Conversion - How God Creates a People - Hardback

The Way a Church Operates Reveals What It Believes About Salvation.

Every church has a theology of conversion — whether they know it or not. It shows up in how they preach, how they evangelise, how they welcome new members, how they do discipleship, and how they talk about what it means to be a Christian. And when a church’s theology of conversion drifts from the Bible, the effects ripple through everything they do.

In Conversion, Mark Dever cuts to the heart of one of the most practically significant questions a church can ask: What does it actually mean to be converted? The Bible’s answer is clear and searching — conversion is not a one-time decision made at an emotional moment, not a therapeutic healing, not the adoption of a moral lifestyle. It is repentance and faith. A genuine turning from sin and a genuine turning to Christ. And a church that truly embraces this biblical doctrine will look very different from one that does not.

This short, clear, and pastorally urgent book was written to help churches understand what biblical conversion is — and to show what difference that understanding should make for teaching, evangelism, discipling, membership, and every other facet of the life of a local congregation.

What This Book Covers

Mark Dever works through the biblical doctrine of conversion and its practical implications for every area of church life:

• What biblical conversion actually is — A clear, careful account of what the Bible means by conversion — repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ
• What conversion is not — Why one-time decisions, therapeutic experiences, and moral lifestyle changes fall short of the Bible’s vision of genuine conversion
• How a church’s theology of conversion shapes its practice — The ways in which what a church believes about salvation shows up in how it preaches, evangelises, and welcomes members
• Conversion and evangelism — How a biblical doctrine of conversion shapes the way a church calls people to respond to the gospel
• Conversion and discipleship — How understanding genuine conversion changes the way a church walks with new and growing believers
• Conversion and church membership — Why a right view of conversion should shape who a church welcomes into membership and how
• Conversion and the health of the church — How churches that recover a biblical doctrine of conversion become healthier, more honest, and more genuinely gospel-centred in everything they do

What Readers Will Learn

• What the Bible actually teaches about conversion — and why it is more demanding and more glorious than many popular versions suggest
• Why conversion is not a one-time decision, a feeling, or a moral improvement, but genuine repentance and genuine faith
• How a church’s theology of conversion shapes its preaching, evangelism, discipleship, and membership — for better or worse
• What it looks like for a church to call people to genuine repentance and faith rather than to easy believism or cultural Christianity
• How a biblical doctrine of conversion protects a church from filling its membership rolls with unconverted people
• Why recovering a robust, biblical understanding of conversion is one of the most important things a church can do for its long-term health and gospel witness
• How to think about assurance of salvation, the marks of genuine conversion, and what to do when those marks are unclear

How to Use This Book

Conversion is short, clear, and immediately applicable:

• Personal reading — Ideal for any Christian wanting to understand what genuine conversion is and what it means for their own assurance and discipleship
• Leadership training — An essential resource for pastors and elders wanting to think carefully about how their church’s theology of conversion shapes its practice
• Evangelism training — A vital corrective for churches wanting to ensure they are calling people to genuine repentance and faith rather than to a shallow decision
• Membership classes — A clear, honest guide to what it means to be genuinely converted and what that should mean for church membership
• Small group discussion — Short enough to read together, searching enough to prompt honest conversation about what conversion really means and whether it has genuinely happened

Who Should Read This Book

This book is for you if you are:

• A pastor or church leader wanting to examine whether your church’s theology and practice of conversion is genuinely biblical
• A church member wanting to understand what genuine conversion is — and to examine your own heart honestly in light of the Bible’s teaching
• An evangelist or outreach leader wanting to ensure that the way your church calls people to Christ reflects the Bible’s call to repentance and faith
• A new Christian wanting to understand what happened when you came to Christ — and what genuine, lasting conversion looks like
• Anyone who has ever wondered: How do I know if someone is really converted — including myself?

About the Author

Mark Dever is the Senior Pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., and the founder and president of 9Marks Ministries. He holds a PhD from Cambridge University and is one of the most influential voices in the contemporary church health movement. He is the author of numerous books, including Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, and has spent decades helping churches recover a biblical vision of what it means to be a healthy, gospel-centred congregation. Mark brings to Conversion both deep theological conviction and decades of pastoral experience — including the hard-won wisdom of a pastor who has seen the damage done by a shallow theology of conversion and the beauty that results when a church takes the Bible’s teaching on salvation seriously.

About the Building Healthy Churches Series

Conversion is part of the Building Healthy Churches series published by 9Marks and Crossway — a library of short, focused books designed to help churches recover and embody the marks of a healthy, gospel-centred congregation. Each volume tackles one essential aspect of church health with biblical clarity, pastoral warmth, and practical application.

Other titles in the series include:

• Evangelism by J. Mack Stiles
• Deacons by Matt Smethurst
• Expositional Preaching by David Helm
• The Gospel by Ray Ortlund
• Missions by Andy Johnson
• Biblical Theology by Nick Roark & Robert Cline
• Sound Doctrine by Bobby Jamieson