Alpha International
Year in Review
2024
Contents
A letter from the CEO
It is a privilege to serve as the CEO of Alpha. I’ve witnessed firsthand how Alpha is an effective tool for evangelisation and church growth, both as a church planter and in my previous role overseeing Alpha across Asia-Pacific.
More and more churches are using Alpha across the world to help people explore faith in Jesus, with over two million people doing Alpha in 2024.
I am excited about Alpha’s vision because I believe this is a distinctive moment in time where we have a unique opportunity to advance the gospel further and faster. Alpha is the perfect tool for this cultural moment and is widely accepted and embraced across denominations.
This is just the beginning.
Thank you for your support and your role in this kingdom partnership.
Miles Toulmin
Chief Executive Officer, Alpha International
Thank you for playing your part
At Alpha we long to play our part in seeing the evangelisation of the nations, the revitalisation of the church, and the transformation of society.
We work in partnership with local churches of all denominations to give every person the opportunity to explore a personal relationship with Jesus – wherever they are in the world – for free.
Thanks to your support, friendship and prayers, over two million people had the opportunity to explore faith and meet Jesus through Alpha in 2024.
Thank you. We couldn’t do this without your support.
Nicky Gumbel
Chairman, Alpha International
Our vision
Alpha’s vision is for everyone, everywhere, to hear the good news of Jesus through Alpha – in their own language and culture – by 2033, the two thousandth anniversary of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
To achieve this ambition, we will radically increase access to, and engagement with, Alpha through two primary focus areas: contextualising Alpha for different languages and cultures and strengthening our regional and national ministry teams.
In 2024
You helped expand our partnerships
Church Engagement Framework
A key aspect of Alpha’s ministry is supporting regional and national offices by equipping local churches to develop relationships with Jesus. In 2024, the Church Engagement Framework (CEF) team hosted events at Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB), inviting church leaders to witness the ‘birthplace’ of Alpha and to be inspired by its innovative and missional culture that has flourished over the past four decades.
We celebrated the largest Alpha Collective, with 286 registrations from twenty-two countries coming together for three transformative days.
This event unites mission-driven church leaders eager to enhance their impact. Among the attendees was Fr. Peter Wojcik, pastor of St. Clement Parish Church in Chicago, an Alpha ‘Hub’ Church. One pastor from the Gulf region left inspired to: ‘weave Alpha into the DNA of the church.’
We held two Global Experience Alpha events at HTB, gathering over 240 church leaders eager to explore Alpha for their churches. They spent three inspiring days experiencing ministry firsthand and joined the opening night of HTB’s Alpha, excited about the future.
Catholic Context
Catholic churches represent 19% engaged churches worldwide. To support the launch of the Alpha Youth Series and as part of the Global Catholic Youth Strategy, we introduced the Catholic Engagement Toolkit and Training Suite. These resources help Catholic leaders effectively implement the Alpha Youth Series. Alpha Australia also hosted the Every Generation – Alpha National Catholic Conference, gathering 250 leaders from twenty-one dioceses to promote intergenerational renewal and evangelisation. The conference materials will be replicated by other national and regional offices in 2025.
We continued strengthening our partnership with Divine Renovation and were invited to have a prominent presence at the Divine Renovation Catholic Parish Summit in June. The Summit aimed to inspire and equip leaders and communities for parish renewal, fostering transformation within the Catholic Church in the UK and beyond. As the Catholic Church enters the Jubilee Year: Pilgrims of Hope, these global mission collaborators are key to positioning Alpha as an effective tool that can be integrated with Catholic strategies for evangelisation and Church revitalisation.
Alpha Youth Series
The new Alpha Youth Series 3.0 was successfully launched in November 2024, on time and on budget.
With content, theology, and creativity designed from the ground up with Gen Z/early Gen Alpha in mind, what has been produced is a truly global product. With seven hosts and contributors from numerous countries, more than 130,000 participants from over 2,700 churches and over fifty-three countries experienced the new series in the first two months of release.
You helped create new resources
Megan, 19, attended Alpha at St. Mary’s Church, Southampton, in January 2024. With no Christian background, she became a believer. Seeing her transformation, her sister joined Alpha in the spring and gave her life to Jesus. Their mother soon followed.
Inspired, Megan sought to run Alpha Youth at her secular school, praying before approaching the Head Teacher—who surprisingly said yes. She invited five colleagues to Alpha; four became Christians and later helped her run Alpha Youth. In January, forty students signed up, twenty-five attended regularly, and they secured approval to host an Alpha Youth Day!
“We want young people to encounter Jesus and grow in their faith. Alpha’s messaging has the quality and authentic approach necessary to engage this internet-first generation. This is why we chose to invest in the New Alpha Youth Series.”
Jon Venverloh
President, Venverloh Family Foundation
Alpha Series
Since 2016, the Alpha Series has been translated into fifty-three languages, becoming central to Alpha’s work worldwide. In November 2024, development resumed for a new Alpha Series, introducing a bold new creative direction ahead of pre-production in 2025.
This world-class, documentary-style series will feature diverse voices, compelling stories, and theological insights, making faith exploration more dynamic and relevant. Designed for flexibility, it will include modular content that evolves over time, supporting churches globally. Translated and contextualised for over one billion people, The new Alpha series aims to transform how individuals access and engage with faith across different cultures and contexts.
Discover stories of people who decided to explore faith through Alpha
Prayer
In 2024, our Alpha team prayed together in humble reliance. It wasn’t about praying in the “right way” or feeling successful in prayer—it was about being with God and trusting Him with the weight of our mission.
Like the boy’s small lunch that Jesus multiplied to feed thousands, Alpha’s strategies and resources are insignificant compared to the number of people we long to reach with the Good News. We have a holy ambition to see everyone, everywhere experience the love of God, but true spiritual fruit isn’t something we produce—it is a gift that flows from intimacy with Him.
That’s why we formed small prayer groups across our global teams. As we shared vulnerably and lifted one another up in prayer, we learned to carry each other’s burdens with humility.
“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
John 6:9
“It was powerful having a space to pray in the workday. I feel like work friendships have deepened, and there was a real sense of unity.”
Alpha staff member
AFRICA
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AFRICA —
Africa
The growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is not just about numbers—it’s a testament to God’s movement across the region. In 2024, Sub-Saharan Africa was the fastest-growing region globally, with a 47% increase in participants.
The key to this momentum lies in our commitment to investing in the right people and places, placing strong leaders in pivotal roles, and empowering them to serve their communities. Through a bold, African-led approach to branding and engagement, we have fostered a sense of recognition and ownership across the continent.
“When I first heard about Alpha, I was drawn to its simplicity—creating a space where people can explore life’s big questions about faith and God in a non-judgmental, open environment. Little did I know how transformative the experience would be, not only for the participants but for me as a host. Hosting Alpha has been a powerful reminder that God works through simple acts of hospitality and conversation to reach people. I am truly grateful to be impacting lives through Alpha.”
Darius, Nigeria
“Alpha was the first place I could be honest about some of the questions I had about faith. I could be honest about not knowing and then figuring it out with others in the room with no shame or judgment. In fact, with a lot of tears, laughter and GOOD food! It’s no longer embarrassing to say, ‘I don’t know.’”
Nandile, Alpha Guest
The Kenya East Africa Hub strategy is a shining example of transformative growth and opportunity in the region. Since its establishment as Alpha’s East African Hub in 2018, Kenya has soared from 111 Alphas to an astounding 1,955 Alphas in 2024, while surrounding countries grew from 104 Alphas in 2023 to a remarkable 989 in 2024. This amazing expansion into East Africa was fuelled by the strategic introduction of three country training coordinators from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Tanzania.
This season of growth is only the beginning. As we look ahead, we are committed to deepening our impact, staying rooted in prayer, and remaining open to where the Holy Spirit leads.
EMENA
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UK
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EMENA — UK —
EMENA
Europe, Middle East, and North Africa
Our region is not without its challenges. Political instability and protests are rife; severe storms and flooding seriously affected parts of southwest Europe in the autumn; and we continue to pray for an end to conflict in Ukraine and across the Middle East. But despite these and other challenges, one thing is clear: Alpha is gaining momentum.
In 2024, we saw a 26% increase in Alpha participants across EMENA. This means over 66,000 more lives were impacted by the gospel of Jesus Christ. A range of countries experienced significant growth, notably Germany, which grew by almost 20% to over 1,200 churches.
Our Catholic ministry grew significantly in 2024, passing two new milestones: more than 2,000 Catholic churches ran Alpha in 2024, and over 100,000 people (close to 110,000) attended Alpha in a Catholic church.
“The difficult circumstances of war are bringing people closer to God, and Alpha is playing a key role.
Gennadiy Lyebedev, Marine Brigade Chaplain
Around a third of all Alphas in EMENA were Catholic, and our goal is to grow that to 50% by 2033.
Despite the continued war, suffering, and instability, God brought light out of the darkness in MENA in 2024. Around 18,000 people learnt about Jesus through Alpha—an increase of 38%. We are delighted that plans are underway for a brand-new Alpha Film Series in Arabic, which we believe will be transformational for the MENA region and the diaspora.
UK
God is moving in surprising ways through Alpha in the UK.
In Scotland, youth leader Jim took a community group from the local boxing club on a trek to Everest Base Camp—possibly the highest Alpha ever! Youth leader Sarah is part of a Vineyard church in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, and ran Alpha for six schools, sharing Jesus with over 1,000 young people annually. We launched the Alpha Youth Series with red-carpet premieres in five locations, hosting 1,200 leaders and young people.
Alpha is growing across key UK contexts. Chinese Churches are welcoming newcomers from Hong Kong, and Catholic engagement is at an all-time high.
Our teams support UK churches in mission and revitalisation. With growing spiritual curiosity, public figures finding faith, and national discussions on renewal, Alpha UK serves 4,000 churches — multiplying disciples, raising leaders, and advancing a movement of Christian renewal.
Pastor Joel Kalin based in Romelanda, Sweden, who has placed Alpha at the centre of church life, describes the impact that Alpha has had on his church:
I wouldn’t describe our previous years as a winter, but what we are experiencing now feels like a new spring. Something is sprouting, and new life is emerging in our church, which has centuries of history and a strong foundation of trust. However, we have often seen too few people come to faith.
Recently, we’ve noticed a growing curiosity about faith, with more people encountering Jesus Christ and seeking to be part of the church community.
Alpha has become our key tool. While we previously offered it sporadically, we now place it at the centre of our church life, engaging the whole congregation and focusing on genuine interactions.
There’s great hospitality in Alpha—openness, warmth, and deep listening—and when we listen first, people are eager to listen to us. We have realised that people are more curious than we once thought, and God works through us to reach those in need of his love and grace.
The traditional church possesses amazing missional potential if we prioritise relationships over programmes. Mission should be lived out through genuine friendships and conversations about life’s big questions. Ultimately, we trust the outcome to God. When he works, spring is here.
“When we listen first, people are eager to listen to us.”
ASIA PACIFIC
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ASIA PACIFIC —
Asia Pacific
In 2024, we witnessed a year of increasing possibilities as God moved across the region, igniting a passion for mission and evangelism among His people. Almost 60% of all Alphas in the region were run using a contextualised version of the Alpha Film Series or Alpha Youth Series.
The annual Alpha Regional Gathering 2024 (ARG24) brought together close to 1,000 pastors and youth leaders with the theme “Reimagine what’s next for youth, leadership, and evangelism in Asia.”
The Alpha Creative Hub in Kuala Lumpur created the new Alpha Youth Series. The first Asian languages to be subtitled were Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia, Thai, Tamil, and Korean, with Mandarin, Hindi, and Japanese translations in the works.
The Chinese Alpha Film Series continues to make an impact, reaching more than 630,000 participants across twenty-six countries worldwide since its launch in 2022. In 2024, the series was further contextualised into Vietnamese and Khmer.
Through the Global Marriage Course Experience, we invested in the lives of pastor couples to strengthen their marriages by providing a special online programme in both English and Mandarin. Over 300 pastor couples from across Asia completed the course, experiencing encouragement and a refreshed perspective of their marriages as foundational to their thriving families, ministries, and churches.
From Brokenness to a New Life in Christ
Asa, 33, once rejected Jesus. A successful businessman, his life crumbled after betrayal led to bankruptcy. Losing everything—marriage, family, finances—he fled to Jakarta, drowning in alcohol, drugs, and gambling.
There, he met a woman whose devotion intrigued him. Curious, he joined her at church. The first time he heard worship songs, he broke down in tears. He was invited to Alpha and started coming along. Each session opened his eyes to Jesus, showing him a loving community. A testimony in session seven about an ex-atheist turned pastor convinced him faith was possible.
During an Alpha prayer session, he felt overwhelming peace. In June, unpressured, he chose baptism. Now transformed, he serves in the church where he found Christ, eager to lead others to Him.
THE AMERICAS
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THE AMERICAS —
The Americas
USA
In 2024, we experienced one of the strongest years we have experienced in terms of the number of churches, organisations and individuals who hosted Alpha.
More than 15,800 Alphas ran for over half a million participants. At the start of 2024, we strategically restructured our team to serve more effectively in specialised roles and allowed more people to participate in Alpha than ever before. With the new structure in place, we celebrated having more Alphas launched in the autumn than ever and our team engaged with churches nearly ten times more than the year before.
During the first few Alphas, some people came up and started talking to me, just trying to make me comfortable. And they did. I felt like I belonged. The Holy Spirit filled me. I could feel he is nearer than ever before. Now, the joy comes. It’s there. I have a purpose, and I’m not just existing. I feel like God still has something great in store for me.”
Verna, Alpha Guest
Canada
In 2024 we saw an increase of over 13% in Alpha courses compared to 2023.
It was a landmark year filled with research, new releases, and new records! In January, we released Life Shared Episode Four, a resource designed to speak to the Catholic church. Working with Father Simon Lobo from one of our Hub churches, Saint Benedict Parish, was an honour and a blessing.
2024 was a year of growth in our Catholic Context. We saw an amazing 364 parishes run Alpha with a total of 738 Catholic Alphas run throughout the year. This growth demonstrates an increasing eagerness in the Catholic church to share the hope of Jesus with their communities through Alpha.
“This summer, WestGate Church and Echo Church prayerfully decided to come together to launch regional Alpha efforts in the Bay Area. We are seeing local church leaders embrace Alpha by having conversations about faith through fostering safe and non-judgmental spaces where deeper relationships can be made. Together, we are seeing the Holy Spirit work in unique ways to bring unity among churches here in Silicon Valley.”
Ruth Nazanin BetEivaz, WestGate Church, San Jose, California
Latin America
In 2024, over 280,000 people across Latin America heard about Jesus through an Alpha; an increase of 9% on 2023. Behind these numbers are thousands of personal stories of transformation, new communities forming, and leaders being empowered to share the message of hope.
Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Argentina
Alpha has been a powerful force of transformation for our parish. We’ve been running it in our community for over eight years, and the fruits of this journey are beyond words.
What I love most about Alpha is how it inspires teenagers and young adults to serve in the world, following Jesus’ example. They’re especially moved to reach out to those who are most vulnerable and in need.
“Magdalena is a great example. Through Alpha, she encountered Jesus and opened her heart to Him. Now, every morning before heading to work, she serves breakfast in the parish dining hall to those on the streets, doing it with a smile and all her heart. Her life is a living example of the power of Christ’s love to transform us and send us out to love others.”
Alpha Youth Marathon
The 2024 Alpha Youth Marathon set an ambitious goal of reaching 24,000 young people across Latin America in August and September.
This initiative impacted 22,386 teenagers in twenty-one Latin American countries, with 467 churches and organisations running 967 Alpha Youth courses to share the message of hope with the next generation.
Alpha Youth now has dedicated webpages in Spanish, Portuguese, and English to continue supporting youth leaders and churches across the Americas, providing resources and guidance to help reach even more young people.
Leadership Cohort: Circles and Spaces
This year, we launched our first Leadership Cohort, Circles and Spaces.
Throughout this journey, influential experts from across the region taught on a variety of topics, including:
• Prayer ministry with teenagers
• Youth ministry
• Digital evangelism
• Empowering teenagers
We look forward to seeing the ripple effect of this training in the region.
Leadership Conference 2024
“The worship was superb, felt like a taste of heaven. It was inspiring and the presence of God palpable.”
LC24 took place at the Royal Albert Hall on 6 and 7 May 2024. 5,481 people from sixty-nine countries and twenty-eight denominations attended.
After the success of the Leadership Conference in 2023, we invited feedback from surveys and key stakeholders, which helped shape the programme for LC24. These valuable insights included the need to address important leadership challenges and themes such as:
·How can we lead with courage and integrity at a time of instability?
How can we empower and make space for emerging leaders and foster collaboration between generations?
How can we envision, encourage and challenge those we lead in our communities and workplaces?
How can we build resilience while avoiding isolation and burnout?
How can we hold onto hope, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus?
The programme profiled distinctive Christian leadership with a range of fantastic plenary speakers such as Johannes Hartl, Shelbi Shutt, Lecrae, Mark Varughese, Fr Hayden Williams and Jennie Allen alongside Archie Coates and Nicky Gumbel. We were thrilled that Pope Francis opened our conference with a special recorded message for all present.
The Marriage Course
We were thrilled to launch the new global website in 2024 and release fresh content through weekly blogs and social posts. Nicky and Sila Lee also had the honour of speaking on a five-country tour of Asia and at the Alpha US conference in Texas and Wellspring Vineyard Church, NY.
Thank you for your continued support in revitalising society by strengthening marriages and families.
Digital
Guest Outcomes Measurement
We have successfully completed the pilot phase of our guest outcomes measurement initiative, gathering insights from 1,500 Alpha guests across nearly 20 countries. The results powerfully reaffirm the positive impact Alpha continues to have. Among our target population—individuals who have yet to discover or develop a relationship with Jesus—86% of guests report a remarkable growth in their engagement with faith during Alpha. Thanks to the rich and insightful data we’ve gathered, we can confidently estimate that in 2024, because of attending Alpha:
340,000 People started reading or listening to the bible regularly on their own.
320,000 People felt a clear sense of belonging in a church community for the first time.
210,000 More people made a firm commitment to Jesus which is relevant to their lives today.
Guest App
After a successful pilot programme in 2023, we launched the Alpha Guest app with over 100 churches in the UK and the USA. This app enhances guest retention and lightens the administrative burden for Alpha hosts by enabling guests to review sessions and access curated resources. The initial results were encouraging, showing high adoption and engagement levels.
Our goal is to make this app available for all English-language Alphas in 2025, expanding to additional languages and 1,000 courses by mid-2025. We are excited to develop enhancements, including a ‘host and helper’ mode for small group leaders.
You helped provide Alpha at no cost
Thank you for your kindness, commitment and generosity in 2024. We are deeply grateful to God and to our partners worldwide who make this life-changing work possible.
Alpha exists to serve the local church, equipping it to help people discover and grow in a personal relationship with Jesus. We believe everyone, everywhere should have the opportunity to explore faith in a welcoming, pressure-free environment—completely free of charge.
This is only possible because of the sacrificial giving of those who share our vision: to see the nations reached, the church revitalised, and society transformed. Nearly all of Alpha’s funding comes from voluntary donations, and our global community of partners continually inspires us.
Thank you for your friendship, generosity, and faithful partnership. We couldn’t do this without you.
Help everyone, everywhere, experience Alpha and encounter Jesus
We long to see God use Alpha to draw more people to Himself. Join us in praying that people of all ages, across the world, will encounter the life-transforming love of Jesus for themselves.
We believe everyone, everywhere should have the chance to explore faith in an open, pressure-free environment. Your generosity helps make this possible, reaching and transforming lives through the good news of Jesus.
Alpha runs worldwide thanks to thousands of volunteers. Could you help by serving on an Alpha course near you?
Leave a legacy
Leaving a gift to Alpha in your will is a lasting way to bless future generations, giving more people the chance to discover a personal relationship with Jesus
To learn more:
+44 (0)20 7052 0200