Join us in Franklin, Tennessee
Wednesday, July 24 – Thursday, July 25, 2024!
Each year, The Alpha Conference draws leaders from around the world, crossing generational, denominational, and ethnic divides.
In this epic celebration of kingdom unity, you’ll hear from a diverse group of mainstage speakers, hear stories, be equipped through practical workshops, and be encouraged through powerful times of worship and prayer! This is an opportunity to motivate your team, have fun together, and take the culture of Alpha back with you. You’ll also be first to preview exciting new Alpha resources.
As thousands of attendees testify, this is a conference you don’t want to miss!
We have tracks designed especially for:
Senior Pastors & Youth Ministers/Student Pastors: to help you grow effective evangelization practices, spiritual dynamism in your church, learn from other churches that have been transformed by setting a culture of radical hospitality, listening and dependence on the Holy Spirit.
Alpha Leaders: you will leave with a better understanding of how to transmit the culture of Alpha to everyone you lead, how to create a culture of invitation, and how to engage your youngest leaders effectively.
Students: you will learn how to create space for your peers to explore what faith and Jesus could mean in their lives.
Senior Pastor, Vintage Church LA
Ger was born into a dynamic ministry context. He experienced God moving profoundly in his own life throughout his childhood and teenage years. He was a leader in the church at a young age, but felt called into marketplace ministry and, after studying law at Bristol University, Ger practiced law in London for several years. It was in London that Ger attended and was significantly shaped by the community and ministry at Holy Trinity Brompton. It was also where he met Lizzie, who was on staff at HTB working with Alpha. In 2004, God began to stir Ger’s heart towards laying down his career for full time ministry, and they moved to Vancouver so Ger could complete an M.Div at Regent College. A few years later, while pastoring an Anglican church in Raleigh, NC, Ger began to discern God’s call to plant a church in Los Angeles. This call was realized in January 2011 when the Jones family moved to Santa Monica and began the process of planting Vintage Church.
Director of Pastoral Ministry, Encounter Ministries
Sarah is the Director of Pastoral Ministry at Encounter Ministries and the Director of the Encounter School of Ministry. She holds an MA in counseling and has served in ministry for 20 years. Before her time at Encounter, she served in a parish as the director of evangelization and youth ministry and the Associate Director of Alpha Catholic. Her deepest desire is for everyone to know the love of the Father and walk in the holiness and wholeness Jesus paid for.
Developers of The Marriage Course, The Pre-Marriage Course, The Parenting Children Course, and The Parenting Teenagers Course
Nicky & Sila have been married for 46 years and have four children and ten grandchildren. In 1987, they joined the staff at Holy Trinity Brompton Church in London where they developed The Marriage Course, The Pre-Marriage Course, The Parenting Children Course, and The Parenting Teenagers Course and authored The Marriage Book and The Parenting Book. Over the last 37 years, their ministry and courses have reached over four million people in more than 120 countries and over 40 languages, equipping them with practical resources to strengthen their marriages and family life.
Co Pastor Epic Church San Francisco, Strategic City Director San Francisco, Author
Shauna, along with her husband, Ben, coleads Epic Church, a multiethnic congregation in the heart of San Francisco. They have 4 wonderful children. She serves on the teaching team at Epic and strategic church and city team for Alpha USA. Shauna is the author of the missional book, Love Where You Live: How to Live Sent in the Place You Call Home and evangelism book, Translating Jesus: How to Share Your Faith in Language Today’s Culture Can Understand. She writes for “everyday evangelists” on her blog. Learn more at shaunapilgreen.com.
Pastor of YTH.NYC & College.NYC
Keithen is giving his life to reverse the narrative that young people are a lost cause in the Church. Transitioning from leading citywide movements in Portland, Oregon, he is now in New York City as a pastor on staff at Church of the City New York building a network of leaders and launching YTH.NYC and COLLEGE.NYC. Alongside his work in the local church, Keithen has been a collaborative partner with Alpha Youth, The Fuller Youth Institute, the BibleProject, and the Canadian Church Leaders Network. He lives in the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his wife Celeste and newborn son Powell.
Spiritual Leader, Justice Advocate, Communicator, Peacemaker
Danielle lets Love lead her to inspire, challenge, provoke and disrupt the present, and to live the future now. Having lived in different cultures and contexts around the world she celebrates diversity and deeply longs for wrong things to be made right. Danielle practices following Jesus daily. This pursuit has led to exciting entrepreneurial exploits (like co-founding multiple charities and non-profits) and a whole host of failures (that we don’t as often talk about). All of this has convinced her of the deep need we all have for hope, faith, and love. Her deepest longing is to demonstrate what living that boundless life looks like.
Associate National Director for Alpha UK
Dr Chloe Swart lives in Swansea, Wales with her husband Russo. She is the associate national director of Alpha UK and serves at her local church as the young adult’s pastor. She has completed a theology doctorate studying healing miracles in Wales and is currently writing a book on how to heal the sick as an everyday part of our missional Christian life.
Chief Executive Officer for Alpha USA
John Wentz has served as the CEO of Alpha USA since April 2022. Previously, John served seven years as Alpha USA (Executive Vice President of Ministry) and Alpha International (Church Engagement and Training Strategy) where he led the expansion of Alpha’s ministry engagement and helped to design the core of Alpha’s training strategy, now being implemented globally. With 25 years of pastoral experience, John has impacted many churches and leaders across the world. He is a gifted communicator, trainer and coach, and has a heart for university students and people from different cultures.
Associate National Director for Evangelism
Josh Williams is the Associate National Director for Evangelism and Justice with Vineyard USA. His background with Vineyard began while he was a student at Yale University, where he connected his faith to justice issues on campus and in the city. This integration continued throughout his time in divinity school, launching evangelistic prayer groups on Yale’s campus, establishing an outdoor church for the housed and unhoused, and much more. Josh serves as Elm City Vineyard’s lead pastor and shares inspiring stories of how Jesus is growing his church in multi-ethnicity, justice, evangelism, spiritual formation, and Holy Spirit ministry. He and his wife, Tina, have been married 11 years and have two daughters.
Time | Program |
---|---|
9:00 a.m. | Breakfast |
10:30 a.m. | Conference Kick-Off |
11:00 a.m. | Main Session 1 |
12:15 p.m. | Boxed Lunch |
12:45 p.m. | Workshops |
3:00 p.m. | Main Session 2 |
4:30 p.m. | Food Trucks, Fun! |
6:30 p.m. | Main Session 3 |
Time | Program |
---|---|
9:00 a.m. | Main Session 4 |
10:15 a.m. | Coffee Break |
10:45 a.m. | Workshops |
12:15 p.m. | Boxed Lunch |
12:45 p.m. | Workshops |
3:00 p.m. | Main Session 5 |
5:00 p.m. | Conference Ends |
This year, we are happy to offer tracks to make it easier for you to select which workshops you would like to attend! Below are descriptions of each track; the beginning of each workshop name will identify which track it is a part of.
We’re thrilled to offer simplified ticketing options for individuals and teams attending The Alpha Conference together. All ticket prices include the full conference experience PLUS THREE conference workshops, lunch both days, and more! Full price admission is $250. Make sure you get a ticket at our best pricing now (listed below)!
Register soon to secure this lowest price of the season and before prices increase!
Group discounts available for teams of 15 or more.
We value young leaders and offer a special discount for guests 23 and under. Use discount code:
STUDENTDISCOUNT
to get 50% off of standard ticket pricing.
Join the team that make the Alpha Conference possible and get into the conference for free.
Register soon to secure this lowest price of the season and before prices increase!
Group discounts available for teams of 15 or more.
We value young leaders and offer a special discount for guests 23 and under. Use discount code:
STUDENTDISCOUNT
to get 50% off of standard ticket pricing.
Join the team that make the Alpha Conference possible and get into the conference for free.
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Airport: The closest airport to the Conference venue is the Nashville International Airport; about 30 minutes from Church of the City, Franklin.
Transportation: We strongly encourage renting a car or using Ride Share to navigate the Franklin area.
We have secured room blocks in the area at a discounted rate at the following hotels:
Leaders of The Pre-Marriage Course at Substance Church
Jonathan Glendenning is the Facilities Pastor at Substance Church in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN metropolitan area. Along with managing Substance’s physical campuses, he and his wife of 29 years, Tami, coordinate Substance Church’s marriage ministries. Jonathan is also a certified Prepare/Enrich Facilitator, and he and his wife lead their church’s Alpha Marriage and Alpha Pre-Marriage courses. His heart is to aid and equip people with the necessary skills to begin, maintain, improve, and restore every season of their marriage.
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Russo works for an engineering company in Swansea. He is from South Africa, grew up in the Middle East and now lives in Swansea with his wife Chloe. Russo helps lead the men’s ministry at his local church Cornerstone as well as on the team which oversees the student and young adult’s ministry. He is also part of the New Wine Cymru (Wales) prophetic and healing team which travels across Wales helping local Churches to develop in the ministry of healing and prophetic gifts.
Regional Marketing, Digital & Youth Director for Alpha Latin America
Diego Profita junto a su esposa Sandra, son líderes del Ministerio de Adolescentes y Jóvenes “Somos SER” de la Iglesia “Unidos para Servir” en Buenos Aires, Argentina, hace más de 25 años. Es Analista Superior en Marketing Estratégico recibido en el año 2006 y también tiene el título de Ministerio Juvenil de la Escuela de Especialidades 625 Argentina, Director Regional de Alpha para Adolescentes para América Latina.
“Alpha” es una herramienta de evangelización que consta de una serie de sesiones que exploran la fe cristiana. Cada tema mira a una pregunta diferente sobre la fe y está diseñado para alentar a la conversación. Alpha es también una organización con más de 35 años y con oficinas en 50 países en los 5 continentes.
Diego y Sandra tienen 2 mellizos llamados Tomás y Delfina.
Community Engagement Director at West Shore Free Church
Renée serves as the Community Engagement Director at West Shore Free Church in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. She works to mobilize the church in prayer and evangelism and enjoys building relationships that promote unity and partnership among churches. Renée is passionate for people to encounter Jesus and experience the life of love, freedom, and empowerment He welcomes them into.
Alpha Launch Director
Madison is currently the Alpha Launch Director for new Youth and University Alphas and previously served as the regional director for Colorado and Utah at Alpha USA. She holds a Masters of Divinity and has worked at churches in Colorado and Washington giving her a passion and desire to see the power of the Gospel move through the local body of believers. This has led to a deep commitment to equip and learn from churches and organizations so that many more may be transformed for God’s Kingdom and glory. Madison and her husband, Elliot live outside Denver and are currently enjoying the best adventure of their lives – raising their daughters, Audrey and Beatrice.
Executive Leader of Alpha USA
Todd serves on the Executive Leadership Team of Alpha USA, helping strategic pastors and communities across the nation explore the Alpha course and culture. He was a long-time Lead Pastor of Rockharbor in Orange County, CA – pioneering through a season of multiplication that birthed many new campuses and church plants across Orange County. Todd is a co-founder of the “Searock Sessions” cohort, now a growing global family of hundreds of emerging church leaders. He loves any chance to convene table conversations and encounter moments that encourage and envision those who will lead the Church into the future.
Global Director of Prayer for Alpha International and National Director of Prayer for Alpha USA
In Angela’s 18 years serving on staff, she has witnessed the transforming power of Alpha as ordinary people, empowered by the Holy Spirit, share the Good News of Jesus with people outside the Church—a movement of God transcending denominational, racial, and ethnic boundaries. Seeing people meet Jesus is her greatest joy and is why she continues serving Alpha with unwavering passion.
Ministry Development Director for Alpha Latin America
Happily married for 29 years, with 2 sons, Rafael David and Gabriel Felipe who will be married in 2024. With my husband, we have been the leaders of the catholic
community of families, “Familia Domini” in Bogota Colombia, for more than 25 years. I have been working for Alpha for 15 years, I started as a national catholic coordinator in 2008, 4 years later I moved to the regional catholic team as a regional catholic trainer and since 2018 I am the national director for Alpha Colombia and responsible for the development of Alpha in the countries that do not have an office in Latin America (20 countries) I am part of the executive team in Latin America as Ministry Development Director.
National Director of Training, Alpha USA
Christian is in his ninth year of serving on Alpha USA staff. He is currently the national training director and previously was the network director for Washington State and Hawaii. He came back to faith on Alpha in 2012 after a dark period in his life and has a passion to see others invited into that same opportunity. He met his wife of 9 years at Alpha and they both actively serve in their local church on Alpha and prayer teams. He loves seeing church culture shift through intentional efforts of invitation, hospitality, listening, and dependence on the Holy Spirit.
Associate Pastor - St. Timothy Parish, Toronto
Fr. Brenton Cordeiro is the associate pastor at St. Timothy Parish, Toronto. Originally from Goa, India, Fr. Brenton previously worked as a reporter for several years, but feeling a strong call to be a part of evangelization efforts in North America as a Catholic priest, he left his job and homeland and moved to North America to join the Companions of the Cross (a community of Catholic priests from Ottawa, Canada). He was ordained a priest with the Companions of the Cross in May 2021.
Pastor of Saint Benedict's Parish
Fr. Simon Lobo was ordained a Catholic priest in 2009. He has served in a few parishes in his hometown of Ottawa. He worked for three years as the campus minister at Wayne State University, in Detroit, where he witnessed many students being evangelized and coming to faith. He joined the team at Saint Benedict Parish, Halifax, in July 2015 as the associate pastor, ministering alongside Fr. James Mallon. Fr. Simon was appointed pastor of Saint Benedict Parish in 2017. His first book, Divine Renovation Apprentice, was published in February 2018. In January 2020, he was elected to serve on the Executive Council for his religious community, the Companions of the Cross. He co-authored, Preaching on Purpose, a practical handbook for communicators in 2022. Fr. Simon collaborates with Divine Renovation as he continues to learn about parish renewal and the essential role of leadership.
How should the Church respond in the face of injustice? What about in an election year? Could we show up to a polarized political world with the goodness of God like never before? If you are interested in learning how to navigate these complex issues, this track could help!
Speakers: John Wentz, Executive Director, Alpha USA, and Josh Williams, Associate National Director of Evangelism and Justice, Vineyard USA
This election year is ramping up to be as polarized as ever. Equip yourself and your teams to navigate the choppy waters of faith and politics during an election cycle. We have a massive opportunity to bring the goodness of God into these conversations or to leave people feeling alienated. Learn five top tips to help your conversations be filled with grace and truth and leave people feeling heard and honored.
Speaker: Josh Williams, Associate National Director of Evangelism and Justice, Vineyard USA
How should the Church respond in the face of injustice? Hear how lessons from Martin Luther King Jr.’s nonviolent movement provide tools to speak out against injustice while presenting a compelling case for the gospel. Josh Williams, associate national director for evangelism and justice for Vineyard USA will host this workshop where you will hear stories and learn tangible practices for engaging injustice while extending the invitation for people to encounter Jesus.
If you are a student, work with middle or high school students, or just love young people and want their voices to shape the future of the Church, this track is for you! We’ll talk about empowering a generation to lead and will equip you to draw out the leadership of a generation to reach their peers through the new Alpha Youth Series and beyond.
Speakers: Jordan Biere, National Director of Alpha Youth, Alpha USA, and Josh Penwell, National Associate Director of Alpha Youth, Alpha USA
Explore the the new Alpha Youth Series, discover the adjustments we’ve made to better reach Gen Z/Gen Alpha, and how to use this new series best to help young people discover and develop a relationship with Jesus.
Speakers: Jordan Biere, National Director of Alpha Youth, Alpha USA, and Josh Penwell, National Associate Director of Alpha Youth, Alpha USA
Learn how to help young people operate in the power and authority of the Holy Spirit in a way that seems natural (not super weird) yet clearly supernatural. Help them discern the voice of the Lord, pray for healing, and grow in the prophetic voice.
Speakers: Jordan Biere, National Director of Alpha Youth, Alpha USA, and Josh Penwell, National Associate Director of Alpha Youth, Alpha USA
A practical guide on creating space for activating young people toward leadership to become bold, Spirit-filled witnesses. Learn how to empower young people to lead their own Alpha for their friends and how you can champion Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
This track is full of amazing main-stage speakers who will showcase the power of prayer in every generation, equip you to live a naturally supernatural life and train you to heal as Jesus did. Senior pastors, church leaders, non-profit leaders, this track is you!
Speaker: Angela Chadwick, Global Director of Prayer, Alpha USA
Alpha’s Global Director of Prayer will interview some of the spiritual leaders involved in the Asbury revival where a chapel worship service caught the attention of our country. You’ll hear stories of how the students were deeply moved by God through the simplest forms of worship and how the leaders made sure the only celebrity on stage was Jesus. You’ll also be amazed by the powerful breakthroughs in young people’s lives through the gentlest of prayers.
Additionally, we will explore how the resurgence of faith in one small American town is relevant to every person in the Church and how it shapes how we share the good news in a good way with this generation.
Speaker: Danielle Strickland, Spiritual Leader, Justice Advocate, Communicator, Peacemaker
Encounter is God’s favorite way to spiritual revelation. Why do we emphasize information-formation as our primary means of discipleship? What if we put more time, energy, and effort into facilitating more encounters? Be prepared to discuss together how cultivating curiosity becomes a means to do just that. We will talk techniques, experiences, and new ideas.
Speakers: Dr. Chloe Swart, Associate National Director for Alpha UK, and Dr. Russo Swart, New Wine Cymru Prophetic and Healing Team
This workshop will look at how to heal the sick as a part of our everyday missional lives. Following Chloe’s PhD studying healing miracles in Wales, Chloe found that Christians in Wales were praying for their friends, family, and colleagues, in the gym, in the supermarket, at work; wherever they found themselves, as well as in church services, and Alpha courses. Healing is a missional tool that points toward Jesus. Unpack the theology of healing, while also hearing very practical teaching and demonstration of how to heal the sick in an everyday way.
Designed especially with Catholics in mind. We will unpack the missional call of the Eucharistic Revival, making Sunday matter and how to care for your soul in the journey of ministry. This track could also benefit any Protestant ministry leaders in liturgical contexts.
Speakers: Sarah Kaczmarek, Director of Pastoral Ministry, Encounter Ministries, and Monica Martinez, National Director for Catholic Context, Alpha USA
How can we ensure we’re growing personally so that we are operating out of Christ’s strength and not our own?
Speaker: Monica Martinez, National Director for Catholic Context, Alpha USA
A time for meaningful reflection, conversation, and prayer around our missional call, awakened by the Eucharist. Together, we will unpack the meaning of the Eucharist as our source and summit of living our intentional discipleship.
Speaker: Rick Grinstead, Director of Alpha Youth, Catholic Context
How do we fill the large gap once people have heard the gospel but have not yet acclimatized to parish life? How do we prepare the parish community to make space and build bridges, and how do we prepare guests who will be transitioning from Alpha to mass to sacramental formation?
These practical training workshops will help you learn how to run Alpha and how to make it the best it can be. Join us to experience the Alpha best practices of listening, radical hospitality, and dependence on the Holy Spirit. Select the workshops best suited for your stage of the Alpha journey to get the most from this track.
Speaker: Christian Downs, National Training Director, Alpha USA
Running Alpha is so much more than just a course, it is an opportunity to create space within your community and your church where people can belong before they believe. Run Alpha will help you see how this course is unique by focusing on the values of invitation, hospitality, listening, and dependence on the Holy Spirit.
Speaker: Christian Downs, National Training Director, Alpha USA
This workshop will help you expand the culture, enhance your Alpha course with best practice insights, and empower your team. A common takeaway from this workshop is how Alpha can be more than a course and start to impact the rest of the church.
Speaker: Christian Downs, National Training Director, Alpha USA
How do we get more guests on our Alpha? This is the question that comes up most often. In this workshop, we will explore what it looks like to bring the good news of Jesus to everyone… including those cast aside, neglected, or overlooked by society. We will name the fears that limit us, ways the church can help, and practical tips that everyone can put into practice to lead an invitational lifestyle.
Join our Global Director of Prayer, our National Director of Training, and special guests at this combined workshop to help more people receive an invite to explore the life-changing impact of the gospel.
Inspiring and practical, learn how to bring the gospel everywhere you go and how to activate your church communities to see gospel opportunities beyond the walls of the church building. Hear stories of innovation and creativity, ecumenical and city-wide movements, and learn about what God is doing in unique contexts like prisons. With many workshops in this track, some are best suited for pastors and senior leaders, while others apply to anyone.
Speakers: Audrey Hayes, Director of Volunteer Network, Alpha USA, and Benny Lopez, Prisons Coordinator, Alpha USA
There is an overlooked mission field in our own backyard, one full of people desperate for help, healing, and wholeness. It’s a place much of our society tends to dismiss, filled with people who believe they have been cast aside, and forgotten.
Alpha has been run in 630 prisons in 41 U.S. states. This course is brought to prisons and jails by dedicated churches and organizations who have run Alpha at their local church or parish and want to extend their reach even further. These volunteers tangibly show the love of Jesus to men and women that society had tossed away and labeled as unworthy, broken, dangerous, or beyond help. Through Alpha, prisoners are reminded that God does not label them—he loves them.
Join us in this workshop to hear stories and learn how to get started. You will be matched with a coach who will offer you support based on where you are in your prison ministry journey.
Speakers: Seth Bazacas, Strategic City Director, New York, Alpha USA, and Shauna Pilgreen, Strategic City Director, Northern California, Alpha USA
What does it take to pull off a unified citywide Alpha launch? Join Strategic City Directors and Pastors Seth Bazacas (Wellspring Church NYC) and Shauna Pilgreen (Epic Church San Francisco) as they share their experiences of bringing a diverse group of churches into a shared vision, prayer night, weekly gatherings, and an overnight Alpha retreat. Hear stories of what worked and didn’t work and how both cities are gearing up for an even stronger launch in 2024!
Speakers: Shauna Pilgreen, Strategic City Director, Northern California, Alpha USA, and Ben Pilgreen, Lead Pastor, Epic Church San Francisco
As pastors and church leaders, we expect our attenders to share their faith. But do they? Come and imagine how your faith conversations can fuel an evangelism movement in your church.
Author and storyteller Shauna Pilgreen offers us a new way of evangelism using her latest book, Translating Jesus. She gets practical fast, teaching us two languages that lead to double-listening. Chances are high you’ll become bilingual in this workshop!
Shauna is joined by her husband Ben Pilgreen, pastor of Epic Church in San Francisco. Come, learn how a church can be winsome with culture without neglecting the gospel.
Speakers: Audrey Hayes, Director of Volunteer Network, Alpha USA, and Madison Campbell, Alpha Launch Director, Alpha USA
For innovative leaders who want their creativity to be fueled by the Spirit and to flood into their churches and communities. This will be a time of storytelling and dreaming about what God can do through creativity in our churches and Alpha courses. Come dream with us!
Si eres un hablante principal de español, ¡estamos muy contentos de que estés aquí! ¡Hemos diseñado esta pista especialmente para ti!
Speakers: Liliana Nariño, Directora Nacional, Alpha Colombia, and María Fernanda Acosta, Líder Regional, Alpha Ados
Presentaremos algunas nuevas técnicas que nos ayudan a crear una cultura de acogida y encuentro en la Parroquia.
Speakers: Diego Profita, Regional Marketing And Digital Director Latin America at Alpha International, and Julian Avellaneda, Regional Alpha Youth Leader, Alpha Ados
Descubriremos algunas de las principales características de esta Generación más Abierta y trabajaremos en herramientas y estrategias para ser más efectivos en presentarles a Jesús.
Speakers: Diego Profita, Regional Marketing And Digital Director Latin America at Alpha International
Descubramos juntos como crear y fomentar en nuestras comunidades una cultura de invitación abordando
– Maneras en que la Iglesia puede fomentar la importancia de la invitación
– Maneras de cómo podemos guiar a nuestros equipos para que lo vivan
– Maneras de cómo poder identificar a las personas con mayor probabilidad de asistir