The Alpha Conference 2027 Will Equip Churches for Open, Gospel-Centered Evangelism

The Alpha Conference 2027 is scheduled for February 3–4 at Friends Church, 5091 Mountain View Avenue, Yorba Linda, California. Alpha USA describes the gathering as an ecumenical Christian event for people who want to see the good news of Jesus shared openly, graciously, and without pressure. The intended audience includes pastors and other church leaders, Alpha volunteers and course hosts, youth and student leaders, workplace leaders, and anyone seeking practical ways to help people explore the Christian faith. Across four main sessions and afternoon workshop blocks, the program is designed to strengthen experienced Alpha teams, prepare churches that want to run Alpha for the first time, and show how the course can serve churches, neighborhoods, universities, workplaces, prisons, schools, homes, and other settings. Alpha’s familiar format combines hospitality, a talk about the basics of Christianity, and discussion in which guests may ask questions without fear of judgment. The conference will also preview new material and cast vision for a new Alpha series. Announced speakers include Alpha USA chief executive John Wentz; Alpha pioneers Nicky and Pippa Gumbel; Franciscan University president Father Dave Pivonka; Vineyard USA national director Jay Pathak; Vintage Church LA senior pastor Ger Jones; and Christianity Today president and chief executive Nicole Massie Martin. Registration includes the sessions, workshops, networking, worship, prayer, and ministry opportunities. The conference is in person, and Alpha USA says no livestream or virtual option is planned. A November 4 Northwest District Church of the Nazarene newsletter independently announced the same dates, venue, address, audience, and workshop purposes, providing a dated denominational source for the event details.

Church teams will benefit most if they attend with a concrete local question rather than treating the conference as a stand-alone experience. A pastor might bring the volunteer who oversees hospitality, a youth leader who understands student culture, and a layperson willing to facilitate honest discussion. Before traveling, the team can identify whom it hopes to serve, what barriers keep neighbors from entering church spaces, and how follow-up will connect guests with the worshiping and discipling life of the congregation. Workshops on starting or strengthening Alpha can then be evaluated against those local needs. The conference’s breadth across Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant contexts may expose participants to practices outside their own tradition, so leaders should listen charitably while testing teaching and methods under Scripture and their church’s doctrinal commitments. Practical planning also matters: the event runs from morning through evening on both days; childcare is not available; and travelers should account for lodging, transportation, and the absence of an online option. The strongest reason to attend is not merely to collect ideas but to build a hospitable, theologically faithful pathway for people who are uncertain about Christianity to encounter Jesus, hear the gospel, ask real questions, and form relationships with Christians. After returning home, the team should decide who will lead, train hosts, recruit prayer support, prepare meals or meeting space, invite guests without manipulation, and connect the course to ongoing pastoral care and church membership. Nicky Gumbel’s Questions of Life is a natural book companion because its chapters follow the core questions explored in Alpha, including Jesus, faith, prayer, Scripture, the Holy Spirit, suffering, and the church. Read before or after the gathering, it can help leaders understand the course’s evangelistic logic and prepare for conversations that move from curiosity toward a clear response to Christ.