When it becomes clear to people that major change will take a long time, urgency levels can drop. Again, a premature declaration of victory kills momentum, allowing the powerful forces of tradition to regain ground. Leaders of change must go into the process believing that their efforts will take years. Two factors are particularly important for doing this. First, a conscious attempt to show people how the new approaches, behaviours, and attitudes have helped improve the life of the church.
People have to be helped to make the connections between the effort and the outcome.
The second is to ensure that the next generation of congregational leaders believe in and embody the new ways. Harvard Business Review, March-April 1995. Harvard Business School Press, 1996.