Updated February 8, 2005 (first published February 10, 1998) (Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) –

The following is from the book Ideas for Evangelism by David & Linda Cloud, available from Way of Life Literature:

The more liberal denominations are using a program called Alpha to increase their membership. The Alpha course, “a short practical introduction to the Christian faith,” grew out of a study program started in the 1970s by Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB), one of the largest and most influential Anglican parishes. The program consists of 15 sessions and runs for ten weeks. It covers such basic topics as who is Jesus and why did He die, how and why should I read the Bible, why and how do I pray, how does God guide us, and what about the church? The course has been extremely successful among Anglican parishes, so much so that some churches that had been closed were reopened. In 1991, the Alpha program was revised by Nicky Gumbel, one of the pastors of HTB, for use in other churches. Since then Alpha has crossed denominational lines and has grown rapidly. Only 600 people attended the courses in 1991, but by 1996 that number had exploded to 250,000 per year. By 1997, it increased to 500,000 participants worldwide. There were 5,000 Alpha courses being conducted in the United Kingdom alone by 1997, and the materials had been translated into 14 languages.

While the Alpha program itself is very dangerous because of its weak doctrinal content and its ecumenical/charismatic philosophy, and while we sound the loudest possible warning against participation in it (see our article “The Alpha Course” at the Evangelism section of the End Times Apostasy Database at the Way of Life web site); at the same time, the underlying concept is very interesting and could be used to good advantage by Bible-believing churches. Call them “Basic Christianity Bible Studies,” or “Basic Bible Truths,” or whatever other name is feasible. Evangelistic home Bible studies can be one of the most effective means for teaching the gospel in the careful, systematic way that is necessary for grounding people. The basic concept of Alpha is to provide a series of studies on the gospel and basic Christianity in a context that is casual, that allows the teacher to build a relationship with the students and that allows the unsaved to relax and ask any questions that might be necessary to enable them to understand Bible truth.

The liberal ecumenical churches are achieving great success with this approach, because many people do have questions about the Bible and are willing to attend the sessions. There is no reason why Bible-believing churches cannot take a similar tack but provide a truly sound Scriptural answer to people. The details and logistics of the program can be approached in many different ways according to the desires of the leaders and the requirements of the particular situation.

A similar approach can be used by Bible-believing churches to advertise a series of Bible studies conducted in homes or at the church or some other location. Any knowledgeable preacher could design a series of basic Bible studies that cover the Gospel, then other basic aspects of the Christian life, such as the Bible, prayer, and the church. It would not be difficult for a preacher to write his own series of basic lessons for the Bible studies, but there are also many developed courses that could be used for this.

A good course for this purpose is called SALVATION BIBLE BASICS by Pastor Doug Hammett, [Lehigh Valley Baptist Church, 4702 Colebook Ave., Emmaus, PA. 610-965-4700 (church), pastor@lvbaptist.org (e-mail), http://www.lvbaptist.org (web site).] This consists of four in-depth lessons on Bible salvation. A strong foundation is laid by defining sin from God’s perspective and helping the sinner to see his lost condition before God. In Lesson Four, Repentance and Faith are carefully explained. It is very unusual for an evangelistic Bible study to go into repentance as thoroughly as this one does. A simple chart helps illustrate the Bible truths. “Our personal Bible Study, Bible Basics is the backbone of our evangelism. We approach visitors, friends and people in door to door outreach offering a four-week, one-hour-a-week personal Bible Study. Our statistics break down to 1/2 of those that complete the study get saved, 85% of those that get saved are baptized into the church, 90% of those are here one year later faithfully serving. That book is available through our church.”

Another possibility is BASIC BIBLE TRUTHS by Lester Hutson [Berean Baptist Church, 10250 North Freeway, Houston, TX 77037. 281-447-8484 (voice), 800-555-9098 (orders), 281-999-0308 (fax), info@berean-houston.org (e-mail), http://ww.berean-houston.org (web site)]. This consists of six lessons that carefully and systemically guide the seeker through the truths of the Gospel. It lacks a clear presentation of repentance, but this can be added by the teacher.

The CHRISTIAN HOME BIBLE COURSE is a good evangelistic course. It begins by explaining what the Bible is and lays a good foundation so that an unchurched person can understand the gospel. [Christian Home Bible Course, 2500 18th St. S., Fargo, ND 58103, atninan@hotmail.com]

WON BY ONE is another course that can be used for evangelistic Bible studies. It can also be used for basic discipleship. The first section has 13 lessons on Bible doctrines: the Scriptures, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, the Devil, the Creation, Sin, Repentance, Faith, Salvation, the Second Coming of Christ, Heaven, and Hell. The second section contains instructions for Believers, and deals with things such as assurance of salvation, Christian victory, separation from the world and false teaching, the church, and the believer’s witness for Christ. [Bible Press, 6585 NW 6th Dr., Des Moines, IA 50313. 515-289-1090 (voice), www.biblepress.net, biblepress@juno.com] Pastor John Mincy, Antioch Baptist Church, Antioch, California, gives the following testimony: “We have used the ‘Won By One’ Bible study booklet for years and have seen many saved and discipled. It has been the most effective evangelistic tool, and the large majority of those who finish the course stay and serve in the local church.”

WHAT’S NEXT? by Charles T. Shoemaker [Church Planting America, P.O. Box 37887, Jacksonville, Fl 32236] was recommended to us by Serge Lapare as follows: “I’ve been using a booklet called ‘What’s Next’ since 1993. I’ve had very good success with it. I’ve had several people realize they weren’t saved after teaching the first lesson on salvation. I’ve had many people dedicate themselves to separate from the world after teaching the lesson on separation. I’ve had at least a dozen people in the last two years alone become effective soul winners as a result of the lesson on soul winning. I’ve added many scriptures to my copy of the booklet over the years, but the basic booklet is easy to teach from and easy for new Christians to understand. It’s not too long, so it won’t overwhelm the new convert.”

1. USE THE BIBLE STUDIES AS A FOCUS FOR MASS EVANGELISM PROGRAMS (house to house literature distribution, radio broadcasts, etc.). Include a brochure announcing the “Basic Christianity Bible Studies” or “Learn Basic Bible Truths.” Instead of trying to pressure people into praying a prayer before they understand the gospel, focus instead to get the interested ones involved in a series of Bible studies where a relationship can be established and they can be dealt with carefully. This is what Paul did. He preached the gospel to the masses, then took the interested ones aside and instructed them more carefully in the things of God (Acts 17:34; 18:5-11).

2. USE THE BIBLE STUDIES TO REACH OUT TO SPECIFIC NEIGHBORHOODS. Bible studies can be conducted in many different neighborhoods by various men and women in the church and thus greatly expand the outreach. The Bible studies can become the focus for the soul winning efforts in the various neighborhoods. These are not “cell groups,” but are evangelistic Bible studies with the goal of getting people saved and brought into the membership of the church (and incorporated into the full life of the church, including the regular services). The studies can also be used to provide basic discipleship for new Christians to establish them in the faith and to help the new Christians build close relationships with mature church members.

3. USE THE BIBLE STUDIES TO TARGET SPECIFIC GROUPS OF PEOPLE. Basic Christianity Bible Studies can be geared to specific groups, such as women, teenagers, foreigners, professionals, uneducated, deaf, etc. By offering Bible studies for a particular group, the church can focus on their special needs in a way that cannot be done during regular church services or Sunday School. For example, in American cities today there are large numbers of immigrants and visitors and students from other countries and cultures. They often need special consideration when the Gospel is communicated to them. Oftentimes they do not speak English well. It is not uncommon for them to be completely ignorant of the gospel or even of the most basic facts of the Bible and Christianity. The typical “Romans Road” gospel presentation that uses a few verses out of Romans will often be insufficient. They need to be taught the very basics of biblical truth, such as creation and the fall of man and the uniqueness of the Bible, before they can understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. All of that can be taught out of Romans, of course, because Romans itself begins with creation and the fall of man, but this is not what most people do when they present the “Romans Road.” Many people will not be familiar with any of the terms of the gospel, such as sin and repentance and grace and faith. Unless those terms are carefully explained, they will “hear” the gospel, but they will not understand it. Too much of the soul winning activity in North America is of this nature because it is simply too shallow and hurried. Missionaries who work in other parts of the world understand this and develop ways of teaching the gospel effectively to their people, but too often personal workers in North America approach foreigners without proper knowledge of how they think and how to reach them. They try to reach them exactly as they would someone who has grown up in the Bible-belt of the United States, and they wonder why it doesn’t work. Involving select groups of people in Bible studies that are geared to their needs and that are led by people who understand them can solve many of these problems.

A series of Bible studies designed for use with those who have no Bible background is “Firm Foundations: Creation to Christ” by New Tribes Mission. Though we do not recommend New Tribes as a mission, we do praise the Lord for their zeal to carry the gospel to those who have not heard. “Firm Foundations” is available in English, Russian, Spanish, Albanian, and other languages. There are 50 lessons designed for a one-year course, but they also have a plan for teaching the material in a shorter period, which we believe is the better plan. The lessons begin with creation and follow God’s revelation of the gospel progressively through the Bible, highlighting important themes. The standard edition is designed for adults and teens. There is also a children’s edition for younger ages. We do not recommend that the course be used as it is written, because it is very drawn out, but it illustrates the necessity of starting with Genesis and building a foundation of Bible knowledge. A shorter form of the course could be used effectively in North American churches as a Sunday School class for people from other parts of the world who speak English as a second language. Many of these people are open to hearing about the Bible and Jesus Christ, but they often are confused by the standard preaching and teaching at churches because they don’t understand even the basics of Bible truth. [New Tribes Mission, 1000 E. First St., Sanford, FL 32771-1487. 800-321-5375, 407-323-3430 (voice), ntm@ntm.org (e-mail), www.ntm.org (web site)]

4. USE THE BIBLE STUDIES TO ASSIST THOSE WHO MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND A CHURCH (or a fundamentalist or a Baptist church in particular). There are people of certain religions who are not allowed to attend a church, but they might be able to attend a home Bible study. Some Catholics fear attending a Protestant or Baptist church. There are young people and wives who are not allowed by their parents to attend a church. The Bible studies can be a means of reaching these people with the gospel.

5. USE THE BIBLE STUDIES WITH EVANGELISTIC REVIVAL MEETINGS. It is said that only about 5% of people making professions at large (mass or city-wide) revivals go on to become active church members. Of course, one would suppose the percentage to be higher in local church revivals. Still, the percentage of those who don’t “stick” is appallingly high in all types of evangelistic programs today. There are many reasons for this, one of the chief being that scores of those making professions do not truly understand the gospel and are, therefore, not fully committing themselves to Christ in biblical repentance and faith. It’s one thing to say, “Yea, I’ll go along with that; it sounds good,” and quite another to be truly born again of the Spirit of God. If most of those coming forward in revivals were strongly encouraged to commit themselves to a six- or ten- or twelve- week Bible study course and if godly, mature church members faithfully taught the course, we can only imagine that the lasting fruit of our meetings would be ten-fold greater than would otherwise be the case.

The following is from Connie in Tucson, Arizona: “Last summer you sent out an article on the Alpha Course and how that was drawing many in. Of course, it is way too compromised, but the idea to have a home Bible study was mentioned. Then you went on to say that the New Tribes missions material, ‘Creation to Christ’ was found to be sound by someone you knew, I think in Russia. I purchased the curriculum and made up brochures and started a group in last September. The group averages three ladies, all unbelievers at the start. It will end in late May. I have found the material to be very good! Now that we are coming up to the New Testament I want to get some new ladies that will commit for maybe six weeks and just study the lessons on Jesus Christ. Sometimes in the beginning of the study I would just read chapter after chapter without stopping and the ladies would follow along. Praise God for his Holy Spirit who leads and guides! Last November I found a sound KJB preaching fundamental church in my area (Praise the Lord) and the Pastor’s wife and I are thinking about doing an evening outreach for ladies only starting in the fall. To get people to come I just carry around a stack a brochures and hand them out as the Lord leads. Some that came dropped out and that is annoying but the ones that keep coming I am hoping will become followers of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and get saved.”