The perks of running The Marriage Course and Alpha side-by-side.
We know it can be a challenge to reach out beyond the church walls into the local community. Alpha is geared towards guests who are interested in exploring the Christian faith, but what about those who aren’t yet curious? And what about people who are cautious or hold reservations about church?
For those people, it’s a great idea to offer something that can make a real, practical difference to their lives.
In every community, people can benefit from help in building and maintaining healthy, strong relationships. It’s a universal need and it’s a growing need, with new challenges arising in our fast-paced world.
While it’s built on Christian principles, The Marriage Course is designed for any couple who wants to invest in their relationship, no matter their beliefs. In fact, many of the couples that attend The Marriage Course have no Christian background and little experience of church.
We’ve found that trying The Marriage Course can be the first step for guests to see the church and the Christian faith in a new light. For these couples, the ideal next step is Alpha.
That was the experience of Wesley in The Netherlands who did The Pre-Marriage Course with his fiancée:
‘Having enjoyed everything about The Pre-Marriage Course, we decided to try Alpha. Alpha offered relaxed friendship and deep discussion that helped me form my own opinion on faith for the first time. I want to share the love and peace I’ve found through Alpha with others, so now I’m leading a course myself.’
Wesley, The Netherlands
Wesley’s not alone, 71% of church leaders said The Marriage Course is a great tool for attracting non-Christians to explore the Christian faith.
By running The Marriage Course and Alpha side-by-side you can help support relationships in your community and provide a stepping-stone to develop the curiosity and confidence some guests need to prompt them to explore faith through Alpha.
At the end of The Marriage Course, why not hand out invitations to your next Alpha or even ask a previous guest to share their testimony? It might be all someone needs to take that next step to discovering Jesus.
