1.0Church Answershttps://churchanswers.comrich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="BpG5NSl27k"><a href="https://churchanswers.com/blog/it-is-time-to-stop-celebrating-church-transfer-growth-a-church-answers-research-article/">It Is Time to Stop Celebrating Church Transfer Growth: A Church Answers Research Article</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://churchanswers.com/blog/it-is-time-to-stop-celebrating-church-transfer-growth-a-church-answers-research-article/embed/#?secret=BpG5NSl27k" width="600" height="338" title="“It Is Time to Stop Celebrating Church Transfer Growth: A Church Answers Research Article” — Church Answers" data-secret="BpG5NSl27k" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://churchanswers.com/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js /* ]]> */ </script> https://churchanswers.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PeopleClapping.png1200628At its heart, conversion growth is the fruit of evangelism. When someone becomes a follower of Christ, they move from darkness to light and eternity with God instead of eternity apart from God. They are Christians as depicted in Acts 11:26, where the disciples of Christ were given this name in Antioch. Conversion growth is also local church centric. While we celebrate conversions anywhere at any time, conversion growth leads to the growth of a local church. If a team from a local church goes overseas and leads dozens to Christ, we celebrate those conversions. But by definition, that is not conversion growth of the church that sent the team. We pray those new Christians will become fruit-bearing disciples in a nearby church. Then, those churches will experience conversion growth.Conversion growth, then, represents those new followers of Christ who have become disciples of Christ and committed members of a local church.For most of Church history, conversion growth was the heart of local churches. In recent history, the celebration of transfer growth has become normative. That is not healthy. That is not Kingdom growth.