The Dearth of Conversions
Overview
A concern for the church 100 years ago is still a concern for today: how does the church deal with the continual decline of church membership? Should churches look to revivals of the past for guidance? The Dearth of Conversions is Murray’s call to action to pastors and preachers to dedicate themselves to these questions.
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Key Features
- Addresses the decline in church membership
- Provides potential solutions to the problem
Product Details
- Title: The Dearth of Conversions
- Author: Andrew Murray
- Publisher: Marshall Brothers
- Pages: 39
About Andrew Murray
Andrew Murray (1828–1917) was born in Graaff Reinet, South Africa, to Dutch missionary parents. Educated at King’s College, Aberdeen, he then studied theology at the University of Utrecht. Andrew and his older brother John were ordained in the Dutch Reformed Church in 1848. Murray pastored South African churches in Bloemfontein, Worcester, Cape Town, and Wellington. A champion of missionary work, he founded the South African General Mission in 1889. That ministry continued to grow, and today it is part of the SIM (Serving in Mission) organization.
A prolific author and lecturer, Murray authored over 200 books during his lifetime, and he was invited to speak at churches and conferences all over the world. Married for over 60 years and the father of eight children, Murray passed away in January 1917.
Top Highlights
“Let each one of us take that question, and find time to meditate quietly upon it, until we begin to feel how grieving and dishonouring to Him the condition of His Church is. Let us think, and pray, and wait until He shows us how we have, in this dearth of conversions, the infallible proof that there is something radically wrong, and how nothing but a new reformation, given as former reformations from heaven, by Himself from heaven, in answer to the confession and the cry of His people, can restore the glory that has departed.” (Pages 17–18)
“Materialistic views of sin have a share in hindering both effort and expectation.” (Page 4)
“The Church consists of members; its restoration must begin with that of individual members, who take up and bear the burden of the whole.” (Page 15)
“The measure of conversions God bestows upon His Church is the exact index of His estimate of its spiritual health” (Page 15)
“the lack of conversions can be owing to nothing but the lack of the power of the Holy Spirit” (Page 21)
- Title: The Dearth of Conversions
- Author: Andrew Murray
- Publishers: Marshall Brothers, Christian Literature Company
- Print Publication Date: 1897
- Logos Release Date: 2012
- Era: era:modern
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Conversion › Christianity
- Resource ID: LLS:CONVRSNSMURRAY
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-02-11T15:43:38Z
Andrew Murray (May 9, 1828–January 18, 1917) was a South African pastor, teacher, and writer. He was educated in Aberdeen, Scotland, and at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. In 1848, Murray was ordained in the Dutch Reformed Church and returned to live and work in South Africa.
Murray was very focused on missions, considering it to be “the chief end of the church.” In 1889 he cofounded the South African General Mission with Martha Osborn and Spencer Walton. As their work spread throughout the continent, the mission’s name changed to Africa Evangelical Fellowship (AEF), and in 1998 AEF joined SIM which today has over 1,800 active missionaries in over 43 countries. Andrew Murray authored over 240 books, including Abide in Christ, The Holiest of All, The Spiritual Life, and The Mystery of the True Vine.
