The Alpha Course started at a church in central London, in the late 1970s. We have been running Alpha Courses in Church from Scratch since the church started in 2002.

By 1990 the course leader, Nicky Gumbel realised how this simple course could appeal to people in all walks of life and the course was adapted to give it the kind of feel that would suit.

The Alpha course spread during the 1990s, initially in the UK and then internationally, as more churches found it a helpful way to answer questions about the Christian faith in an informal setting.

There are now over 33,500 courses worldwide in 163 countries and it is supported by all the major denominations.