In all honesty I am not impressed with it all that much and I don't see what the need for it was? It is almost like saying to churches, look you're doing it wrong, buy this course and we'll show you how to do it. Well the church I went to a good few years ago, the Pastor (as I explained in another thread) had put together his own Christianity Explained course and printed off some handouts. I have attended an Alpha Course since, cause someone seemed to think I still needed to. But honestly the handouts the Pastor of that small church prepared were superior in teaching.
Although its implemented in different way in different churches, I don't find it helpful when a group reads a chapter of scripture a few verses at a time. This happend during one course I was at, and it didn't enable the import of the scripture passage to come home. The following discussion of it felt awkward to me for that reason. I'd rather listen to a Pastor read the entire passage bringing out its meaning than go round in a circle reading a couple of verses each.
Another point - why should a church use its funds on video and printed material etc. that in the end it partly disagrees with, presented by someone the people there have never met, and probably will never meet (so much for the supposed relational element), or what sort of life he leads, when they have their Pastor / Minister / Elders who they know, and who knows them to teach them?
What was wrong with the pre-Alpha approach whereby enquirers / or seekers attended the church services, heard the Word preached, and got to trust members of the fellowship, and pose their questions, talk about any difficulties, some of which they might not want to open up about and might not be possible to address in Alpha groups, and thus by God's Grace gradually or suddenly become a christian. Was there something wrong with that approach?