Church Life - Courses

Alpha

The Alpha Course has a reputation for being the most helpful and most popular Christian course that's ever been presented for those who want to explore the claims and benefits of the Christian faith. Over 2 million people in the UK and 13 million worldwide have now attended an Alpha course in tens of thousands of churches of all denominations across the world.

The course is based around small groups of people, hosted by one or two leaders whose role is to facilitate and encourage discussion.

Each session is a chance to get to know others in the small group. There is then a short talk which looks at a different aspect of the Christian faith. This is followed by a time of discussion in the small groups, where everyone is welcome to contribute their opinion, ask questions and discuss with the rest of the group. The talks include:

• Week 1 Who is Jesus?
• Week 2 Why did Jesus Die?
• Week 3 How can we have Faith?
• Week 4 Why and how do I Pray?
• Week 5 Why and how should I read the Bible?
• Week 6 How does God Guide us?
• Week 7 How can I Resist Evil?
• Week 8 Why and how should I tell Others?
• Week 9 Does God Heal Today?
• Week 10 What about the Church?

Discovery

The Discovery Course has been designed for those who want to 'cut to the chase' with basic Christianity through an accessible, five week, no-frills presentation of the essential truths of the Christian faith. It covers the same essentials of Alpha without some elements which are covered in another course called Encounter (see below).

Many people have become Christians each year though attending this course as they have heard the simple truth of the Good News of Jesus.

The course includes the following subjects:

• Why bother with Christianity?
• Can we trust the Bible?
• What's so special about Jesus?
• Making sense of the Cross
• How to become a Christian

The course has been conducted mostly in small groups, some mixed and some gender specific. We usually include a speaker, a Powerpoint presentation, course notes and take-home notes for further study. We have found this multi-featured approach an indispensable learning aid.

We also have DVD's of this course which can be used in small groups or one-to-one. They continue to have a powerful effect and have been a great means of leading folk into the Christian faith right up until this present day.

Quest

Quest is a course we have introduced for those who have specific intellectual issues that they want resolved. This course runs in much the same way as Alpha and Discovery but has lots more factual and scientific information included in the course and includes such topics as:

• Christianity? - You must be joking!
• Has science disproved the Bible?
• Does evolution contradict Christianity?
• If there is a God why is there so much pain and suffering in the world?
• What about other religions?
• Anything else the group would like to put on the agenda!

Membership

The King's Church is a family, adopted by God (Gal. 4:6-7; Eph. 1:5). From him we receive the privilege to worship Jesus, serve in his kingdom, and be his children. We care for each other, pray for each other, and serve together.

Guests are always welcome within our spiritual home but we love to welcome visitors into full family membership. We were not designed to live as lonely or independent Christians. Rather, we were created to live, work and enjoy life together as His family.

The leaders of King's Church aim to love and care for the members well (Eph. 4:11-12; Gal. 6:10). First and foremost, their purpose is to love and lead, provide counsel and aid, pray for, teach, and guide all members. In return, they look to the members to be part of our collective work as the church (Eph. 2:10), to support its unity, responsibilities, ministry and testimony.

The membership requirements of King's Church are very simple. They are not intended as a barrier to anyone. Non-members are very welcome to attend any of the meetings except where church family matters are the purpose of the gathering.

We have made the requirements for membership as simple as possible:

• Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
• Be (or desiring to be) baptised in water.
• Regular attendance.
• Acceptance of the foundational teachings of the membership course

At the Membership course we look at:

• Our Salvation (What God has done for us)
• Our Statements (Why we exist as a church)
• Our Strategy (How we fulfill our purpose)
• Our Stewardship (How we resource all that we do)
• Our Structure ( Who helps us fulfill our purpose)

Encounter Course

At Kings we provide a course called 'Encounter' which has proved to be a major help to all who have attended. Everyone needs to encounter God. This a voluntary course made up of three distinct parts. They are the Pre-Encounter, the Encounter and the Post-Encounter.

n the Pre-Encounter sessions, themes related to the new life in in Jesus are considered. These cover topics such as, the certainty of salvation, the power of prayer, the power of the Bible and how to be set free from the past. The aim of the Pre-Encounter is to prepare the believer for the Encounter.

Then comes the Encounter, which either takes place over a weekend at a Christian conference centre, or can be achieved on a Friday night and all day Saturday. Many Christians of all denominations have benefited greatly from taking time away from their busy schedules to focus their attention on God. It is usually a time of great joy, cleansing and healing. Most people return from the Encounter with a new sense of freedom and a knowledge that the old has gone and the new has come.

Over the weekend the subjects taught include Repentance, Forgiveness, The Cross, How to be set free and the mission of the church.

The Encounter weekend is followed by another short course, called Post Encounter, designed to teach the basic principles of the Christian life, enabling the Christian to enjoy all that God has prepared for him or her.

Encounters are not just for new believers? They are for everybody. Often believers move into the area and join the church but have never had the opportunity to be established in the faith. The Encounter program is an ideal way to 'catch up' on some issues that were perhaps overlooked when they first became Christians.

If you would like more information about any of the courses we run, please get in touch by filling in the form below.

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