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Abstract
God wants every single soul to acquire salvation without being ruined. The reason churches are founded and we are redeemed first in this generation is that we were born to respond to God's calling and to spread God's words. We are not to just be content with our personal salvation, but should strive to spread the message to those ignorant of Jesus Christ's power and grace.
In order to be capable of carrying out such a task of saving precious souls, we have been conducting propagation and fostering programs in each church, as well as a variety of the Bible study programs to help new Christians grow in their faith and become mature. These diverse biblical programs have encouraged many Christians to grow in their faith and mature.
In November, 2005, however, Professor Jo Seong-don's research revealed (at the Graduate School of Practical Theology) that the growth of Protestant churches decreased by 1.6%, while Catholicism's grew by 74.4%, and Buddhism increased by 23.2%. Although many people visited churches, it turned out that, in reality, they could not settle in well.
While praying for the conversion of non-Christians, the settlement and fostering of new believers, the development of faith and worship training of existing Christians during my pastoral duties, I came across the Alpha Course which enabled 80 percent of new Christians to assimilate into a church.
This thesis will introduce the biblical, theological, and historical basis of the Alpha Course, and cover its contributions to the growth of churches based on the case of Gyesoori Church where I am serving at the moment.
I truly hope that the thesis will be of great help to pastors praying for the robust growth and renaissance of churches.