Alpha Germany, one of the largest National Alpha Offices in the region, experienced a 20% surge in Alpha participants in 2024. Johanna Weddigen, 34, who, together with Dominik Sandles leads the team of 14 staff members, shares some insights behind the growth and what inspires her in her ministry with Alpha.
“A verse that really inspired me in 2024 is John 13:35: ‘By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’ The German translation uses the word ‘unity’, and how that points people to Jesus. I love that Alpha is for all churches, and for everyone, whatever their background,” says Johanna.
The unity that Alpha embodies, she believes, is partly what lies behind the significant ongoing growth in ministry.
“The Catholic Church really picked up Alpha this year, mainly through our partnership with Divine Renovation,” she smiles. “And we’ve seen great growth with Protestant churches, too, through a new product we created for them: a one-year programme using Alpha Youth as part of their two-year confirmation programme.”
Miss Germany
To promote the new Alpha Youth confirmation programme, Johanna and the team worked with a 23-year-old influencer who was crowned Miss Germany. More than 2,500 young people in 85 churches across the country took part in 117 confirmation courses, with many more signed up for 2025.
This new programme is one of the fruits of an intentional investment in developing the Alpha Germany team, notes Johanna, leading to more innovation and growth.
“Over the past few years we have been investing in a younger team, giving them responsibility and fostering a culture around building, measuring, learning, and not being afraid to try new things,” she explains. “This has really enabled us to grow, particularly as we work to bring Alpha to the next generation.”
A big need among young people
“We were also delighted to hire a second staff member to focus on youth, so we look forward to further growth in that area – there is such a big need among young people who are seeking answers to big questions about life.”
Reaching people on the margins of society has continued to be an important focus for Alpha Germany and is something that Johanna has always had on her heart. In fact, it’s how she first became involved with Alpha – as a student she helped run Alpha in prisons as a volunteer, later coordinating that work as part of the Alpha Germany team.
In 2024, Alpha Germany ran several Alphas in prisons, as well as in other places like brothels and pubs.
I love it when Alpha goes outside of church walls! We need to go where people are.
“I love it when Alpha goes outside of church walls!” comments Johanna. “We need to go where people are, to be in their environment instead of forcing them to come to ours because we find it more comfortable.”
In 2024, the team began discussions with a high-profile owner of five big clubs and bars in Hamburg’s red light district, who recently became a Christian through the prayers and witness of a man who regularly patronised one of his bars.
“He really wants to attend Alpha to grow his faith but wants it to be run in his biggest club to share it with others,” says Johanna. “I will be helping to lead it, starting in January 2025. We are very curious about how many will attend and how it will all go!”
As she looks further ahead in 2025, Johanna feels strongly that Alpha has an important role to play in German society, especially in the midst of an election year.
“2025 is going to be challenging for many people, especially as there is a lot of fear about what is going to happen with these elections. There is so much division, so many different opinions. I see our responsibility as Christians and as Alpha to not give into fear but to share hope, and from that, growth will come.”
Read more about Alpha Germany’s ministry by visiting their website.
