Our House Style
An overview of how to write as Alpha
Who is this for?
As a global organisation we write and speak in British English. If you’re making content for Alpha International, or in the UK, this guidance is for you.
If you’re writing for an audience that spell realize with a z, or say sidewalk rather than pavement, don’t feel bound by these rules; you can adapt this House Style so that it works in your region. If you’re writing in a language other than English, please see this guide as a template for creating your own.
What’s included?
Our voice
Discover our tone of voice and the creative values we want to project. Also in this section, tips for making an impact and writing for a digital audience.
Our style
Get stuck into the nitty gritty of our editorial style. This section includes guidance on punctuation, spelling, titling, writing in numbers, and formatting.
Alpha in words
Is it Youth Alpha or Alpha Youth? Is it okay to say Alpha Course? What on Earth does TPMC mean? Find examples of how we talk and decode some acronyms.
Our voice
Discover our tone of voice and writing guide
5 creative values
We want our personality and values to shine through in the way we communicate, whether on paper or in person.
Friendly
We want to provide a positive, welcoming and inclusive first impression – just like at a session of Alpha. We are flexible, understanding, and quick to help where we can. We are relatable and speak to people on their level. We’re personal, not corporate.
Inspiring
The experience of Alpha is always fun and often life-changing. Whether it’s an invitation to run, try, or give to Alpha we present it as an exciting and uplifting opportunity. Our writing should encourage and inspire our readers to take action.
Bold
We want people to see Alpha as a bold and exciting experience. We see life as an adventure and the exploration of faith as a key part of that journey. We understand people may be nervous to try or run Alpha, we encourage them to take a risk and see what happens.
Authentic
We are open about Alpha and how it works. When we connect with people we allow our human characteristics to shine through, such as humour and vulnerability. We don’t sugar-coat the truth or up-sell our offering. We’re always upfront and honest.
Simple
We are down to earth and accessible. When we speak we are clear and get straight to the point. We don’t use Christian jargon or language that alienates or confuses our readers. We are not ambiguous, vague or rambling. We are not verbose.
Our style
From Oxford Commas to the Cambridge Dictionary, welcome to the Alpha House Style
Punctuation
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Full points in titling
Never use full points after titles. Titles can however end with an exclamation point or question mark.
For example
Alpha Style Guide
How to Run Alpha Online
Alpha Film Series
Who is the Holy Spirit?
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Abbreviations and contractions
Do not use full points in abbreviations or contractions.
For example
Mrs Landingham
Dr Jones
St Paul
USA
Eg
Etc
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Lists
Don’t use full points at the end of bullet points (even the final one). The same rule applies for numbered and dashed lists.
For example
1. No full stop here please
2. Here? Not here either
3. Not even on the final item in the list
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Commas
Generally we don’t use an Oxford comma (a comma used after the penultimate item in a list), unless it adds clarity to the meaning.
For example
There were five of us: Laura, Kurt, Kitty, Philippa and Jo.
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Quotations
Use single quote marks for speech or quoted matter. Only use double quote marks for speech within speech.
For example
‘Then something happened, I couldn’t believe my eyes.’
‘That’s when I said, “look at that” and pointed wildly.’
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Hyphens
As far as possible, the hyphenation of words and phrases should be kept to a minimum. Hyphens (-) should be used only when joining words to avoid ambiguity.
For example
Step-mother
Twenty-three
One-to-one
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En-dashes
En-dashes (–) are longer than hyphens and should be used without spaces for number ranges. Spaced en-dashes can be used where a comma or parenthesis might otherwise be used.
Number range example
Suitable for ages 4–8.
In the years 1904–1915.
Spaced example
These attitudes – love and joy – should fill our hearts.
Welcome to Alpha – we’re so glad you could make it!
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Ellipses
An ellipsis has no space before starting, but does have a space after. No spaces between dots.
For example
This is a great ellipsis... Really great.
Spelling
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British English spelling
Keep in mind that we use British English spellings, rather than US English spellings. Differences are often found in words ending ise/ize or containing our/or.
For example
Advise
Advertise
Exercise
Colour
Favourite
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British common usage
Always use terms common to British English, rather than US English.
For example
Shop not store
Garden not yard
Pavement not sidewalk
Flat not apartment
Mum not Mom
Lift not elevator
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Look it up
To make sure we’re as consistent as possible across our products, communications and content, use the Cambridge Dictionary as your reference when looking up spellings.
Capitalisation
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Our general style
Generally, our house preference is to use lower case letters whenever possible.
Our approach to capitalisation around religious language is guided by the NIV Bible editorial style.
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Specific titles
Role titles: Only capitalise for specific titles, eg I am President of Uganda vs I want to be the president one day.
Institutions: Only capitalise for specific names, eg I went to Oxford University vs I went to university in Oxford.
Geographical areas: Only capitalise when referring to a set geographic area, eg South-East Asia vs southern Scotland
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Church talk
The church: The universal church should be lowercase, eg The early church, The global church, The church is growing in Colombia. So should references to specific churches when not using their full name, eg I go to the Baptist church round the corner. However the word should be capitalised when referring to a denomination, eg The Catholic Church is growing in Colombia.
Denominations: Denominations should always be capitalised, eg Roman Catholic, Baptist, Anglican
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Holy words
Deity: Upper case letters should be used at the start of words referring to Deity, eg the Saviour, the Messiah, God, the Spirit. But pronouns referring to God should be lower case, eg his, you, your, who.
The Bible: Upper case letters should be used to start words that are synonyms for the Bible, eg the Law, the Scriptures, the Bible.
Gospel: The word gospel should be lowercase when speaking of the good news, eg Let us share the gospel. But when referring to a specific testimony in the Bible it should be capitalised, eg Luke’s Gospel.
Numbers
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Writing numbers
It’s our house style to write out (in words, not figures) all numbers from one to ninety-nine and write out (in figures, not words) all numbers above 100.
Eg.
One cat
Fourteen dogs
Thirty-three badgers
1,672 otters
But—this rule is flexible. If the medium calls for it, you can use your own discretion. For example, you might want to design a giant 3 to illustrate three points, or write a blog with a catchy title like ‘7 things you never knew about hazelnuts’. It’s also useful to pick one style if using in close proximity, for instance, if a sentence include a 92 and 120, choose either figures or words to prioritise ease for the reader.
Oh, and percentages are always numerals. Eg 5 per cent or 83%
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Dates
To avoid the numerals coming together, always write dates like this:
15 June 2022 or on 15 June
NOT 15th June, 2009 or 15th June 2009, June 22 or June 22nd etc
Never use the pattern 6.15.91 – transatlantic confusion will abound
Decades: 1990s (not 1990’s or ’90s)
No comma for thousands in dates: so, 3000 BC not 3,000 BC; 1750 BC not 1,750 BC.
Pairs of dates: 1890–1910, 1971–75 (not 1971–1975 or 1970–5).
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Times
Always write times like this:
8 am
8.30 am
1 pm
1.30 pm
7 pm
8.50 pm
Use words for periods of time, ‘it took him six months’ (but numerals for periods of time over 100, ‘600 years ago’)
Alpha in words
In-house language and an acronym decoder
Talking about Alpha
Previously, Alpha was known as The Alpha Course. Now, it’s just ‘Alpha’. For instance, Try Alpha, Run Alpha, Give to Alpha. The word course can be used to describe the structure but never capitalised, for instance, ‘Alpha is a great course.’
When describing the experience, use the word ‘sessions’ over ‘weeks’, roles at Alpha should not be capitalised, for instance, hosts and helpers.
Generally, teams and departments start with the word Alpha, followed by the category or function: Alpha Youth, Alpha Prisons, Alpha Digital.
Acronyms
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Acronyms
At Alpha, we love an acronym (WLAA). Here’s a quick guide to some of the most common acronyms.
Regions
EMENA – Europe, Middle East, North Africa
Lat Am – Latin America
NAO – National Alpha Office
AO – Alpha Office
APAC – Asia Pacific
ASSA – Alpha Sub Saharan Africa
AUSA – Alpha USA
AUK – Alpha UK
Products
BNAP – Bible with Nicky and Pippa Gumbel
AFS – Alpha Film Series
AYS – Alpha Youth Series
TMC – The Marriage Course
TPMC – The Pre-Marriage Course
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More Acronyms
Please do only use these in internal comms (otherwise you’ll see a lot of confused faces when you talk about EMENA sharing at ExCo about using TPMC in their CEF).
Events & Affiliated Groups
LC – Leadership Conference
GELC – Global Emerging Leader Cohort
ELG – EMENA Leaders’ Gathering
ALG – APAC Leaders’ Gathering
EA – Experience Alpha
AC – Alpha Collective
HTB – Holy Trinity Brompton
HTBB – Holy Trinity Bukit Bintang
CRT – Church Revitalisation Trust
Committees & Governance
ExCo – Global Executive Committee
OpCo – Global Operations Committee
Op Leads – Global Operations Leads Committee
RemCo – Renumeration Committee
COG – Core Operating Group
AI – Alpha International
AI USA – Alpha International USA (separate entity to AI)
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Last one, I promise
Strategies & Processes
GPMS – Global Product Management System
DMS – Devotion Management System (related to BNAP)
PGF – Product Globalisation Framework
CEF – Church Engagement Framework
CDR – Continuous Development Review (review process with manager)
In-House Naming
MyAlpha – A website for churches to get free digital resources to help run Alpha
AlphaNow – Free online platform for churches to host/run Alpha online
Marriage Builder – A website where churches register courses for TMC and TPMC
Hub Church – A strategic church with experience running Alpha and supports other churches in their area with training