Christian Nurture Courses: A Guide
Introduction
There are a steadily growing number of Christian nurture courses now available for
parishes to use. They come from a variety of church traditions and are aimed at
different groups of people. This guide offers a brief overview of some of the material
that is available.
The preparation of this guide draws on the evaluations of nurture courses found in
Evangelism – which way now? by Mike Booker and Mark Ireland (CHP, 2003) and the
useful guide on the Diocese of Oxford website (www.oxford.anglican.org).
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 video followed by smaller discussion
groups. The strong ‘brand image’ created by the Alpha team, linked
to national promotion of the course, means that it is recognized
even among those with no church connection. Alpha is for seekers,
new Christians and those who want to brush up on the basics. It is
run in many different contexts: in prisons, with students, as Youth
Alpha, in the Forces. Alpha is as much about the process underlying
each session as the teaching content itself with an emphasis on
building up good relationships through Alpha groups, not least over
the supper at the start of each evening.
Strengths: Strong relationships are built up and groups often wish to continue to learn
together. The course is widely used by a huge number of churches and is very effective.
In particular it places the sharing of the gospel within a social context such as a meal.
The national team are committed to enabling evangelism through the local church.
Weaknesses: Alpha is well known for its emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit but
does not cover in depth aspects of faith that some Christians would consider basic, for
instance, the sacraments. Its length - 12 sessions (two of which are weekends), may
hinder some from committing themselves to taking part.
Contact: uk.alpha.org
Christianity Explored
First published in 2001, this course is similar in style to Alpha and Emmaus. It consists of
15 sessions, spread over 10 weeks with a weekend away after session six. Originally
called Christianity Explained it comes from All Soul’s, Langham Place and was written by
Rico Tice. Where Alpha emphasizes the Holy Spirit, Christianity Explored is strong on
Biblical exposition. The first sessions begins where people are, inviting them to consider
the one question they would most like to ask God and why. Participants are then
pointed to Jesus as the one who can answer their deepest needs. There is a strong
emphasis on sin and judgement in the presentations, although this is balanced by
emphasising the generosity of God’s grace.
Strengths: Strong on grace, and teaches people how to handle the Bible through a
focus on Mark’s Gospel. It recognises value of developing a sense of belonging among
course participants.
Weaknesses: Can feel heavy on sin for those unfamiliar with church. The talks for the
course are quite masculine in feel – lots of rugby stories, but in some contexts this
could be a definite plus.
Contact: www.christianityexplored.org
Credo
Described by some as ‘Alpha for Catholics’, it describes itself as a ‘course for the
curious’. Written by Bishop Lindsay Urwin, the introduction indicates that it is intended
for both inquirers and for those who already have some commitment to church and/or
the Christian faith. There are seven sessions, two of which may take place in the
context of an ‘away day’. It begins with exploring the nature of creation and then goes
on to cover who Jesus was, the cross and resurrection, being ‘in touch’ with God, the
Church, and finally asks ‘what will heaven be like?’ The course booklet also contains
extensive notes on preparing for the course and promoting it in the parish. It is
published by SCM-Canterbury Press.
Strengths: more sacramental than many courses and a welcome contribution from the
Catholic tradition. Like Alpha, it values the use of a meal as people come together to
generate a sense of belonging amongst group members.
Weaknesses: some may find the course’s reference to figures like Thomas Aquinas
and John Chrysostom a bit ‘high brow’; others will love it. Currently out of print –
although a version appears to be available in Australia.
Contact: www.trinity.uinmelb.edu.au/theological_school/academic_program/credo
Emmaus
Emmaus (by Stephen Cottrell, Steven Croft, John Finney, Felicity
Lawson and Robert Warren) is not so much a course but an
extensive discipleship programme with a fifteen-session nurture
course at its heart.
Emmaus tries to strike a balance between explanation and
exploration. There is liturgical material - rites to mark the different
stages of the journey - and information about sponsors to
accompany people on the journey. Emmaus has three stages Contact, Nurture and Growth – and is published in six volumes, so,
unlike the other materials, starts a lot earlier and goes a lot deeper.
Youth Emmaus is also available. Many churches using the Alpha
course, use Emmaus growth courses as part of the follow up. The introductory Contact
and Leading an Emmaus Group booklets have lost of useful ideas on how to launch a
nurture course and make it an integral part of a church’s life. The material and advice is
helpful whatever nurture course a church is running.
Strengths: The authors of Emmaus come from a cross-section of Christian traditions.
The resource materials can be used in a variety of different settings. It offers a
comprehensive discipleship programme.
Weaknesses: Because there’s a lot of it, it can seem complicated and the length of the
central nurture course (15 sessions) requires a high degree of commitment, although it
can easily be broken down into its three constituent parts.
Contact: e-mmaus.org.uk
Essence
Designed by Rob Frost, the overriding objective of Essence is to
help people who may view themselves as 'spiritual' to journey
towards the Christian faith. It is designed ‘to stimulate a deeper
spiritual life, drawing from the teachings of Jesus and the Christian
mystics’. The course is based on six sessions: the journey so far
(our own story); the journey within (who am I?); the journey to a
better world (the environment); the journey to wholeness (pain and
healing); the journey to spirituality (prayer); and the journey to the
future (hopes and dreams, life after death).
Essence is deliberately produced as a Christian alternative to New Age courses, aiming
to start where many of today’s spiritual seekers are, especially in its emphasis on the
priority of experience in the faith journey. It would work well in a variety of fresh
expression contexts; alternative worship communities and café churches could use the
course. Some youth churches, and those that arise out of a concern for the community
or the local environment, might also find Essence very helpful.
Strengths: Gives people an experience of God. Can be run prior to use of an Alpha
or Emmaus course
Weaknesses: Requires lots of organizing by the leaders. Some of the language needs
to be made more accessible to a non-Christian culture.
Contact: www.sharejesusinternational.com (go to resources and shop and follow the links)
Glad You Asked
This is designed as a course for enquirers who are open to discussing spiritual issues. It
aims to foster discussion of the questions that surveys suggest are most likely to be
asked by non-Christians. The sessions include topics such as ‘does God matter?’ and
‘why is religion full of hypocrites?’ Churches may find it useful as a pre-evangelism
course leading on to Alpha. Each session is introduced by a short ‘vox pops’ on DVD
that usually leads into a group discussion.
Strengths: Aims to start where many people are, assuming little or no Christian faith
but a willingness to share in a journey of spiritual discovery. The opening sessions are
particularly helpful in this regard.
Weaknesses: Some of those who have led the course have expressed disappointment
that the material took a very conservative line when there was no need to do so.
Contact: www.gladyouasked.org
START!
Start! by Robin Gamble is a six session basic introduction to the
Christian faith. The sessions use a mix of video input, time to chat,
simple discussion activities and space for reflection, in a style which
is down-to-earth, enjoyable and honest. The sessions assume no
previous knowledge of anything Christian and the course is sometimes used pre-Alpha.
The course book makes creative use of pictures and other visual material as part of the
teaching, alongside use of Bible study, mostly based on Luke’s Gospel. Because it is short
in length, the provision of appropriate follow-up needs to be carefully planned.
Strengths: Accessible, practical, user-friendly and avoids ‘churchy’ language.
Weaknesses: The course is very basic and could seem patronizing to a more
sophisticated group. Does not grapple with some of the big issues such as suffering.
Contact: Start! is available from CPAS: Athena Drive, Tatchbrook Park, Warwick CV34
6NG Telephone 01926 458458
The Y Course
An eight session enquirers’ course based around polished 30-minute talks available on
video and followed by discussion groups. The course aims to address questions such as
‘why so much suffering and so many religions?’ (session 5) and ‘is there really life after
death?’ (session 6). The theology of the course is evangelical, but with much less
emphasis on the Holy Spirit compared with Alpha. The talks are contained in the book
Beyond Belief and could be used as a more general resource, not least by those preparing
their own courses.
Strengths: Ideal base for a pre-evangelism course and tackles difficult issues such as
suffering.
Weaknesses: Quite intellectual in style. Some may find a tension in the course
between seeking to answer questions about life that many non-church people are asking,
and the provision of answers to questions such as ‘why was Jesus executed’ which are
included as a pretext for talking about the cross.
Contact: the course is available from WesleyOwen.
Liquid. The Ten: 1-5
The course comes from the Mariners Church, California and offers a fresh take on the
Ten Commandments. It presents itself as a ‘revolutionary way to study the Bible’ based
around five 10-minute DVD films, each of which parallels a Biblical story translated into
a contemporary setting. Participants are invited to view the film episode and then work
through the course booklet thinking carefully about the questions it raises and the Bible
passages which it invites reflection on. The approach is very much one of encouraging
open questioning and discussion. The authors (John Ward and Jeff Pries) state that in
working with this material ‘everyone’s discoveries will be different. But that’s what’s
great about God’s truth – it’s one truth, but its formed differently around each person’.
Strengths: Seeks to make the Bible immediate and dramatic in its application to today.
Weaknesses: May well be too Californian for a British group and the teaching material
assumes a high degree of Christian commitment and understanding. The bid to be
‘contemporary’ risks the DVD material beginning to look out-dated.
Christian Life and Work
An excellent sis session resource presented by Mark Greene from the London Institute
for Contemporary Christianity. The DVD includes discussion starters, creative Biblical
reflection and good, clear teaching for each session. It provides an honest account of life
in the ‘workplace’, including the home, and offers a distinctive approach to how we can
behave Christianly in these different contexts. Ideal as a discipleship course but could
work equally well in an enquirer context as it presents a clear Christian perspective on
where many people spend most of their time – at work.
Strengths: Excellent material, clearly presented and dealing with a subject that many
Christian nurture courses fight shy of. Should be part of every church’s teaching
programme.
Weaknesses: For this reviewer, none to mention.
And finally…
….Your Own Course
Research conducted for the Diocese of Lichfield found that the nurture courses that
were most effective in helping people to grow in faith were those produced locally and
in response to the issues raised by participants. These might start with an initial open
session when enquirers are invited to set the agenda for the questions that they wish to
be explored over the lifetime of the group (typically 6 to 8 weeks). This has the great
advantage of genuinely seeking to begin with the questions people have, rather than the
questions that we wish they had in order to fit our pre-arranged exposition of the
Gospel. It is a demanding and time-consuming approach, and wise leadership requires an
ability to be flexible and responsive while still leading participants on a journey of
encounter and discovery that has Christ and the Gospel at its heart. It contrasts with
and complements the more fixed model for nurture courses which can be more
appropriate for deepening the discipleship of those who have already made a
commitment to following Christ.
Strengths: Versatile, fresh and responsive to the needs of enquirers.
Weaknesses: More demanding of time and preparation than many ‘off-the-shelf’
courses.