Conversion
An experience or process whereby an individual comes to belief in Christ as Savior and Lord. In Protestant Christianity, conversion usually emphasizes an adult experience of sudden or dramatic change. Nevertheless, many Christians are brought to belief in Christ as Lord through a gradual process of growth in the Christian life.
In Benedictine monasticism, conversion (with stability and obedience) is one of the three vows guiding the religious life. It implies that one "puts on Christ" through work, worship, study, and cultivation of relationships with other people. One's response and commitment to God may gradually deepen as conversion continues.
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.