Alpha founder Nicki Gumbel provides a space for exploring the big questions of lifeSomething powerful happens when a seeker encounters Alpha, a method many churches use to make the Christian faith known. In this interview in his London house, Nicki Gumbel, the developer of the Alpha course that has reached over 29 million, discusses the mission of Alpha, which organizers have described as “an opportunity to explore the meaning of life.” Some excepts from videotaped interview:
“What we found was that there are a lot of people who do not go to Church, maybe could not call themselves Christians but are interested in exploring the big questions of life like why am I here? What is the point of my life?”
“What people want is a space where they can explore that: it’s low-key, relaxed, unfrightening, no pressure, based on respect. People come, they have a meal, they have a talk, and then they have coffee and we talked together.”
“The Catholic Church first got interested in running Alpha in 1996. Cardinal Hume invited us to do a conference for Catholic priests at Westminster Cathedral and that was followed by another one, and then it started to spread all over the world, to France and to Europe, and now there are 70 or 80 countries where Alpha is operating in the Catholic Church.”
“Alpha is a very natural process based on respecting people and giving people the opportunity to encounter Jesus, very much in line with Pope Francis.”
