Pete and Sammy Greig have announced they are stepping down as leaders of Emmaus Road Church in Guildford.
Sarah Yardley, formerly of Creation Fest, will take over as team leader in September 2025.
Greig is also the founder of the 24/7 Prayer movement, and author of the Lectio 365 Bible devotionals.
In an unlisted video posted to the Emmaus Comms YouTube account, Greig explained that they were stepping down to focus on public speaking, writing books, and Sammy’s counselling practice.
“Over recent months, the Lord has spoken to Sammy and me very, very clearly indeed, I think, probably more clearly than he has ever spoken to us in our lives,” Greig told the congregation.
Sammy continued: “After extensive advice from our wise counsellors, and mutual discernment from our fellow elders, trustees and leaders, we've made the difficult decision to step down as elders and as senior pastors from Emmaus Road on 14th September .
“The following day, Monday 15th September, we'll be heading off on sabbatical for three months.”
The couple intend to remain part of the church, taking a backseat role as members of the congregation. Pete will continue his work with 24/7 Prayer and the Waverley Abbey project.
Greig described the decision as “painful”, but said the couple had felt overstretched in their work for “too long”.
“Something had to go,” he said. “But on the other hand, we can also see that something really remarkable seems to be stirring in the nation, and we sense that we need to posture ourselves and prepare ourselves [for] what might be about to happen.”
New leader Sarah Yardley has already been serving as Head of Evangelism at Emmaus Road, and is a contributor to Lectio 365. Last year, she left her role as Mission Lead at Creation Fest.
Since then, she has completed a master’s degree in Biblical Leadership in Portland, Oregon.
Reflecting on leaving Creation Fest, Sarah said: "I had a clear sense of prophetic calling, my life packed into a suitcase, created space for expectation and adventure. I was moving to a church named after Emmaus Road, the path where people awoke to the presence of Jesus, already with them, loving them back to life. It felt like a place worth holding the next chapter of my story."
Greig told the congregation he is excited to have “strong women” at the helm of the church, describing Sarah as “utterly brilliant”.
The church will transition into being led by an Executive Leadership Team. Christina Manning, Executive Director at Emmaus Road, told Premier the team will be "comprised of our pastors (Peter and Andrea Burton in Guildford, Josh and Emma Heather in Woking, and Matt Davis in Aldershot), and me as Executive Director."
She continued: "We are really pleased to welcome Sarah Yardley as the leader of this new team, ensuring our ongoing local, regional and national vision."