How many (you fill in the denomination)s does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: Change?

It is certainly true that for most folks, change is not easily accepted in the church. People will tolerate change at work, home, and in government far more easily than in their churches. Perhaps it’s because for churchgoers, the church is the foundation of their lives, so a change in the church shakes their foundations, and everything else in the process. Perhaps it’s because society itself is changing so rapidly. In any case, in most churches, it is the traditionalists that hold sway and most traditionalists only change when they have to.

But in churches there are always changes: pastors come and go and so do members, through moving and through death. It is both normal and natural as change occurs for some people to reject the change (and ideally let other be more involved) and other to be energized by the change and be willing to be more involved. If those in the church can understand this dynamic, much conflict can be avoided.