All the training videos, Alpha talks, promotional material and weekly handouts are available online for FREE (yes, really!). But there are some costs to consider.
A Home Alpha with 8 people will have fewer expenses than a full-scale church Alpha with 50 people. Once you decide on the location and estimate size of your Alpha, here are some decisions that will impact your expenses.
Promoting Alpha:
Do you want to promote your Alpha by personal invitation and/or on social media (no cost)?
Do you want to use a print shop for guest invitations, posters, banners?
(Click here to see 40 ways to promote your Alpha.)
Food on Alpha:
Is your Alpha online (no food) or in person?
Will you need one person or a team of people to cook the meals each week?
Are there specific people at your church who can sponsor the meals?
Could you ask your church's Home Groups to provide food for specific weeks?
Are there any local restaurants that can donate to your Alpha?
Related videos (please log in): Food on Alpha + Hospitality
Alpha Weekend or Day Together:
Will you be using someone's home or another church (no cost)?
Will you be staying overnight at a retreat centre?
Will you join another church running Alpha to share the costs?
Can you take up an offering at church to cover Alpha costs?
Watch the 3-minute training video about the Alpha Time Away for more ideas.
Books / Handouts:
The Team Guide & Guest Guide are both available online for free (log in here)
You can print or email the individual pdf handouts each week (download from MyAlpha).
If you prefer hardcopy books, you can purchase them from Amazon.ca or from your local Christian bookstore for about $12 each (more info here).
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Online Alpha:
Will you use a free platform like Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, etc?
Will your church pay for the Zoom Pro version (no time limit for meetings)?
Do you want to send Skip the Dishes to your guests for the Alpha Weekend?
After you register a course ("Create an Alpha") you will have access to the following materials all for free:
Promotional materials (guest invitations, posters, banners, etc)
All the Alpha videos to download and save to your computer
2 team training videos (Small Groups + Prayer and the Alpha Weekend)
Team Guide with small group discussion questions for each week
Guest Guide with video outline for each week
Sample schedules and checklists to help you plan and prepare
Info sheets for hosts and helpers
And more!
Recommended for you! 🎉
14 ways to make Alpha welcoming and inviting