Mirroring the Master—Bill Lohnes Book

Mirroring the Master

Revitalizing and Equipping the Church by Making Disciple-Makers

Jesus’ call to “go and make disciples” sounds simple, but many believers still feel unsure what disciple-making looks like in everyday life. This book is a practical guide to returning to Jesus’ model of transformation: intentional, relational, and reproducible disciple-making.

Drawing from years of ministry experience, Bill Lohnes lays out a clear and transferable approach that helps everyday Christians live the Great Commission as a lifestyle, not just a program.

Understand what it truly means to be a disciple
Break free from a performance-based view of church life
Learn a practical model for disciple-making that can be repeated and shared

All proceeds for this book go to support our Global Partners.

About the Author

Bill Lohnes

Bill Lohnes graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 1972 and married his wife, Paula, that same year. Shortly after, he began a forty-five-year career: twenty years in financial services, with the last twenty years in private practice. Dr. John Musselman helped Bill find a saving relationship with Jesus Christ in 2002 and has been his disciple-maker ever since.

Bill started his first disciple-making group in 2004, and in 2008, Narrow Gate EFL was founded. From 2009 to 2017, John and Bill traveled first to Lagos, Nigeria, and then to Eastern Europe, training pastors in Classic Discipleship. In 2019, the first Co-Mission Institute in Atlanta launched to equip pastors to make disciple-makers.

With over fifty years of combined disciple-making experience, the Narrow Gate EFL team established the Apprentice of Jesus curriculum with the goal of equipping small groups of disciples to mature in Christ and learn to multiply their faith in the lives of others.

Bill and Paula have two children, Jason and Holly, who have given them four beautiful grandchildren. The highlight for the family is their annual Fourth of July vacation consisting of golf, fishing, and watching Nacho Libre.

"Mirroring the Master is not a theoretical book about disciple-making—it is a lived one. You can tell from the first pages that this book was shaped by real relationships, real ministry, and real obedience to Jesus’ command to make disciples. I’ve had the privilege of knowing Bill Lohnes personally and of being equipped through his leadership with Narrowgate EFL. So, when you read this book, you can know that this is exactly what Bill practices. This book is the result of years spent walking with people, opening the Scriptures together, and learning what it truly means to mirror the life and ministry of Jesus. I’m grateful for this book, for Bill’s faithfulness, and for the many lives—mine included—that have been shaped by the practices and truths found in these pages. I wholeheartedly recommend Mirroring the Master to anyone who wants to take the call of Jesus seriously and help others do the same."

"Mirroring the Master is a powerful and succinct book to guide, encourage, and equip us all to be disciple-makers. It is clear that God has put a distinct call on Bill’s life to be a disciple-maker who then equips other disciple-makers. Through the slow work of multiplication and imparting life-on-life biblical transference, Bill has accomplished this in spades. What I loved about this book is that it’s not a “textbook” of sorts on “how to be a disciple-maker” but rather is made up of the life stories and principles that Bill has accrued with time and experience. I loved all of the contributions from the many people who have influenced Bill in disciple-making and the many people that he has in turn influenced. This book might be short in length (only 141 pages) but it sure is deep and rich in content and truly makes you sit back and evaluate your life and our call to be disciple-makers."

"What sets this book apart is that it is not theoretical. Bill Lohnes is not a theorist; he is a practitioner who has dedicated his life to studying the life of Jesus, and—more importantly—has lived out and modeled Jesus’ strategy for spiritual multiplication; creating disciples who make disciples. Perhaps the most compelling part of this book is the incredible testimonies of those who have followed Jesus in this way. These stories act as living proof that when we stop focusing on complex, human-made programs and return to the simple, relational model of Jesus, lives are transformed For anyone who wants to take the Great Commission seriously and learn how to disciple others in the way of Jesus, "Mirroring the Master" is indispensable."

"A great combination of information and application given with a very honest a personal touch. Bill shares his heart (passion for making disciples) and head (knowledge). And yet he explains his learnings with the purpose to draw ALL attention to the Master, Jesus. This book is a great accumulation of principles of making disciples, in a way that you feel like you are having lunch with Bill in a very informal environment."

"From practical application to inspirational testimonies this book highlights the need for and how to make disciple makers. If this book can be implemented, the church will be transformed into Kingdom of GOD mentality."