Meet the KG Team: Larry Johnson—Chairman of the Board

Larry Johnson, the chairman of our board of directors, was sipping coffee from Ethiopia this morning.Diverse beverage selection is a perk of working at the Kingdom Growers warehouse—you get to try coffees from around the world. Missionaries ship in beans, looking for advice or possible business. And Larry gets to pour himself a cup or two of each.But, he says, the quality java isn’t why he’s involved with Kingdom Growers.“I’m not passionate about coffee,” he admits. “I’m passionate about making disciples.”The retired director of missions for the Ellis Baptist Association, Larry has supported the cooperative because he believes in its mission to develop farming communities and to share the Gospel. His friendship with our Baptist Global Response liaison introduced him to the company before it officially began in 2014. He immediately recognized the value.Larry appreciates that Kingdom Growers doesn’t deal in welfare missions. We’re a business opportunity, and opportunities often build dignity when welfare creates dependence. And the Kingdom Growers opportunity combines the secular and spiritual worlds within a direct trade business. It benefits everyone involved.“We believe that as long as no one in the value chain take a disproportionate amount, everybody can win,” he says. “So we can win, the farmer can win, the co-op can win, the missionary can win … and our customers can win because they get a quality cup of coffee at a good price.”Our chairmen spends his time with Kingdom Growers working on office projects, selling some of the coffee, and working with other board members. Leadership is one of his spiritual gifts, and the rest of the company is grateful for that. We also appreciate his prayer. He is a leader who often stops workers in the halls to lift up praises and concerns to God.In 2017, Larry will help guide Kingdom Growers as it expands to fill orders from LifeWay Christian Stores and other customers. Ask God to give him wisdom as he guides our board of directors and insight regarding how the company should run. Pray our work will continue to bless him just as he has blessed us with his service.