A study on the effects of Alpha Course ministry for new church members: A case study of Seum Presbyterian Church

The purpose of this study is to show the effective management of ALPHA Course for raising up new believers. The ALPHA Course started in England. This is a systematic and logical programme of raising new believers to build up the basic and essential truths of Christianity.; The researcher developed the ALPHA Course a little more, adjusted to the situation of Korean Church by doing practical exercises for ten weeks beginning in April, 2005. There were 36 new believers, being divided into three groups in this exercise. There are some important aims in this course. Firstly, it makes the new believers accept Jesus Christ as Savior. Secondly, it makes them have the assurance of salvation. Thirdly, it helps them to settle into the life of the church. Finally, they can have an intimate relationship with the other members of the church.; This study is composed of six parts. The first part is to describe the problems of raising the new believers of Seum Church and the true understanding of this ALPHA Course. The second part is to present a definition of new believers, their growth process, and the present condition and types of nurture. The third part deals with the biblical, theological, and historical understanding of raising new believers. The fourth part is about the preparation and the practice of nurturing new believers. The fifth part analyzed and evaluated the effect which the ALPHA programme had on the raising of the new believers. The final part is to give advice for the further development of this programme.; According to the results of this study, some of the new believers (42%, 15 members) were able to have an intimate relationship with the other church members. Some (33%, 12 members) began to have a true vision of the church. Some (42%, 15 members) had the assurance of growth in their faith. Some (33%, 12 members) could have useful conversations about the faith.; Furthermore, some (53%, 8 members) agreed that the practice of the 'Baptism ALPHA Course' as an essential course before baptism was very positive.; The researcher hopes that like the results in this study, through the continual practice and study of this ALPHA course, many churches on this earth will help new believers and experience their settling into the church, so that there will be a contribution toward great church growth.