[Podcast] Episode 278: Homegrown Leadership with Johnny Moore

Description: Leading a church in a small town comes with unique challenges—from navigating "mom and pop" mindsets to feeling overlooked for bigger opportunities. In this episode of the AVAIL podcast, Pastor Johnny Moore of Family Worship Center shares his 32-year journey of planting and growing a thriving church in rural Cairo, Georgia. Drawing from his book Homegrown, Pastor Johnny unpacks the importance of understanding your specific calling to a town, the necessity of discipleship as a metric for health, and why pastors must get outside the four walls of the church to truly shepherd a community. This conversation equips leaders to bloom where they are planted and steward their current assignment with faithfulness and vision.

00:00 Introduction with Pastor Johnny Moore

01:03 Returning to Cairo and planting Family Worship Center

03:30 The inspiration behind the book Homegrown

07:25 Challenges of growing a church in a rural town

11:39 Shifting the "mom and pop" mindset

15:39 Overcoming the temptation to leave for a bigger city

20:24 The importance of knowing you are called to your town

22:01 Discipleship as the true indicator of church health

26:11 Why flexible structure is necessary for growth

30:57 Connecting with Pastor Johnny and his resources

34:09 Pastoring the whole town, not just the congregation