Build a Church Where Everyone Belongs.

Friendship Lab for Churches is an evidence-based, Alpha-style small group course that builds friendship, belonging and community.

Watch the Trailer.

Friendship Lab for Churches in 70 Seconds.

Why Friendship Matters More Than Ever.

In Your Church.

Many Christians attend church faithfully, yet feel unseen, unknown or unsure where they belong. Research suggests around 1 in 5 church-going Christians are lonely. Church leaders see this every week:

Newcomers who struggle to connect
Long-term attenders who still feel on the margins
Small groups that don't quite integrate others
Growing pastoral pressure on a few key leaders

In Your Community.

Beyond the church walls, the need is even clearer:

Around 25% of people globally are lonely
20% have no close friends
51% find it hard to make new friends
40% want closer friendships but don't know how

Loneliness isn't just a social issue but a pastoral, discipleship and mission opportunity.

What if Belonging Wasn't Left to Chance?

What if your church had a simple, intentional way to help people:

Form meaningful friendships more quickly
Experience genuine belonging
Encounter the beauty of Christian community — often the very first thing that opens someone's heart to faith

Friendship Lab for Churches exists to help churches do just that in a way that's realistic, repeatable and pastorally wise. This is how belonging becomes part of your church's culture, not just a value on the wall — one intentional friendship at a time.

“A love that comes to you through human beings is true, God-given love and needs to be celebrated.”

Henri Nouwen

Introducing Friendship Lab for Churches.

Small Group Course.

Belonging isn't something you can simply preach into existence — it has to be built intentionally, friendship by friendship. Friendship Lab for Churches is an evidence-based, six-session small group curriculum designed to help you do that. Each session combines:

Short, engaging video teaching
Biblical reflection
Guided conversation
Practical action steps

All packaged so your church or small group can run it easily, confidently and repeatedly.

Meet Your Hosts.

Friendship Lab for Churches is hosted by Sheridan Voysey and Gemma Hunt, bringing together research, pastoral wisdom, and compelling presentation.

Sheridan Voysey is an award-winning author and broadcaster specialising in friendship, belonging and human connection. As founder of Friendship Lab, he brings research-based insight alongside theological depth and pastoral sensitivity.

Gemma Hunt is a respected TV presenter and co-host of the globally-popular Alpha Course, known for helping create warm, welcoming environments for spiritual exploration. Her clarity, humour and relatability help conversations open naturally.

What We Cover.

Six Sessions of Essential Friendship Skills.

Session 1: What Friendship Is (and Isn’t)

Unpack the four essential qualities of real friendship, uncover personal barriers to connection, and set practical goals for your friendship journey.

Session 2: How Great Friendships Form

Discover the five stages of friendship, learn the SPARC method for meeting new people, and gain confidence in making invitations.

Session 3: The Art of Meaningful Conversation

Move beyond small talk to deep, meaningful conversations. Learn how introverts and extroverts connect differently, and master four key conversational skills.

Session 4: Turning Friends Into Close Friends

Strengthen intimacy through the four "threads" of closeness while avoiding common pitfalls like oversharing.

Session 5: How to Have Difficult Conversations

Resolve conflict and rebuild trust with our three-stage process, and learn how to address common challenges in friendship.

Session 6: Building Bridges Across Differences

Forge friendships across cultural, political, and other divides, and make male-female platonic friendships thrive.

Watch a Full Lesson.

See What Your Church Will Experience.

We'll let you know as soon as it's readyㆍNo obligation

How Churches Are Using Friendship Lab

As an Annual Course

Run once or twice a year to build lasting belonging in your church. Like The Marriage Course, CAP Money Course or Parentalk, it fits into your annual course offering

As a Pre-Alpha Course

Friendship Lab for Churches offers a warm, low-pressure taste of Christian community. Churches find it leads naturally into Alpha, Christianity Explored, The Pilgrim Course or other faith introduction course

As a Newcomers & Integration Course

For new attendees, or for those who've completed Alpha or Christianity Explored, Friendship Lab helps people move from being visitors into deeper church belonging

As a Church-Wide Small Groups Curriculum

A ready-to-run curriculum, churches use Friendship Lab as a 6 week campaign across all their services and small groups

Everything You Need to Run the Course Well.

Included with every licence:

6 session video course (17 lessons)
Leader’s Guide (PDF)
Participant Guide (fillable PDF)
Printable conversation cards
Customisable posters, flyers and rollup banners
Social media graphics
Web and newsletter copy
Unlimited runs for 12 months

No specialist training required. Just choose when to run it.

Why It Works.

Practical, Inspiring, and Tested.

Built on four years of research, tested with participants in four countries, and piloted in large and small churches across multiple denominations, Friendship Lab for Churches gives you proven, practical guidance on building — and deepening — real friendship, belonging, and community.

Evidence-based

Built on years of research across regions and church settings, not on anecdotes alone

Inclusive

Designed to reach across ages, life stages, with faith or without, with captions added for accessibility

Empowering

Helps people take relational responsibility, easing the load on church and small group leaders

Churches Are Seeing Tremendous Results.

"We've never had a response like this before, with people literally at the door trying to sign up after we were full. But the real miracle is in the life change people experienced through the course, like the woman who was at our church for seventeen years without a friend but blossomed after joining the group. We're already planning to run the course again."

Grant Sylvester

First Alliance Church, Calgary (3000+)

“This course has been a God-send, giving me practical insights on how to be a better friend while navigating friendship in an increasingly fractured world. When things go wrong, this course shows the way to hope and healing. Fantastic!" Catherine, Course Participant

“People came to our first Friendship Lab course unsure what to expect, but were blown away after watching the first session. We saw powerful changes in the people who attended.”

Jason Gor, Forrest Lake Baptist Church, Queensland

Launching soon

Designed for the People Who'll Run it.

Church & Ministry Leaders.

Looking for a proven course that:

Helps build a culture of belonging, not just a one-off course
Supports discipleship and pastoral care
Complements Alpha, Christianity Explored, The Pilgrim Course
Is easy to propose and approave internally

Small Group Leaders.

Looking for ready-to-run content that:

Works immediately
Doesn't rely on the leader having all the answers
Genuinely helps people open up and connect

Simple to Run.

Register. You’ll get instant access to all videos and tools
Invite. You’ll be sent an email to invite any co-leaders you have, plus directions on giving participants access to workbooks and catch up videos
Promote. Customisable poster designs and social media graphics make it easy
Run. We do the heavy lifting so you can focus on your people

Simple, Fair Pricing.

We keep our prices accessible, based on your church size. From a single small group to a megachurch, tell us what you need and see your price. A Pay What You Can Afford option is also available so no one misses out.

Every licence includes:

Unlimited groups (for churches)
Unlimited course runs
Full access for 12 months

Join the Launch List & Get the Leaders Pack.

Friendship Lab for Churches is launching soon. Join our Launch List to be notified first as soon as it's available. You'll get our Leaders Pack PDF to share with your team and start planning for your next small groups term.

Frequently Asked Questions.

Is this for small groups or whole churches?

Both. Many churches run it as an annual course alongside Alpha, The Marriage Course, and once church-wide through their small groups. You can run it in your own small group today.

Can we use this for outreach, not just for members?

Yes. As you’ll see from the sample lesson, the content is accessible to all, whatever their faith or lack of faith, and the biblical reflections can be used as much as you wish. Many churches use the course to serve their wider community, like a Renew Wellbeing group.

What if participants miss a session?

Participants can catch up with the video and guide online, so no one falls behind.

Is it suitable across denominations?

Yes! The course is widely used across different church traditions, including Anglican, Baptist, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Independent Evangelical, Methodist, Pentecostal, and more.

How much admin is involved?

Very little. You can run it in a single small group tonight, or church-wide with a couple of weeks promotion. We provide ready-made flyer, email and social media templates to save you admin time.

Can we run it more than once?

Yes. Your licence allows unlimited runs for 12 months.

Do participants need to be tech-savvy?

No. Everything is designed to be accessible and optional alongside in-person sessions.

Is Friendship Lab like Alpha?

It shares Alpha's format — video teaching, small-group discussion, a warm and low-pressure environment — and is co-hosted by Gemma Hunt of the Alpha Course. Many churches run it as a step before Alpha, or as a natural next step after Alpha, Christianity Explored or other faith introduction course.

How can our church help people make friends?

Friendship Lab gives you a ready-made, structured way to do this rather than leaving it to chance — six sessions that teach practical, transferable friendship skills your whole church can use, long after the course ends.

Ready to Help Belonging Flourish in Your Church?

Invest in connection.

Friendship Lab is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered in England. Registration number 1206905.