Conversion: How God Creates a People

About Conversion

How Does Understanding Conversion Shape Ministry?

The way a church operates says a lot about how they believe people are saved. When a church truly embraces the Bible's teaching on conversion, they will call people to repentance and faith—not just one-time decisions, therapeutic healings, or moral lifestyles. 

This short book was written to help churches rightly understand the difference that a biblical doctrine of conversion should make for teaching, evangelism, discipling, membership, and every other facet of the life of a local church. 

Part of the 9Marks: Building Healthy Churches series.

Author

Michael Lawrence serves as the lead pastor of Hinson Baptist Church in Portland, Oregon. He earned a PhD in church history from Cambridge University and an MDiv from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Lawrence is the author of Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church.

Endorsements

“Conversion is essential and misunderstood. Lawrence understands this and explains what the Bible teaches simply and compellingly. This small book is a big gift.”
Mark Dever, pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, DC; president, 9Marks

“This discipleship resource has it all—pastoral clarity, urgent relevance, practical brevity, and faithfulness to the Scriptures. Line by line, every chapter contains fodder for significant discussions on what the Word says about evangelism, conversion, and the church. I’m so thankful that Michael Lawrence wrote this book—I’ll be referring to it often.”
Gloria Furman, author, The Pastor's Wife; Missional Motherhood; and Alive in Him 

“Down-to-earth, clear, practical, straight shooting, biblically cogent treatment of the nature and necessity of conversion. This is an excellent book.”
David F. Wells, distinguished senior research professor, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; author, The Courage to Be Protestant: Truth-Lovers, Marketers and Emergents in the Postmodern World

Table of Contents

Series Preface
Introduction

1. New, Not Nice: The Necessity of Regeneration
2. Saved, Not Sincere: God’s Work, Not Ours
3. Disciples, Not Decisions: The Character of Our Response
4. Holy, Not Healed: Implications for the Christian Life
5. Distinct, Not Designed: Implications for the Corporate Life of the Church
6. Summon, Don’t Sell: Implications for Our Evangelism
7. Assess Before You Assure: Implications for Ministry
8. Charitable, Not Chary: The Danger of an Overly Pure Church

Conclusion
Notes
General Index
Scripture Index