In 1838, David Green became the first Ottawa to convert to Christianity as a result of the missionary efforts of Jotham Meeker, and as tribal member Lizzie Lavore Wolfe reflected, Green’s “conviction led the others to believe.”

In 1837, Baptist Missionary Jotham Meeker and his wife began missionary work among the recently removed Ottawas. The next year, David Green converted to Christianity. Green, Thomas Wolfe (Wa-wish-qua), Lewis King (Pe-mat-se-win), and other early Ottawa converts aided Meeker in translating hymns and portions of the gospel into the Ottawa language. In 1838, these were printed as the Ottawa Frist Book. In November 1839, Meeker appointed Green assistant missionary, and slowly, greater numbers of Ottawas embraced Christianity. As a result, the Ottawa Indian Baptist Church gradually became a central institution in tribal life

On June 25, 1845, Green died in floodwaters attempting to cross a swollen river to attend a prayer meeting; he left behind a wife, Cecile, and two daughters, Sophia and Nancy.