No organization, including a church, can avoid change. Church leaders are either proactive toward change or reactive to change. There is no other choice.

Every church is different regarding its response to particular changes. The wise leader tries to understand the context to lead at the best pace of change.

As I have consulted and conversed with church leaders and members for over a quarter of a century, I can say that there are typically eight changes that will engender the most resistance or conflict. That is not to say that all churches will respond in the same manner, nor to say that leaders should not move forward with these changes.

It might be helpful, however, for church leaders to know that their peers in other churches have met the stiffest resistance with eight specific changes. I list them in my perceived order of intensity.

1. Relocation. One of my first consultation projects was helping a fellow pastor lead his Anglo church to either reach its community or sell its facility to an African-American church in the community that needed more space. It was a no-brainer that the church would not survive without moving toward one of those two options. It did neither. The church died within a decade. Relocation often meets the stiffest resistance.
2. Change the name of the church. I recently wrote a blog post on this topic. The comments were amazing. One church leader attempted to lead his church to change its name from First Baptist Church of Smithville (or whatever the community name is) to Smithville First Baptist Church. The rationale was clear and simple. There were many other First Baptist churches in the area. Placing the community name in the front would distinguish this church from the other First Baptists. The congregation rejected the change.
3. Worship style. The “worship wars” are probably waning, but they are far from over. While I am optimistic that this issue will not be as volatile in the future, it is still a point of contention in many congregations.
4. Number of worship services. Adding or subtracting a worship service can also engender conflict. In either case, there is disruption that may not be pleasant for many leaders. Unfortunately, too many church members are more concerned about their preferences than what is best for the congregation to have its greatest impact.
5. Times of worship service. This change is similar to number four. I always thought such stories were anecdotal until I helped a church do a survey of its congregation on worship times. At the time of the survey, the church had one Sunday service at 11:00 am. One member, rightly understanding that the leadership was considering a different worship time, wrote “I will leave this church if we stop having worship at the biblical time of 11:00.” I’m still looking for that verse in the Bible.
6. Order of service. I am sure you see a pattern in numbers 3, 4, 5, and 6. Members get comfortable with their style of worship at their worship time with their preferred order of worship. For example, I have seen church members get in an uproar when the offertory was moved to a different place in the service.
7. Building programs. You might be surprised that a building program is listed as far down as number 7. Though the change is disruptive and the cost is usually significant, many churches respond positively to a building program. Of course, a number of them don’t.
8. Church staff person leaving involuntarily. The staff person may have been fired. The position may have been deleted. Or the person may have felt the pressure to leave. In any case, most any church staff member will have some level of loyal followers in the congregation. The departure will undoubtedly upset them and others.

http://thomrainer.com/2014/12/20/eight-changes-church-potential-high-conflict/