and help to prompt questions and discussions over what it means to follow Jesus. The sessions are freely available to use in youth groups, churches, prisons and other settings.

Find out more about The 4Points on their website: the4points.com

Session 1 – God loves me

Session 2 – I have sinned

Session 3 – Jesus died for me

Session 4 – I need to make a choice

Unlock

Unlock is a non-denominational Christian charity that was founded in 1972. It exists to support urban churches of any denomination in responding to the opportunities and challenges in their areas. It is especially concerned with facilitating Bible engagement within ‘traditional tabloid’ (non-book, oral learners, or text-shy) cultures.

Unlock local partnership workers enable local Christians to reach and engage their communities, whilst Unlock also provides training and publishes a variety of group Bible study packs. ‘Unlock more than you think’ and ‘Unlock DIY’ will give you more ideas for using Unlock’s methods.

Unlock encourages each community to work creatively within its own unique situation, offering support and resources that help this process.