Beginning with the elders and then the church as a whole, Wheeler, needed to convince the church that they could be the church that reached the baby boomers within their community. To do this, Wheeler followed the prescription for a crisis situation by using rich personal persuasive communication built on the leader s positive attributes. The organizational culture of the church has changed dramatically in the last ten years, slowly at first and then with increasing rapidity. Changes did not come without resistance, but the preparation helped to minimize this and improve the problems. The church leadership used all of the tools in their arsenal to maintain the congregation s readiness for change.
Persuasive communication continues in the pulpit and the meeting rooms.
External sources of information confirming the need for change are used to bolster the message. Members and leaders alike have actively participated in their own learning activities like community surveys. And the rock-solid integrity and evangelistic heart of Wheeler continue to inspire and motivate a church now numbering 1300. An often-overlooked cause for failure in organizational change is a failure to create readiness for change. Building on a leader s own credibility, he designs a message fitting the readiness and urgency of the situation that persuasively explains why the organization should change and convinces people that they can change.