Alpha Video Adaptation Tips

We greatly appreciate and the Alpha course for its effectiveness in helping us guide our unconverted friends toward our Savior. The Alpha course has been used around the world and helped thousands of Christians in many different denominational groups communicate the Gospel effectively to their friends.

But in its effort to be useful to many different groups, the Alpha course will occasionally present an understanding of Scripture that differs from that of the doctrinal statements of certain groups. One such occurrence is found in Session 9, point 3 and subpoint 1, where the teaching principle contradicts the biblical understanding and doctrinal statements of the Assemblies of God, the Church of God, and certain other Pentecostal groups.

In this teaching, which is a part of “Weekend Talk 3” on DVD 2 (beginning at 39:00), the teaching states that speaking in other tongues is “Not necessarily a sign of being filled with the Spirit” (page 59). Given that the Assemblies of God, the Church of God, and many other leading Pentecostal groups hold to as the initial physical evidence of the baptism in the , church leaders from these groups will find some of Nicky’s statements to contradict their own biblical understanding.

The Alpha course is a proven and valuable tool both for and new believer discipleship, but local church leaders using this material will want to address this doctrinal difference effectively so as to avoid confusion between the teaching in session 9 and their church’s teaching on receiving the Holy Spirit. To achieve that goal, many churches in these Pentecostal groups who have used the Alpha course have taken the following approach:

Replace “Weekend Talk 3” with your own live presentation of Session 9. Since the Alpha course recommends that this session be included in a weekend or retreat setting (along with sessions 7,8, and 14), your group may find that taking a one-session break from the video teaching will be enjoyable. If you choose this approach, we recommend following the Alpha course outline closely, replacing only those parts that conflict with your church’s teaching.

We do not recommend using “Weekend Talk 3” from the DVD and then attempt to provide a follow-up session where the conflicting points are clarified. This approach may be more confusing to the student and cause a loss of focus on the real and valuable intent of the session— to cultivate a thirst for being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Again, we are grateful to Nicky Gumbel and the Alpha course for providing such a valuable resource for local church use. We hope this material, along with this additional guidance, will help make your use of the Alpha course an effective means to engage and guide both the unconverted and those who are taking their first steps along Jesus’ path.