Why Most Church Members Fear Change and What You Can Do About It

Why Most Church Members Fear Change and What You Can Do About It
Dr. Tom Cheyney Founder & Directional Leader

Change is everywhere except in many local churches. Countless churches are full of countless church leaders who fear change. If you are reading this, you might also be asking yourself if you fall into the rut of fright when it comes to church change. When churches fear change there appears to be a rising sense of insecurity that is prevalent in the majority of the leaders within that church. Holding on for as long as they can to the security blanket of the recent past only hinders a church’s ability to rise above the mire of stuckness.

A changeless church is usually a monotonous one.

The excitement has left with the majority of its past membership who was at one time willing to be involved in the turnaround efforts of renewal. As the fear thermometer began to rise by those proponents of the status quo, the willing members for renewal and revitalization after a time throw up their hands in disgust and begin looking for ways to make the graceful exit. Eventually, all that is left are those who are locked in fear of change.

We all understand that God has instructed us not to fear but, in our humanity, we do lapse into fear and sometimes negativity. As Jesus taught His disciples how to build the church, His command was to love people that no one else loved. Since they were to love even their enemies, this included loving people when they were not very lovely. Even people who are always negative. Negativity will draw negativity. You know the saying: Birds of a feather flock together.

Ron Edmonson Lead Pastor and Church Revitalizer of Immanuel Baptist Church says there are seven ways to respond to negative people in the church. As pastor, a church leader and the planter of two churches, he is passionate about planting churches and helping established churches thrive. He says:

Filter negative talk. Ask yourself if what they are saying lines up with truth. Is it true? If not, dismiss it quickly so it won’t begin to control you. When you own falsehood about yourself or the church, you validate the person offering it. And, you fuel them for further negativity about you or the church.

Learn when necessary. We should not refuse to listen to any criticism. There is an element of truth in most criticism, even among things you need to ultimately dismiss. Let’s not be arrogant. Be humble and teachable always.

Surround yourself with some positive people. Some people are negative about everything and would never encourage anyone. That’s the reality of working with people. Every leader needs to find a core of people who can encourage them to walk closer to Christ, to believe in themselves in Christ, and who genuinely care about their best interest.

Remember negative people spread things about others too. It often helps me reconcile what a negative person says about me when I realize they are always spreading something negative. If it were not me being criticized, it would be their next victim. Do not give as much weight to the voice of the consistently negative person. Sometimes we tend to give them the most attention. The only way you will ever shut down the person who is always negative is to refuse to give them an audience for their negativity. The fact is if they are given a continued voice they will bring people into their negativity. If the same attention is placed on people who are a positive influence, then they will bring people along into positivity.

Confront untruth. You do not have to go on a witch-hunt for untruth - nor should you - but you should try to stop the spread of falsities if you hear them being repeated or told to you. This is especially true if it is going to get in the way of doing what you know God has called you to do. Don’t be bashful about doing so. Don’t embarrass people or treat them harshly. Treat everyone with love. Be an example of how to handle disagreement Biblically. But, don’t ignore it either.

Be truthful and positive around others. Decide you will always be a positive influence. Don’t repeat untruths and avoid being a hypercritical person. Look for the good in situations. A positive attitude is equally contagious.

Remind yourself of truth. Ultimately you are looking for truth, not one person’s opinion on truth. Ron Edmonson at: used by permission of author.

Negative saints are still saints and they need a shepherd. Instead of writing them off, fulfill your duty as a pastor and pastor them.

As the Church Revitalizer of a church in need of change you have come to understand that if you allow a no-change mantra to become the norm in your church, then the taste for freshness and the sweet taste of the Holy Spirit guiding will begin to become distant from your weekly experience. Church change opens us up to the new opportunities that the Lord might be providing. Embracing change allows us to adjust our sails and discover new directions for ministry.

Why do many within the local church become nervous and apprehensive regarding future change? Benjamin Franklin once said: “When you are finished changing, you are finished”.

You perhaps have around seven things on your list of fears if you were open with your feelings before the Lord. Now try to envision a positive side for each of these items on your list. Write them down and carry them with you for the next month on a piece of paper. When you pray, begin by praying over the fears first and the possible outcomes if the church was successful in bringing about change. Then begin to pray the scriptures you find in your daily Bible reading time and see what the Lord might do with providing you some inspiration for change and passages you could call upon during the church’s renewal efforts when you become apprehensive. Ask the Lord to give you a spirit of Joy for the next thirty days and plead that He help you when you fail to be one of joy in the Lord during that length of time. I firmly believe that for the majority of you who are fearful of change, it often reveals that you believe you simply do not have the necessary strength to cope with the changes required to do something new.

The Lord might begin to challenge you to hand over your fear and lay it on the altar so that He might stretch you and show you the great things He can still do in your church and with you as a servant of that church. Choose joy for these days and do not allow negativity to proceed from your mouth relating to the church and its renewal leadership team. You only are giving thirty days, simply one month to allow God to do something new. You did not seek this but were given the task. But it is up for you to use this time to pray for God to do something great in your church once more. If you tarry, your church might lose the opportunity for God’s continual presence. You will give account if you abuse this opportunity. Just thirty little days that might bring God praise.

Here is a thought-provoking list of seven unchangeable rules regarding change:

People do what they perceive is in their best interest, thinking as rationally as circumstances allow them to think. People are not inherently anti-change. Most will, in fact, embrace initiatives provided the change has positive meaning for them. People thrive under creative challenge but wilt under negative stress. People are different. No single “elegant solution” will address the entire breadth of these differences. People believe what they see. Actions do speak louder than words, and a history of previous deception outweighs present suspicion. The way to effect long-term change is to first visualize what you want to accomplish and then inhabit this vision until it comes true. Change is an act of the imagination. Until the imagination is engaged, no important change can occur.

Reasons Churches Fear Change Why do we often fear making changes in our churches? Fear is a grip that often speaks to the church’s inability to let go of harmful tendencies, which are causing its plateau or rapid decline. The writer of the Psalms declares: “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom should I be afraid?” The casual contemplation of even making the simplest of changes repeatedly overwhelms many within the church, so the preferred option becomes either avoidance of the issues needing to be changed or eventual settling for much less than could be achieved. C.f. Psalm 27:1.

Notice the causes of fear and how it can paralyze a church: Stop Paralyzing Yourself With The Unfamiliar There are many unknowns in church revitalization. People are often locked in the past because they are not open to changes and willing to take the necessary risks. The result is that churches also become locked in the past and experience many conditions that they are not pleased about but feel powerless to do anything different. Change challenges often cause church members to fear their ability to make the necessary changes required. We are individuals with our own particular set of comfort zones. Being led by even a loved and respected pastor is still hard for those who are locked into the past and relaxing in the comfort that the present state of affairs in the church brings. The fear of change causes some to become unwilling to be led out of the things that are creating stagnation in the fellowship, and also causes failure in sustaining the church as a place where new people would want to participate and belong. The fear of the unknown is what stops most people in the church from ever making positive changes. Stop wasting so much of your time as a church leader thinking on the things that could hurt the church if it made changes, and start thinking about the positive things that could occur. Focus on the future rather than live in the past. Make the choice to work towards becoming less paralyzed as a church about the unknowns. God brings opportunity to the church serious about church revitalization and He opens new paths towards eventual growth and health. Embrace the new opportunities for renewal and begin something today and stop putting things relating to change off any longer.

Stop Mistrusting Yourself As the Church Leader Pastors and parishioners often mistrust whether they are up for the challenge. The concept of turning around a declining church seems gigantic to most pastors and difficult to the majority of most individuals within the fellowship. Remember revitalization is a journey and not a quick sprint. While there will be times when you become overworked and overwhelmed, keep your eye on the prize of renewal and a healthy church. Most of us overestimate what we can do in a day and underestimate what we can do in a year. We begin to mistrust ourselves because the mere mention of renewal seems so large and encompassing. Most churches live in their closing days a life of regret because they never stepped up and walked forward into church renewal efforts. You may be surprised to discover that the Lord carried you through the revitalization efforts and all you needed to do initially is to trust in the Lord and stop mistrusting your abilities as church members to renew your church.

Stop Quarantining Yourself As Church Leaders Isolation is a dangerous ingredient when it comes to church revitalization and renewal. Get out to training events with other pastors and church leaders. You just might discover that you and your church are not the only ones struggling with issues of plateau or decline. As churches work together and leaders of churches in renewal efforts embrace each other, there becomes a safety net of support among them. It is usually a lot easier to move forward in renewal efforts when you have others becoming the sounding board for your ideas and efforts. The weight that you have carried alone becomes much less and you sense liberation in beginning to start something new for the renewal efforts of the church. Find church revitalization and renewal leaders who can coach you and walk beside you and your church. It will allow you to get out of your self-imposed rut and start the effort of revitalization.

Stop Painting Yourself into a Corner of No Way Out Pastors and church leaders forget many times that every church has options. When you paint a church into a corner it is easy to become frustrated. Fear often pushes you into a corner because of your inability to push through the daily challenges of renewal. “I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all fears.” In church revitalization you have various options so remove the feeling of having no place to go in the leading of the church. There is always a way if the Lord is in your midst. The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009), Psalm 34:4.

Stop Shackling Yourself to the “Stuff” of Ministry Pastors and church leaders often cannot get away from the stuff that consumes them in ministry. We are shackled to the things that consume our time in ministry that leave very little time for doing the work of revitalization. We chain our actions to preconceived things which have proven over time to not work in our church. Yet, we seem powerless to get out of these defeating practices. The stuff of doing ministry becomes the crutch for not embracing the new things that could bring renewal. The crutches are the things that shackle many from ever gripping renewal. We create the easy safety net of doing what is required over what will bring growth and renewal. You will develop a trapped feeling if you do the stuff of ministry over doing the work of ministry and renewal.

Stop Drowning in Your Fear of Failure Churches and church leaders who are drowning in fear of doing anything in renewal cause their church to plateau more quickly. When you spend every moment as the leader in fear of making the wrong step, you begin to sink further and further into the fears that perpetuate failure. It is not as much that they want to succeed as it is that they do not want to fail, so they hold on to yesterday’s traditions and live in fear of trying something new. Fear is a powerful anchor that can cause leaders to drown in the work of ministry because it creates an unwillingness to boldly try new things. Many pastors admit that part of their fear is that if they actually do grow their church and lead them into renewal that they do not possess the skill sets deemed necessary to grow the church. Some intentionally try to keep their church small because success can show one’s weaknesses and lack of sufficient training. For more on the subject of skill development go to and review; The Skill Sets Deemed Necessary for Church Revitalization and Renewal by Tom Cheyney.

Stop Fearing Your Criticizers Almost every pastor has those who do not like either his leadership, preaching, or him in general. Do not let what people think about you affect what you think about them. A Church Revitalizer’s work is difficult and there will be those who would rather hurt you than follow your leadership. These individuals look for ways to complain or criticize your work almost weekly. Even the best of pastors have their antagonists. Your nemesis wants you to take your eyes off of the Lord and focus your thoughts and efforts towards all of the draining rhetoric that they spew. The reality is that any decision you make is likely to displease someone who is a critic. It is better to anticipate objections than to spend your time putting out fires, and knowing how to overcome resistance to change is a vital part of any plan to manage change. Being the one who is called to lead a church towards revitalization and change translates into you having your fair share of critics.

Stop Fearing Your Patriarchs and Matriarchs These older, long-time members are always part of the makeup of a church that is needing to be revitalized. Tenure of their ministry is part of the reason and the other is that they have risen to such a level of authority that they believe they are entitled to make the critical decisions regarding the direction of the church. It is correctly assumed that they are the informal decision makers because they have been either given or earned a high degree of influence. These patriarchs and matriarchs are often the ones that are keeping the church afloat financially. You will not be able to get ahead as the revitalizer if you fear these people. Work with them and at times, yes, for them. The end goal is to revitalize a church, not delineate clearer structures of leadership.

Stop Fearing the Monthly Bottom Line Money is necessary in the revitalization of any church. Placing too much fear on the nickels, numbers, and noses in your initial renewal effort, however, can cause you to develop a defeatist mentality. It will take some time to begin drawing the community into your renewal efforts, so fearing the slow addition of participants should be avoided. As the church creates a new thing, new people will check it out and you will begin to add to the number of participants slowly at first. Attendance in renewal often surges rather than in slow gradual steps. When the prospects start coming and staying you are in the initial phase of revitalization. Dollars are also a large portion of the things we fear in the monthly bottom line. It takes financial resources to revitalize a church and many times the declining church has waited too long before they begin the renewal process so finances are strained from the start. Wisdom is suggested when it comes to the monies expended during the journey. Overspending is a sign that you have not figured out if you are in renewal or in a last ditch effort to keep the doors open. A Church Revitalizer must not fear the monthly bottom line but work towards making it better in all three realms. Remember the Lord said He would always be with us, so get to work and rest in His hands.

These are the causes of fear and how it can paralyze a church and its leadership. The other name for fear of change is Metathesiophobia. If you find yourself shaking when you are dealing with change issues you just might be that type of individual. Fear moves you towards not being able to speak or think clearly when confronted. When you experience full-blown anxiety attacks and breathlessness in the midst of confrontation you are dealing with fear issues. Feelings of utter helplessness might surface when you deal with the expectations of your membership. Ones fear can destroy the creativity required for renewal. Genuine change takes a lot of work over time and usually involves the church and its leadership facing the pain of reflection upon why the church has fallen into such decline.

While most of us want positive change for our churches, we also know that the giving up of the status quo means confronting the untried and all the unknown feelings that might arise. Change comes slow to most, but even slower to the older individual. Their fear of change tends to embarrass them because, they do not want to feel that they are out of touch or have been left behind. They tend to become hostile toward new concepts, not because the new concept is a bad idea but because they do not understand them. Embarrassment is a product of fear. Change freaks us out even more than speaking in public. It comes in many forms in our daily lives.

How Should We Cope with Change? There are some key areas we should consider relevant to change: Change requires that we look at a specific situation, change is affected by our mood the moment we encompass it, and change is aligned with how it will impact our individual lives. Dealing with the onslaught of multiple changes is hard. Surviving change is not. Change is usually easier for the younger generations than it is for the older ones. We get stuck in habits that are difficult to change, and the same is true for the declining church. For the younger generations, change is like adding a new app while the older generations are unclear how to use the old ones.

Many churches full of older members fixate on what they will lose if the changes actually happen. Seldom do they think about the positive that could come from these new situations. Coping with change often requires a new way of seeing things. Remember that positive people hang with positive people, so remain positive towards change. Shift your focus towards change, remembering that it is very hard to embrace change when you have to and quite easy when you want to. Find the positive in the changes your church is making.

Focus on the good things that are happening as the result of change. It is easier to cope with change when you get the necessary rest you need. When a person feels drained it is easy to be negative towards change. Your church is nothing more than a reflection of its membership, so if you need to change work toward making a glorious reflection of the Savior. You cannot change others in the church initially, you can only change yourself and by doing so you will be given the opportunity to change the church.

We often underestimate our control to change ourselves and overestimate our influence to change others. No matter how many obstacles you will face in church renewal and no matter how many negative and difficult people you will have to deal with, it is always better to take a look at what you could do better instead of pointing out what they are doing wrong. Avoid stooping to their level and instead show them how to be a better person. Your faith does not require you to put up with rude, unkind, nasty people. You are entitled to stand up for yourself and not be walked over. Do not fall into the trap of thinking that caring for other people means putting up with their negative impacts on you.

Wrapping it up! The worst part about being afraid of change is that you can end up settling for doing nothing and maintaining the status quo. The Psalmist states: “When I am afraid, I will trust in You.” Carey Nieuwhof lead pastor of Connexus Church in Barrie, Ontario says “change is hard because by default, we cling to the status quo. In many churches, as long as the bills are being paid and people are still showing up, the motivation to change remains too low to really push ahead on the issues facing the church. The greatest threat to your future success in leadership is often your current success.” The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009), Psalm 56:3. Carey Nieuwhof, Lasting Impact: Seven Powerful Conversations That Will Help Your Church Grow (Cumming, GA: The reThink Group, 2015), 135.

For some Church Revitalizers there is safety in that direction and decision. Having the confidence to take action in the face of fear not only provides you with a sense of control; ultimately it will also provide you with a life full of purpose and joy. Understand the challenges of being the change agent. Older members are fearful of change. Younger church members are fearful if there is no change. You as the leader might even be fearful if you cannot keep the members working together. Church members vote their fears no matter where they are in the continuum. It is not easy to be the one who is leading the revitalization efforts of the church but never the less press on.

Work strategically with everyone and pastor the entire congregation as you lead them towards change. Be brave and allow the Lord in His good time to perform the miracles that will lead to the renewal of your church.

Dr. Tom Cheyney Founder & Directional Leader

Why Most Church Members Fear Change and What You Can Do About It

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Why Most Church Members Fear Change and What You Can Do About It

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