Walk With Me

I’m excited about what God is doing through our partnership with Bill and The Navigators to build a disciplemaking church. We started small with a Discipleship Leadership Team, whom I led through The Ways of the Alongsider. Last September, each person on that team applied what they learned from the Alongsider by leading a discipleship triad (a group of three people) through The Navigators 2:7 discipleship series. There is now nearly thirty people in micro-disciplemaking groups. We’re finishing with the 2:7 series this fall and then many of the current triad members will launch disciplemaking triads of their own, thus doubling people in the disciplemaking process. Multiplication is happening! I’ve preached a 10-week series on our picture of a disciple. While I’ve preached on disciplemaking from the pulpit, behind the scenes, the Discipleship Leadership Team is building the life of a disciple into people’s lives. We’re excited about the changed lives that God is producing through our investment in disciplemaking.

The Navigators did something different in their disciplemaking training. They led us back to our neighborhoods! Our church family has always had a heart for serving in our neighborhood but it was often limited to a one time, do good event. Now, since we’re making strides to build a disciplemaking culture, our outreach and service looks different. We still serve in our neighborhood, but we aim to connect in relational ways and place a priority on building on-going relationships. It is in these on-going relationships that we’re trusting God for gospel conversations. We have moved our evangelism training from large workshops to our disciplemaking triads for greater accountability and application. Our church family now goes about their daily activities with eyes open to the lost people around them, trusting God to start faith conversations. We pray corporately for these people, we intentionally equip our people to excel at building relationships for the the gospel, and we look for every opportunity to start spiritual conversations. It’s beginning to impact our Sunday worship services. Now our guests are being invited by a friend. What a blessing to work with Bill and the Navigators, God has used them to transform us to more fully devoted followers of Jesus.

Bill Mowry writes with winsome clarity about a subject that is near to the heart of God and invites us into the ways of Jesus Christ. No other topic reflects more fully the life and purposes of Jesus than His focus on helping everyday people walk with God and reflect His character. Bill makes it doable for all of us, people in busy lives and in a culture that tries to pull us away from meaning and relationship.

In a Christian culture where disciplemaking has been relegated to professionals, Bill Mowry has revealed from Scriptures that making disciples is something every follower of Jesus can do and should do! Bill is not only an author but a practitioner I have observed firsthand in the context of our local church. I invite you to walk with him on the journey of learning your role in making disciples.

After over twenty-plus years of pastoral ministry, I realized I was missing a piece of the ministry puzzle — making disciples. Working with Bill Mowry has helped us rearrange and put in order the puzzle pieces for a disciplemaking church. Bill came alongside us and helped us understand the need for and gave us the tools to help us fulfill our church’s mission to “Glorify God and Make and Nurture disciples.” Seeing people in our church making disciples is a breath of fresh hope for us. We have taken the slow path of culture building and seen a well-meaning but typically ineffective church culture change to a disciplemaking culture.

Despite being a senior law enforcement executive, I knew I wanted to stay focused and finish strong in both my personal and professional life. Bill coached me through the process of determining my personal vision statement and priorities. As a result of our time together, and Bill’s mentorship, I’ve gained a richer insight into how God has gifted and prepared me for different challenges and opportunities.

In 2015 we started Zanesville Neighborhood Church with a group of people who were passionate about living on mission with God and making disciples. While our church, like many others, knew what God was asking us to do, we needed help on how to do it. Bill’s coaching on the how of disciple-making has been timely and critical for our church to realize the vision that God had embedded in us from the very beginning. Because of Bill’s coaching, I and the church that I lead are now being given disciple-making methods to match our missional heart. We are so grateful!

As an experienced disciplemaker, this book provides both clarity and simplicity to a process that can easily become complex and intimidating. Bill Mowry does well in unpacking the simple relational dynamics that make a disciplemaking relationship so transformational. If you are looking to grow as a disciplemaker, this is one of the best books available to make it achievable.

As an elder in my church and small business owner trying to manage a multitude of challenges, I prayerfully enlisted Bill’s help to coach me through the changes and challenges that I face as a leader. Bill has helped me not only with the day-to-day challenges of staying connected to Christ in a busy schedule but has helped me develop the vision for the next chapter of my life with Christ. He has helped me assess priorities, establish a meaningful schedule to accomplish those priorities, and chart my future goals. This accountability has been a spur for action. Bill helps me see how Christ is at work right now in my life and given me a view for the future. As a coach, he is coming alongside me to help me mentor and grow other men in spiritual leadership. I often struggle with feeling inadequate for this next chapter in life but Bill constantly reminds me that I’m not alone in this endeavor and all things are possible with Christ. I appreciate how he challenges me that faith requires action and that my feet will never get wet until I step out of the boat.

I so enjoy using The Ways of the Alongsider. It encourages disciplemaking to be a natural part of life where we come alongside people, helping them move closer to Christ. God has used the book to build confidence in women’s lives, that they too can disciple others. In using this book with women, we found various, realistic ways to apply disciplemaking concepts to our lives and how to replicate the process for others. I appreciate that The Ways of the Alongsider is not designed as program but a pathway to build intimate relationships and a tangible lifestyle for investing in others.