ANNUAL REVIEW
Alpha International
05 09
45
FINANCIAL REVIEW
GLOBAL PROJECTS
REGIONAL IMPACT
2017 AT A GLANCE
59
LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN
We are so grateful for your support in helping to make 2017 such an incredible year for Alpha – thank you! I am always amazed at the end of the year to see how God has been so faithful and done far more than we could have ever imagined. Across the world we are seeing churches uniting to bring hope to the nations and creating spaces of discussion and prayer for people to encounter Jesus. Last year alone, over 34,000 churches and organisations ran Alpha, reaching over 1.5 million people globally with the gospel. This review highlights some of Alpha’s global impact over the past year, including the launch of the new Alpha Youth Series, the continued reach of the first ever Global Alpha Campaign with Bear Grylls (transitioning into a more localised campaign with regional materials for churches), and the key partnership with Divine Renovation from the Catholic Church. In 2017, we were also thrilled to welcome Mathew Neville as Chief Executive Officer. This is the beginning of an exciting new chapter in Alpha’s history and I am delighted to have Mathew leading the team. I am so pleased that Ken Costa has agreed to be Chairman Emeritus of Alpha, having served as Chairman for 15 years. We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Ken for his remarkable contribution.
Our work would not be possible without your great generosity and prayers. Again, many, many thanks. Lots of love,
The Revd Nicky Gumbel Chairman of Alpha International Alpha International Annual Review 2017 | 1
LETTER FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
It has been a great privilege to join Alpha International as Chief Executive Officer at the start of 2017, and to serve alongside such a talented and committed team. During the year, we realigned ourselves with our mission statement – to equip and serve the church in its mission to help people discover and develop a relationship with Jesus. We have been focused on increasing awareness of Alpha globally, improving our support structures for local churches, growing our network of partner churches and reviewing our global governance, while maximising our digital capability in all areas. I hope that some of what you will read in the subsequent pages will give you a flavour of the highlights from the year. We feel strongly that we are at an inflection point in Alpha’s remarkable story and moving forward we are excited to invest in the three identified key areas (global governance, funding and digital engagement) to strengthen our organisational capacity and serve the church in the next season of growth.
Thank you very much for partnering with us in the gospel. I am very grateful for all your support. I hope you are as eager as I am to see what God will do this coming year and how He will use Alpha to bless the local church! God bless,
Mathew Neville Chief Executive Officer of Alpha International
2 | Alpha International Annual Review 2017
OUR VISION AND MISSION
Alpha’s vision is the evangelisation of the nations, the revitalisation of the church and the transformation of society. We believe everyone should have the opportunity to explore a personal relationship with Jesus, wherever they are in the world, for free. Our mission is to equip and serve the church in its mission to help people to discover and develop a relationship with Jesus.
WE ARE FOR THE CHURCH, BY THE CHURCH AND THROUGH THE CHURCH
Our goal is the revitalisation of the church. We don’t want to invite Alpha guests into a relationship with Alpha; our hope is to introduce people to a relationship with Jesus and to connect them into their local church community. WE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT UNITY
Alpha is unique in providing a common tool for evangelisation that is being used by all Christian traditions and denominations and is building relational unity at a grass roots level across the world.
OUR VALUES
WE BELIEVE THE CHURCH DESERVES OUR BEST
We want to equip the church with excellent tools that they are confident to share with unchurched guests. We’re focused on innovation to continuously improve and respond to the evolving needs of the church across the world. WE BELIEVE IN GIVING IT ALL AWAY
We don’t want to monetise Alpha: it’s free to guests and churches. Alpha is God’s mission and the glory goes to him, not us.
2017 AT A GLANCE
2017 At a glance | 5
LASTING IMPACT
To date, we estimate that over 26 million people worldwide have done Alpha, in over 100 countries and over 100 languages. Through a network of National Alpha Offices, we train and equip local leaders to run Alpha. As they do, we are not only seeing lives transformed, but also churches changed and renewed.
CHURCHES AND ORGANISATIONS
34,000+ churches and organisations ran Alpha in 2017
5%
growth from 2016
The most significant growth was seen in North America (USA and Canada), where there was a 15% increase in churches and organisations running Alpha in 2017
12% of the total number of churches and organisations which ran Alpha in 2017 were Catholic, representing an increase of 18% since 2016
6 | 2017 At a glance
ALPHA PARTICIPANTS
1.5M
people did Alpha in 2017, including nearly 400,000 hosts and helpers, representing a growth of 12% from 2016
12% growth from 2016
WHERE ALPHA WAS RUN
UK 31% North America 23% Asia Pacific 20% Europe and Middle East 15% Latin America and Caribbean 6% Africa 5%
The number of youth trying Alpha has increased significantly year on year, growing by 24% from 2016 to 2017
24% growth from 2016 to 2017
907
prisons ran Alpha globally
10% growth from 2016
Alpha Youth Student Prison Workplace
ALPHA CONTEXTS
71% 21% 3% 3% 2%
2017 At a glance | 7
REGIONAL IMPACT
Regional Impact | 9
NORTH AMERICA
USA
5,944
churches and organisations ran Alpha in 2017
17% growth from 2016
347,995 Alpha participants in 2017 *Over one third of participants were from a Catholic context
10 | Regional Impact
10% growth from 2016
CANADA
2,030
churches and organisations ran Alpha in 2017
10% growth from 2016
146,235 Alpha participants in 2017
39% growth from 2016
JOHN MARK COMER Author and Pastor, Bridgetown Church, USA
‘What I love about Alpha is that it’s not really a formula, it’s just community, around a table, with the gospel of Jesus and an openness to the Holy Spirit.’
12 | Regional Impact
NETWORK OF HUB CHURCHES
Across the United States, there is a growing network of strategic churches that have adopted Alpha as a core part of their strategy and are extending Alpha to other churches in their spheres of influence. As a hub for Alpha, they serve as a model for other churches to see behind-the-scenes of Alpha in their context. They are also significantly involved in training and coaching churches in the best practices of Alpha. In 2017, hub churches increased from 25 to 40, including several more Catholic hubs.
26% GROWTH IN PRISONS RUNNING ALPHA
There have been exciting new doors opening in prisons across the United States. 91 new correctional facilities began running Alpha in 2017, bringing the total number to 441 running in 40 states.
CELEBRATING THE GLOBAL ALPHA CAMPAIGN IN THE GREATER TORONTO AREA
‘The campaign gave our people confidence because they saw it everywhere in our subways, on our buses, on our bus stops. It exceeded my expectations. I was shocked at how many people showed up, how many volunteers were there, how many people were engaged, and the buzz in the room. These were new people engaging in a faith journey, it doesn’t get any better than that.’
JONATHAN SMITH Lead Pastor, Agincourt Church, Canada
In August, churches across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) invited their communities to try Alpha alongside the Global Alpha Campaign featuring Bear Grylls. Outdoor and digital advertising helped encourage church communities to invite their friends to Alpha. With Toronto being the fourth largest city in North America and one of the most multicultural, it was amazing to see churches in the GTA and across Ontario working together. As a result of the initiative, there was a total of 1,852 Alphas run in Ontario in 2017, which represents a 65% increase from 2016.
Regional Impact | 13
CULTIVATING KINGDOM CULTURE
‘In just nine months we saw over 1,000 new professions of faith. I have never seen so much fruit in my life… The power behind Alpha is not the system and the processes; it is the power of the Holy Spirit which is released through prayer.’
Two years ago, I was invited to visit HTB Church in London to find out more about Alpha. Throughout the week I was amazed by what was happening in the church – the fruit of church planting, the Worship Academy and, of course, Alpha itself. I remember seeing hundreds of young people lined up along the streets waiting to get in and hear about Jesus at Alpha. I am a strategic guy, so I began to try and figure out the formula behind it all and what input you need to get that kind of output. But for the first time I saw a situation where there was no simple formula and yet the output was far greater than anything I had seen before.
SHANE FARMER Senior Pastor, Cherry Hills Community Church, USA
It reminded me of watching a Billy Graham crusade on TV. He would give a simple message, that was essentially just the gospel, and hundreds of people would come forward to be prayed for in response. The input didn’t seem to match the output. At HTB, I did notice that there was a wild emphasis on worship and prayer. I went to a weekly prayer meeting and I watched as people prayed passionate and pleading prayers. It was different to anything I had been a part of before. It started to unravel something in me. Could it really be that a belief in the Holy Spirit doing real work, combined with intercessory prayer, could somehow fuel the expansion of God’s kingdom like what I was seeing? What if I stopped seeing what I was capable of and started seeing what God was capable of? Following that visit, we mobilised the congregation to pray and we committed to praying once a week as an executive team. We started to intercede for others in a way we had never done before – for our church, our city and our institutions. In just a few weeks, we began to see things start to shift. In just nine months, we saw over 1,000 new professions of faith. I have never seen so much fruit in my life.
God was moving in a remarkable way and hundreds of people were doing Alpha at the same time. God had been preparing the wineskin in advance of him filling it. Alpha is the best container for evangelisation I have ever seen. It will create a brand-new wineskin for your church, but it also must be filled. The power behind Alpha is not the system and the processes; it is the power of the Holy Spirit which is released through prayer. Regional Impact | 15
LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN
2,093
16 | Regional Impact
churches and organisations ran Alpha in 2017
6%
growth from 2016
98,728
Alpha participants in 2017
34% growth from 2016
58%
In 2017, the number of youth trying Alpha in Latin America grew by 40%, now representing 58% of the total number of participants
40% growth from 2016
13,343
There has been a significant increase in the number of people doing The Marriage Courses in Latin America. In Mexico, nearly 5,000 people did the Marriage and Parenting Courses in 2017
34% growth from 2016
RAISING UP YOUNG LEADERS
The Alpha Leadership Diploma was launched in Latin America; a programme which aims to raise up leaders committed to impacting those around them. The programme works with Priests and Pastors who are involved with Alpha, allowing them to suggest young people from their churches who they want to invest in through the Diploma. Integral to the course is that each participant runs Alpha in their local church, university or workplace, thereby maximising the impact of Alpha across the region.
18 | Regional Impact
The programme was piloted in 2016 and in 2017 plans were made to launch the diploma officially in the region, including launching a new website and developing the syllabus which covers content from the Leadership College London. In 2018, the diploma will be run with 150 regional young leaders from different denominations. We expect that 20 churches will run Alpha for the first time as a result of leaders participating in the course.
ENGAGING WITH NEW CHURCHES AND PROMOTING UNITY
Alpha was highlighted as the main tool for evangelisation at a regional youth conference in Panama in September, through a partnership with e625, a prominent children’s and youth ministry in the region. The event was attended by approximately 1,500 pastors and youth leaders and was a great opportunity to promote Alpha to new churches and leaders. In November, Alpha Argentina hosted the event Iluminadores in Buenos Aires, attended by 200 leaders from both Catholic and Protestant churches. The main aim of the event was to encourage greater unity between the Catholic and Protestant churches in Latin America.
ALPHA RUNNING IN A WOMEN’S PRISON IN COLOMBIA
In September, a team from Alpha Prisons visited Colombia and Panama to lead training events and visit prisons where Alpha has been running. They met with the government agencies of both countries and gained permission to run Alpha in the prisons. The team also attended the last session of a course running in a women’s prison in Bogotá where 99 women experienced Jesus on Alpha.
SIGNIFICANT GROWTH IN VENEZUELA Despite the difficult socio-political situation in Venezuela, Alpha is growing rapidly and bringing hope to many. There are now at least 180 courses running in Venezuela and more new churches are starting to run Alpha all the time.
Regional Impact | 19
Nico and Ruth from Buenos Aires, Argentina, had been dating for four and a half years when a friend invited them to Alpha.
20 | Regional Impact
NICO AND RUTH Argentina
‘A friend sent us a message inviting us to dinner on something called Alpha. We didn’t know what it was but were intrigued so we accepted the invite and went. Each week we found ourselves going back – we ate together, met new people and talked about life. It was there where we met Jesus and invited him into our lives. After Alpha, we decided to get baptised and be part of God’s family. Alpha changed our perspective on life, our way of thinking and our relationship. After a few months of having done Alpha we made the decision to get married and commit our lives to following God’s path for us.’
Regional Impact | 21
AFRICA
1,774
churches and organisations ran Alpha in 2017
95,018
Alpha participants in 2017
22 | Regional Impact
36%
The number of youth trying Alpha represents 36% of the total
14%
The number of people trying Alpha in prisons across Africa represents 14% of the total
24% growth from 2016
SAMMY WAINAINA Provost, All Saints Cathedral, Kenya
‘Alpha will challenge you to grow in your faith and encourage you to share the love of Christ with those around you in your neighbourhoods and in the marketplace. At All Saints, we are glad to note that over 70 leaders from across the different sectors have now been trained in how to run Alpha.’
IMPACTING GIRLS IN A TEENAGE CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTRE (UGANDA)
STELLA
18-year-old guest at the centre, Uganda
Alpha has been running in Wakisa Ministries, a teenage crisis pregnancy centre in Kampala, Uganda. Over 80 pregnant teenage girls visited the centre in 2017 and encountered Jesus on Alpha, after following the weekly sessions using the Alpha Film Series.
24 | Regional Impact
‘I am happy to have done Alpha and I learnt about Christ's resurrection and receiving the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit transforms life and makes us more Christ-like, bringing us closer to God. I trust that God loves me regardless of my early pregnancy and this love does not change or end.’
EAST AFRICA ALPHA HUB ESTABLISHED IN NAIROBI
An East Africa hub has been established in Nairobi, Kenya. The hub will act as a space of excellence and best practice across Africa and will provide a ‘come and see’ model of culture, operational practice and strategy for other national offices to learn from. Towards the end of 2018, the hub will hold an East Africa Alpha conference where leaders will gather to receive Alpha training, resourcing and to hear testimonies of all God is doing through Alpha across the region.
GROWTH OF ALPHA PRISONS ACROSS SOUTH AFRICA
In November the first Alpha was run in Westville Prison, the largest prison in the Southern Hemisphere housing over 10,000 prisoners. A team from local churches ran Alpha in the women’s section. It was a great success and a second local church team is already trained to begin another Alpha on one of the men’s wings.
PARTNERSHIP WITH EXCELLENT YOUTH OUTREACH (GHANA) Through our partnership with Excellent Youth Outreach, established in 2016, we have seen Alpha run in key universities across the country. Alpha Ghana is also exploring introducing Alpha to the surrounding French speaking West African countries.
Regional Impact | 25
ASIA PACIFIC
6,924
churches and organisations ran Alpha in 2017
2%
growth from 2016
19% This growth was driven by an increase in churches and organisations running Alpha, particularly in these countries
growth in Australia
10%
growth in New Zealand
15% growth in Singapore
26 | Regional Impact
289,674 Alpha participants in 2017
PS BÙI QUÔ´C PHONG Lead Pastor, Hanoi Evangelical Church, Vietnam 28 | Regional Impact
‘Alpha is not just an evangelistic tool; it is a church planting tool that can bring the church into a more hospitable and discipling culture while keeping firm to the foundation of our faith in Jesus Christ.’
RAISING UP YOUNG LEADERS
In February, the third Alpha Katalyst – Alpha Asia Pacific's annual emerging leaders conference – was held in Singapore. 58 leaders from across Asia Pacific, UK, Brazil, Ethiopia and Nigeria attended the event and left inspired to be influential change agents in fulfilling God's purpose in their lives, whether this be in the workplace, community, family unit, full-time ministry or for Alpha.
ENGAGING WITH NEW CHURCHES
In July, over 120 churches attended the Alpha Youth Conference in Java, Indonesia, the majority of which were Compassion International partner churches. The event saw the first ever release of the Alpha Youth Film Series, translated and dubbed in Bahasa Indonesia, the local language. The team are following up on around 100 new Alphas as a result of the conference.
ALPHA LAUNCHED IN MONGOLIA FOR THE FIRST TIME
In October, a team from Alpha Asia Pacific met with 237 pastors at the discipleship conference organised by the Mongolian Churches Council (MCC) in Ulaanbaatar. 233 churches were represented, making up approximately one third of the total number of churches in Mongolia. There are now 15 churches running Alpha in the country for the first time and there is still increasing demand from other churches wanting to be trained to run Alpha for their communities.
Regional Impact | 29
30 | Regional Impact
ESCAPING THE WAR IN VIETNAM AS A BABY, TONY SPENT TIME IN A REFUGEE CAMP BEFORE EVENTUALLY RELOCATING TO SINGAPORE.
He describes how he ended up trying Alpha there: ‘Having begun my life in poverty, I grew up with the idea that money and power were the ultimate measures of success. I got a good job, got married and thought that I had it all. One day I received the news that I was being made redundant. Yet again, I was alone, in a foreign land, with not much to my name.
TONY Singapore
During that time, I met a guy called Daniel and we became friends. He ran Alpha in his home and I got involved. I remember going on the day away and being filled with the Holy Spirit. All those years of pain that I carried with me – from the difficult early years to my recent disappointments – they all melted away in that instant when the Holy Spirit filled me with joy as I realised how deeply God loved me.’
Regional Impact | 31
EUROPE AND MIDDLE EAST
4,894
churches and organisations ran Alpha in 2017
4%
growth from 2016
22% This growth was driven by an increase in churches and organisations running Alpha, particularly in these countries
growth in Poland
99% growth in Sweden
84% growth in Spain
EUROPE
155,832 Alpha participants in 2017
6%
growth from 2016
32 | Regional Impact
284
churches and organisations ran Alpha in 2017
18% growth from 2016
12,801
Alpha participants in 2017
17% growth from 2016
MIDDLE EAST
50%
There was a 50% increase in the number of youth trying Alpha in the Middle East
EUROPE Krzysztof spent 30 years in Wadowice prison in Poland. He was invited to try Alpha by one of the officers. He describes his experience:
‘From the very first day, the helpers on Alpha had an impact on me. They were so honest and seemed to really care about me and the other prisoners. I kept coming back week after week and my desire for prayer grew. One day I decided to ask someone to pray for me and I remember experiencing an incredibly powerful sense of the Holy Spirit. It washed over my whole body and I was changed from that moment. When I was released from prison, life was challenging but I had the support of my friends from Alpha and from the local parish.
KRZYSZTOF Poland
I used to be aggressive and only out for myself but now I care about people and want to help them in any way I can. Through Alpha and encountering Jesus, my whole life has changed!’
34 | Regional Impact
EUROPEAN PRISON MINISTRY CONFERENCE
Alpha Poland hosted the European Prison Ministry Conference in June with over 100 delegates from nine countries. The focus was on prison ministry, rehabilitation and reintegration. Speakers included the Chaplain General of Polish Prisons and serving prisoners. As a result of the conference, Alpha will now be starting in five new prisons in Poland with another eight prisons expected to run Alpha in 2018.
ALPHA GROWING IN VIENNA
In September, a delegation of 21 leaders from the Archdiocese of Vienna visited HTB to learn more about Alpha and church planting. The delegation included the Bishop responsible for church renewal and evangelisation, and the Auxiliary Bishop responsible for youth. The team described the experience ‘like coming home to another part of the body of Christ.’ Alpha is working closely with the Archdiocese to support its vision for renewal and evangelisation and new Alphas are being launched in various churches across the Archdiocese.
Regional Impact | 35
MIDDLE EAST
EDWARD HOMSI Lebanon
Edward Homsi has been involved in running Alpha in Aleppo amidst bombs and the siege of Aleppo:
36 | Regional Impact
‘I have a Syrian father and Lebanese mother. I ran Alpha in Aleppo before and during the war. I also trained others to run Alpha and it has been run with young adults from Kurdish, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox communities. Some of the Alpha leaders are now refugees and I have lost touch with them because of the war. I now live in Lebanon, where I have been coordinating Open Doors' relief and training programs for Syria.’
ALPHA RUNNING IN WAR-TORN SYRIA
Alpha was run with a team of volunteers in the relief centre of a church supported by Open Doors. Alpha Levant are partnering with Open Doors to deliver training to Syrian churches. In early 2018, Syrian leaders from all denominations (Catholic, Orthodox and Evangelical) attended a conference in Lebanon to be trained to run Alpha, Alpha Youth, The Marriage Courses and The Parenting Courses. Open Doors are planning to open many Hope Centres in Syria in partnership with local churches, where these courses could be run.
ALPHA RUNNING IN SCHOOLS IN BEIRUT (LEBANON)
‘We started Alpha in our church in Aleppo (a few years ago), with some small groups, and we were very enthused by it - so we have now come to the Alpha Conference in Lebanon as we are also excited about courses for the family (Marriage and Parenting) and Alpha Youth. We have a team with us covering all these areas of ministry and we are looking forward to going back to start courses with the whole church. We are excited and happy about this training event that took place in Lebanon – thanks to you all.’
REV ABDALLAH HOMSI Pastor, Alliance Church, Syria
Through a partnership with Youth for Christ Lebanon, Alpha has started to run in schools in Beirut. Feedback from students was encouraging, with some discovering faith for the first time and others expressing that they felt strengthened in their walk with God.
Regional Impact | 37
UNITED KINGDOM 38 | Regional Impact
10,416
churches and organisations ran Alpha in 2017
5%
growth from 2016
This represents approximately 27% of all churches in the UK which are running Alpha
386,790 Alpha participants in 2017
28% growth from 2016
‘It was like coming home. It created a community of people who didn't have to turn up to church for the first time on their own.’ 40 | Regional Impact
RACHEL Alpha Participant, UK
JULIAN RICHARDS Senior Leader, Cornerstone Church, Wales
‘Across Wales we have seen an astonishing openness to the gospel. We use Alpha as a primary missional tool. We have confidence in its ability to deliver a relevant and applicable message for those who are searching. Last year we ran ten Alphas and saw many find Christ as a result.’
AWARENESS OF ALPHA INCREASES ACROSS THE UK
In January, the UK extended the reach of the Global Alpha Campaign through targeted outdoor and digital advertising. Over a two-week period, posters of Bear Grylls were displayed throughout the London Underground, on the sides of buses in major cities and on national Stagecoach buses. There were also billboards placed in high traffic areas in Portsmouth, Brighton and Norwich. As a result of this investment, an independent survey carried out by Ipsos Mori at the end of 2017 showed that awareness of Alpha in the UK population has increased to 26%, an increase of 6% from 2016.
ALPHA RUNNING IN 48% OF PRISONS IN THE UK
Following the Prison Ministry Conference at the end of 2016, ten new prisons began running Alpha, bringing the total to 67 at the end of 2017. This represents 48% of the entire prisons estate in the UK. In Northern Ireland, Alpha is run in all of the five prisons across the country, led by volunteers from local churches.
RUN ALPHA 2017
In November, Alpha UK and Alpha Europe jointly hosted 350 delegates from eighteen countries at Run Alpha 2017, an event designed to train and envision leaders from across the region. Of those who attended, a third were Catholic and a quarter had not run Alpha before. 140 churches were represented and 65% of those attending were under 40.
SUMMER FESTIVALS
Over the summer, Alpha UK travelled to seventeen festivals across the country to build awareness of Alpha through stand space, seminars, stage content and advertising. This included New Wine – a gathering to support and equip churches across the UK – where the team directly engaged with over 2,000 people. The festivals are great opportunities to meet and encourage people both to try and to run Alpha. Regional Impact | 41
ALPHA IN A CATHOLIC CONTEXT
KEY PARTNERSHIP WITH DIVINE RENOVATION
Divine Renovation is a global ministry that inspires and equips parishes to become mission-focused. The ministry was birthed out of a real experience of renewal at St Benedict Parish in Halifax, Canada, where Alpha is not simply one of many programmes run by the parish, rather it is foundational to their identity as a missional and evangelising church. Alpha and Divine Renovation have a shared vision to equip parishes in evangelisation and are collaborating at a global and national level, in particular in the UK.
MAINTENANCE TO MISSION CONFERENCE IN THE UK
For the first time ever, Alpha UK, together with Catholic leaders from the Bishops Conference of England and Wales and other evangelisationfocused organisations, hosted the Maintenance to Mission conference in October 2017 in London. The event, which was oversubscribed, attracted over 300 delegates, including 100 priests, two bishops and lay leaders from approximately 100 churches across the UK. There were also key representatives from dioceses in Austria, Spain and France.
Fr James Mallon and the Divine Renovation team shared the importance of fostering a culture of mission in parishes, and stressed the effectiveness of Alpha both as a tool for evangelisation but also in shifting the culture of the parish from maintenance to mission. Together with Divine Renovation, we are now supporting these churches so that they may become working models of healthy mission-focused parish life, influencing others around them and serving their communities.
42 | Regional Impact
It became apparent that Alpha was key to the game plan of evangelisation in Fr James Mallon’s parish. As a Catholic, I had my suspicions given Alpha’s origins in the Anglican Church. Alongside ten others, I experienced Alpha at HTB.
FR JAMES MACKAY Parish Priest, Our Lady of Walsingham, England
‘I’d come to the point at which I felt my relationship was more with the church as an institution and less with Jesus Christ. I turned to another priest for mentoring and he gave me a copy of the book Divine Renovation by Fr James Mallon.
We encountered the person of Jesus in an atmosphere full of palpable love and surrendered to vulnerability. It’s all about relationship. Since then, we have run Alpha in our parish. It’s been the pivotal step in transforming my perception of what it means to be a priest and leader. I now feel part of something rather than above it, and that for me is church.’ Our Lady of Walsingham is one year into applying the principles of Divine Renovation within the parish. New Connect Groups have been launched and Alpha is running three times a year alongside Alpha Youth, which is being led by young people. There are regular praise and worship evenings taking place and the parish building is now being used on a regular basis for disciple-making activities.
Regional Impact | 43
GLOBAL PROJECTS
global projects | 45
ALPHA YOUTH SERIES
ALPHA YOUTH SERIES
The Alpha Youth Series (AYS) for teens launched in partnership with Alpha Canada in 2013 as an experiment to see how young people would respond to a new, contextualised Alpha format. It quickly spread and today is used in 49 countries and in 19 languages. In October 2017, again in partnership with Alpha Canada, we launched an updated and improved Alpha Youth Series, which aims to be more widely appealing to teenagers anywhere in the world who want to explore the Christian faith. The series features more co-hosts, a variety of animated media and testimonies of young people from all over the world. This youthful, fun and dynamic cinematic experience is better tailored to a global 13 to 18-year-old audience, which will increase the impact and reach of Alpha Youth over the coming years. Translations into Spanish, Chinese and Korean, amongst eight other languages across Asia Pacific and Europe, are well underway. The English subtitled version is already available in countries where English is the second language – this means viewers can use the subtitles to enhance their understanding of each episode.
2,500
LEADERS
COLE Grade 10 Student, Canada
Since launching in October, the Alpha Youth Series has helped more than 2,500 leaders spark meaningful conversations
‘I enjoyed the fact that all of my peers around me felt comfortable expressing their opinion during Alpha [using the Alpha Youth Series]. It was like walking down the beach and sincerely talking about anything we believed in without any sense of discomfort or embarrassment.’
46 | global projects
RUTH JACKSON Editor,Premier Youth and Children’s Work and Head of Youth Apologetics, UK
‘The Alpha Youth Series is such a great resource – for young people and youth workers alike. It covers really important topics and questions and because it’s funny, beautifully shot and really accessible, it’s a great thing for young people to invite their mates to explore with them.’
GLOBAL IMPACT
Canada saw an increase in the number of Alphas being led by students. In some regions there was a city-wide initative, which saw almost every high school in the district running Alpha. Ireland promoted the new series at three regional training events across the country. Three of their schools have already started running Alpha and a further ten schools will be starting Alphas using the series in 2018.
In the UK, 250 key Youth Leaders acted as early adopters of the Alpha Youth Series, running Alpha with the new material one week before public release. During the first month following the launch, there were nearly three times the number of downloads compared with the first month following the launch of the Alpha Youth Film Series.
‘The content allowed for good conversation and times of honesty for the young people to reflect on their own personal journey with Jesus. The light-hearted way which it dealt with topics was very well received. It was not intimidating for youth or nonChristians so they felt comfortable to keep coming back.’
DINEO MAITISA Youth Leader, Gracepoint Church, South Africa
Malaysia launched the Alpha Youth Series at their GLOW (Alpha Youth and Campus) conference in October. They also organised an intimate gathering with their Alpha Youth Coaches and Youth Pastors off the back of GLOW in order to better equip and support their key advocates.
global projects | 47
PASTOR ALI DINI Bulgaria
After a spell in prison, Pastor Ali Dini now dedicates his time to working with Iranian refugees in Bulgaria, using the Alpha Film Series translated into Farsi to support his work.
48 | global projects
KAREN Alpha participant at Hope City Church KL, Malaysia
ALPHA FILM SERIES
‘I loved the Alpha weekend. I had questions about the Holy Spirit before I went and now I have him as a friend and helper in my life. I have truly encountered him and his presence is so real. The Alpha Film Series made it all so simple to understand.’
The Alpha Film Series – the most innovative resource update in Alpha's history – launched globally in April 2016. Filmed in twelve countries and featuring inspiring stories and interviews from around the world, it is Alpha redefined for today's audience. Launched initially in English, 26 translations were completed by the end of 2017 – including the most populous languages of Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish and Arabic – and there are 21 more in the pipeline.
‘The Alpha Film Series is a great evangelistic tool and is a gift from heaven for all the people in our country. The effectiveness of this tool for sharing faith means that we are seeing people sharing this resource extensively with their friends for them to run in their communities. People love to use the film series for sharing their faith with people who don’t know Christ and we believe that with the help of Alpha we can reach the whole of Iran.’
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE AND ALPHA GLOBAL GATHERING
Alpha's seventh Leadership Conference (LC17) at London's iconic Royal Albert Hall brought together over 5,500 global leaders in May, equipping and envisioning them for their local mission. A total of 85 countries and 42 denominations were represented at the conference, with leaders from a range of international businesses, churches and charities – offering a powerful picture of global Christian unity. Speakers included Simon Sinek (author, consultant and business leader), John Gray, (Professor of Political Philosophy, author and social commentator) and Cardinal Luis Tagle (Archbishop of Manila).
2017 LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE Attendee
Following the conference, over 1,200 strategic leaders from 72 countries and 34 denominations gathered for the Alpha Global Gathering. Leaders and their teams were equipped to run effective Alphas and develop successful strategies for Alpha's sustained global growth.
‘I enjoyed all aspects of the conference and listening to a fantastic selection of speakers who challenged my thinking. I was most of all touched to be among the varied family of God, listening alongside people from various walks and denominations. It was a privilege to attend.’ global projects | 49
GLOBAL ALPHA INVITATION
Spanning sixteen months from September 2016, the Global Alpha Invitation was Alpha’s first global advertising initiative across social media, TV, cinema, billboards and buses. Wave 1 of the campaign launched in September 2016, followed by Wave 2 in January 2017, both featuring Bear Grylls sharing his story of finding a simple faith on Alpha, and inviting others to do the same. Running in 68 countries and 32 languages, the campaign assets reached almost 20 million people through paid advertising on Facebook. (The video saw around 8.5 million online views.) We want to say a huge thank you to Bear Grylls for having allowed us (free of charge) to use his image and story as part of our Global Alpha Invitation in 2017. Bear has been so generous to us, granting us these rights for a year, and we are so thankful. The Explore More campaign launched in August, featuring new stories, videos and images that picked up on the themes of exploration from the materials featuring Bear Grylls, further developing the link between exploration and faith. It enabled churches both to transition out of using the Bear assets smoothly and also to continue promoting Alpha through to 2018. Through these new real life stories from different regions, we sought to communicate the global and cultural diversity of Alpha – our breadth and our values – to effectively engage with all three of our key audiences: the potential church, the Alpha church and the potential guest (the latter through equipping and serving the local church). The materials also feature more depth of content with greater flexibility for churches to adapt to local contexts. Within the first month of the Explore More campaign, Facebook ads resulted in a combined total reach of more than 1.7 million people and more than 4.1 million impressions, the latter representing the opportunity the target audience has to see the ads.
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MAGGY Explore More campaign story, Malaysia
‘Alpha was a safe place where I could say out loud whatever I had to say. It was where I got to clear my doubts and the questions I had about faith.’
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THE MARRIAGE COURSE
To date, approximately 1.7 million people have done The Marriage Courses in over 127 countries.
THE MARRIAGE COURSES REMAKE
In 2017, we continued scoping out the refilm project for both The Marriage Course and The Marriage Preparation Course. Remaking these courses is essential if we are to equip churches to engage with millennials all around the world and help them build strong, lasting marriages. We are aiming to film this new product in early 2019, ready for launch at the end of the year. The new product will communicate the whole of The Marriage Courses material through concise, innovative and visually engaging episodes, featuring younger, global contributors from a broad range of cultures and a more contemporary tone. We will increase accessibility globally by making the product available digitally as well as physically.
THE MARRIAGE COURSE GLOBAL IMPACT STUDY
In 2017, we estimate that approximately 90,000 people globally did The Marriage Courses in over 3,000 churches and other venues. To fully understand the effectiveness of The Marriage Course, Alpha International and Barna Group, a US based research company, jointly conducted a global impact study in 2017. We gathered feedback from over 1,000 guests and nearly 200 church leaders from a diverse range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
GUESTS, AFTER THE MARRIAGE COURSE:
We found that 99% of guests said the course had had a positive impact on their relationship, and 81% would highly recommend the course to their friends.
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‘Our marriage was at a critical state. An affair had caused so much pain and we didn’t know how to move forward. The Marriage Course taught us how to begin to forgive, how to communicate well in the good and bad times, and how to love and enjoy each other again. It has been, and will continue to be, a long road but we are doing it together and are happier than we have ever been in our eleven years together.’
MARRIAGE COURSE GUESTS UK
CHURCH LEADER Canada
‘Date nights have been implemented. Better lines of communication. Happier children... That's what is so great about the course. We had couples on our course that had been married three years and others that were celebrating 30 years! We have also just finished running The Marriage Preparation Course for engaged couples and that was excellent!’
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IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS How would you describe your relationship before and before after after the course? 33%
Very good
15% 40%
Good
27% 23%
Some issues
37% 4%
Many issues
14%
In a critical state
1% 7%
We found that 73% of guests experienced significant improvement* in their relationship after the course. *For the purpose of this study, we define significant improvement as the proportion of guests who rated themselves at least one notch up on the rating scale before and after the course.
COURSE CONTENT Out of the seven sessions, which sessions were most helpful to you? Respondents could select up to three.
61%
46%
42%
36%
25%
23%
23%
The Art of Communication
Resolving Conflict
Love in Action
The Power of Forgiveness
Building Strong Foundations
Good Sex
The Impact of Family
We found that while all couples benefited most from improved communication with one another regardless of the strength of their relationship, those who self-described as being in a critical state before the course tended to benefit more from Resolving Conflict and The Power of Forgiveness compared to those who selfdescribed as having a good relationship.
HOW PEOPLE CAME TO THE MARRIAGE COURSE How did you first hear about the course? Church
36%
Friend
34%
Other* The Marriage Prep Course Alpha
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22%
What is the primary reason you decided to do the course?
To invest in our relationship To deal with some of the challenges we're currently going through
5% 2%
We've entered into a different stage in our relationship
60% 32% 8%
CHURCH IMPACT
We found that 99% of church leaders said The Marriage Course is effective at building strong marriages and 87% would highly recommend others to run the course.
EFFECTIVENESS AND RELEVANCE
94% of church leaders said the course is effective at addressing modern day issues that couples face and 90% said that the course is culturally relevant to their guests.
IMPACT ON THE NEXT GENERATION
‘Our marriage had become cold and the best way to describe it is that we were living together but having separate lives, as we were busy with a highly pressured work life. The Marriage Course has helped us in a great way, where we realise that investing in marriage time is important for us and it helps us to stay in love with each other.’
MARRIAGE COURSE GUESTS China
97% of church leaders said the course is effective at building strong marriages in younger couples i.e. aged 35 and below. 77% of church leaders said that the course positively impacts the lives of children whose parents have done The Marriage Course.
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BiOY GLOBAL IMPACT STUDY
To fully understand the impact of the BiOY on active users, we conducted a global study in July by gathering feedback from over 7,000 active users worldwide. We define active users as those who, over a three-month period prior to the time of the study, have engaged with the BiOY daily or near-daily (86% of respondents), or a few times per week or per month (14% of respondents). Alpha International conducted this research with the Barna Group acting as research adviser. Here are some of the results of the study, showing the impact that BiOY is having globally.
The study found that 80% of active users find that the BiOY has had a very positive impact on their lives. 91% of active users have also recommended the BiOY to their friends. The majority of BiOY active users (52%) have previously attended Alpha. Among this group of users, 83% strongly agree that BiOY is a great resource to engage with since attending Alpha.
‘It is helping me face everyday challenges...It has increased my hunger for the word of God and I am now able to talk to people about God.’
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BIBLE IN ONE YEAR USER South Africa
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
By the end of 2017, we estimate that Bible in One Year (BiOY) has had over 3.5 million users to date. In 2017 we were delighted to partner with YouVersion once again, who provide instant access to Bible in One Year through their Bible app, which has had over 300 million unique downloads.
SPIRITUAL IMPACT % OF ACTIVE USERS WHO SAY BiOY IS EFFECTIVE IN...
Helping me read the Bible daily
Knowing Jesus at a deeper level
Very effective
84%
Very effective
63%
Somewhat effective
14%
Somewhat effective
33%
Neither effective nor ineffective
Neither effective nor ineffective
2%
4%
Very effective
51%
Somewhat effective
39%
Neither effective nor ineffective
9%
Somewhat or very ineffective
1%
‘I love that it is authentic, genuine and true to the Bible. I never feel 'preached at', but rather coached. I love the inspirational stories in each introduction and Pippa's section. She oftentimes speaks to what I'm thinking but would fear to say out loud.’
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR USER Colombia
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR USER USA
Keeping a consistent prayer life
‘I have a prayer journal and almost 90% of the ideas, notes and prayers that I have written since I began have been copied and inspired by BiOY.’
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FINANCIAL REVIEW
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£9.9 MILLION INCOME £8.7 million - Donations £1.2 million - Revenue
£9.8 MILLION EXPENDITURE £7.3 million Ministry
Putting Alpha into the hands of local leaders worldwide
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£0.7 million Fundraising Fundraising costs
£1.8 million Support
Support costs (excluding fundraising)
Total Income £9,903,192
Donations from Individuals Donations from Trusts and Foundations Income from Resource Sales and Conferences Donations from Churches
Asia-Pacific North America United Kingdom Europe Other
63% 19% 12% 5%
Donations by Location £8,709,492
38% 32% 25% 3% 2%
Total Expenditure £9,845,889 Other Ministries Fundraising Alpha Context Development UK Development Strategic Leadership Conferences Media and Publications International Development
3% 7% 8% 10% 13% 13% 17% 29% financial review | 61
INCOME
TOTAL FUNDS 2017 (£)
TOTAL FUNDS 2016 (£)
345,830
274,100
Other donations
8,363,662
8,582,128
Total donations
8,709,492
8,856,228
Income from resources sales and conferences1
1,193,700
421,992
TOTAL INCOME
9,903,192
9,278,220
702,655
777,456
1,247,761
878,234
961,200
840,488
Media and Resources
1,717,363
2,323,460
International Development
2,869,697
2,592,683
Alpha Context Development
757,037
715,138
Other Ministries
342,221
390,438
Conferences1
1,247,955
258,489
Total charitable expenditure
9,143,234
7,998,930
9,845,889
8,776,386
57,303
501,834
DONATIONS
STATUTORY ACCOUNTS
Donations under gift aid
EXPENDITURE Fundraising CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
(including allocated support costs)2
Strategic Leadership
Global strategy and oversight
UK Development UK hub costs
Technology and innovation
Establishing localised infrastructure and training
Tailoring Alpha for different contexts
The Marriage Courses and Mission Giving
Equipping global leaders
TOTAL EXPENDITURE NET INCOME3
There was no Leadership Conference in 2016. Support costs make up 18% of total expenditure. 3. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, together with careful cost controls, Alpha International finished 2017 with a small surplus. 1. 2.
The figures above are summarised from the charity’s draft accounts, audited by Kingston Smith LLP, for the year ended 31 December 2017. A complete set of the accounts will be available later in the year from the UK Charity Commission Website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission.
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Tricia Neill is the President of Alpha
International Board, pioneer of Alpha and Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB). In 1990, Nicky took over the running of Alpha and repositioned it for those outside the church. Nicky is married to Pippa and they have three children.
International. Tricia joined HTB in 1994 from News International, where she headed up News International Exhibitions. Prior to that, she worked in the Middle East for Shell. Tricia sits on the boards of numerous Alpha offices worldwide.
David Gardner OBE is a co-founder and
Chris Sadler is Global Partnerships Director
General Partner of London Venture Partners, a seed fund investing in the Games Sector. He has over 30 years’ experience in the industry, previously working as EVP and COO of Electronic Arts Worldwide Studios, and CEO of Atari, SA.
for AI. He previously served as Alpha USA National Director and led Alpha's Asia Pacific region for ten years. Chris has served on a number of corporate boards and has 20 years' experience in the investment banking industry.
Al Gordon is the Rector of St John at
David Segel is a financial and media
Hackney, East London. Until September 2016, he served as Global Vice-President of Alpha International. Al is the Executive Producer of the Alpha Film Series. He cofounded Worship Central and is a trustee of Charity: Water.
industry investor and founder of Mako Global, a European leader in options market-making. He is Executive Founding Partner in MPower Pictures and creator of the Video Genome Project. David sits on the boards of Trinity Exploration and Production, Yale Divinity School, Eastern Congo Initiative and Alpha USA.
Jody Jonsson is an equity portfolio
Rebecca Stewart is the founder and
manager and Partner at Capital Group, with an MBA from Stanford University and 28 years of investment experience. Jody serves on the board of Alpha USA.
CEO of Goldstar Partners, providing executive search and consulting services to clients in the non-profit sector. From 2003 to 2015 she worked at HTB and Alpha International in a variety of roles, including COO, Chief of Staff and, from 2014, HTB Group CEO.
John Mackay is a founding principal of
Michael Timmis was senior partner
the Strand real estate organisation. John also sits on the boards of Alpha USA and Alpha Canada, and is active in many other charitable organisations. He has degrees in business and law. John and his wife Rebecca have three grown children.
of Timmis and Inman L.L.P lawfirm, and co-founder and Vice Chairman of private investment company Talon LLC. Previously Chairman of Prison Fellowship International, Michael now serves on the board of New Canaan Society.
Bernard Mensah is a Managing Director
Hong Yeoh is the Executive Director of
and Global co-Head of Fixed Income at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He was previously at Goldman Sachs, where he spent many years working in Asia before becoming Global Head of the firm's Bank Debt business in London.
Malaysian listed YTL Power International Berhad and Director of both the holding company, Malaysian conglomerate YTL Corporation Berhad, and Wessex Water. Kathleen, Hong's wife, is Chair of the Alpha Asia Pacific Advisory Board.
ALPHA INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Nicky Gumbel is Chairman of the Alpha
Sandy Millar practised as a barrister before being ordained and becoming Vicar of HTB in 1985. He oversaw the growth of HTB to the largest church in the Church of England and was involved in leading Alpha from a local to a global resource.
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Find out more at Alpha.org/give 64 | Alpha International Annual Review 2017
LEAVE A LEGACY
Our desire and prayer is that God will continue to use Alpha to introduce people to himself – a personal and loving God. Please join us in praying that women and men across the globe, young and old, will come to know Jesus.
We believe everyone should have the opportunity to explore life and the Christian faith wherever they are in the world, for free. You could help make that happen by considering a gift to Alpha, so that more people are reached and transformed by the good news of Jesus.
SERVE
GIVE
PRAY
JOIN US
Together, we can help serve the church to provide an opportunity for people to explore life, faith and God.
Alphas are run all around the world thanks to the help of numerous volunteers. We would love you to consider volunteering at an Alpha near you.
Leaving a legacy gift to Alpha is a simple way of blessing future generations for many years to come with the gospel. You could help provide opportunities for people to discover a personal relationship with Jesus wherever they are in the world, by leaving a gift in your will.
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Alpha International is a registered charity in England and Wales (1086179) and in Scotland (SC042906) Alpha International, HTB, Brompton Road, London SW7 1JA, England