5.1 Governance Structure of ACOP

[Melany]

I think there would be hesitancy to change because there is comfort in the familiar. Fear of going backwards, losing momentum or not achieving the desired result wanted by making the change in the first place would likely cause hesitancy

[Deleted User]

The
biggest reason for being hesitant to change something is because it is the way
it has always been done. In a way it has become a tradition in the way we
operate and we do not want to wander away from tradition. It is comfortable and
suggesting change can sometimes bring on a war within congregations. People
need to recognize that it is not working and why it is not working for them to
even consider changing it and many people don't recognize the issue because it
is not glaring for them.

[Chris]

I think some church leaders are reticent to make changes to the governance structure of the local church because people, by and large, are creatures of habit and tend to not cope well with change. A Pastor might see the need for change, but at the same time may not want to rock the boat. Some might suggest that if something has worked for decades, then why change it. I suppose one question to ask would be if it has worked WELL for decades, or more importantly, is it working well NOW?

[Nate]

Part of the reason that people are worried about changing structures is the potential backlash they may face. Whenever there is major change there are going to be people who don’t like it for one reason or another.

Another reason is that it takes a lot of work to change policy. It can be long, strenuous work that requires careful wording, lots of thought, and sometimes professional help from lawyers or other sources.

Leadership is always a tricky thing that we do have a responsibility to be careful with, but that doesn’t mean that we need to be made slaves to it!