Reminds me of a little book by Donald McGavran about church growth principles. (I cannot recall the name of the book.) He was somewhat controversial, even in Evangelical circles, because his studies had shown that discipleship was more of a determining factor than a person's reason's for "becoming a Christian". He found that some men who had become leaders in the church (in India, as I recall) had initially been "converted" so that their children could attend the missionary school, which was much better equipped than the national schools of that period. (The schools didn't actually require that the parents be Christian, but it was a common misconception held by the native people.) Basically, discipleship was the determining factor in the spiritual growth of "converts", no matter the reason for, or sincerity of, the "conversions".Ernie wrote: ... about Discipleship and New Birth and whether it matters which one comes first.
Edited to add: The book I'm thinking of may have been Bridges of God. Dr. McGavran was a professor at Fuller School of World Mission, where my own professor got his doctorate in anthropology, and so we read a number of his books in our training.