Change introduces all kinds of ambiguities and uncertainties that make people feel unsafe:

About the future
About what is expected of them
About possibility of conflict
About whether things will be out of control (if it ain’t broke don’t fix it mentality is fatal for churches)
Will their status be reduced
Will they be overloaded and stressed

All of which affects morale and willingness to embrace the future if they are received negatively. Likely consequences and coping mechanisms include: fighting change, confusion, criticism

In all of this the leader is the key factor for minimising the negative and leading for the positive. Therefore the key question is: what does the leader need to bring to the table to build trust and confidence in new direction?

There are all kinds fo factos that make change much more difficult in a church than in other kinds of organisations:

It is a Voluntary association
People have a right of say may not be committed to gospel vision or leadership; ie the decision-making process is out of the hands of leaders; the fringe is allowed as much say as biblical core
People have joined on the basis of something they find attractive, and might not stay if change challenges that. Change itself might be enough to lose people if they have joined for the attraction of unchanging stability
Hard to incentivise change with remuneration, as in the business world
People tend to be passive receivers rather than active participants in vision and purpose
People can be unclear about organisational goals, aims and structures, more so than in a business
People think their stakeholding means they have as much say as leaders

Or, to summarise:

Individual inertia: Individual self-interest, and self-perception about why I am here
Structural inertia: Activities perceived to be the essence that makes church attractive rather than gospel vision; outdated but unchangeable structures and strategies from a previous age
Vision inertia: Lack of clarity of purpose
Leader inertia: factors that make leaders unwilling or unable to lead

All of which are likely to demotivate change and paralyse.

Whatever it is that Christian leaders bring to the table to help change happen, it has to derive from basic biblical principles: the godness of God, the glory of Christ, the wonder of the biblical gospel. I like to think of the leader being the following, therefore:

The one who deals in core motivations, aligning people to Christ and Christ’s purposes
The one who clarifies need for change with clear gospel vision
The one who helps others understand and embrace godly opportunity with clear communication
The one who focuses cooperative teamwork with enthusiasm and joy in God
The one who smoothes transition with wisdom and the affection of Christ
The one who absorbs angst with prayerfulness, compassion and kindness, minimising future distress and disturbance

If gospel change is resisted, then we need to carefully analyse where the barrier is. It will usually be lack of one or more of the elements above. For my money I would spend most time on what are the motivation factors and whether people’s motivations are aligned to Christ.