Succession Planning for Lay Leadership

Have you ever been nominated to serve in a position for which you have had no education or training? Have you ever served in a position of leadership and found yourself wondering “who are they going to find to replace me when my term expires?” Because of these common experiences, the importance of intentional leadership development and succession planning in the local church cannot be overstated!

On May 21, 2026 the GLC held a virtual session to help Church Council/Leadership Teams and Pastoral Staff identify, recruit, equip, empower and encourage people in their congregation to serve in key leadership roles in church. 

In this session, Garth McGrath (Superintendent) and Peg Cichon (Missional Vitality Liaison) with the Great Lakes Conference discussed how to develop pools of potential leaders through preaching and intentional discipleship strategies. They also shared practical steps for spotting talent, recruiting, teaching, equipping, encouraging and empowering talented people to serve effectively in church leadership.

Watch the Video Recording here!