Leadership and Vision at Barrington United Methodist Church (B)

"The building is gone but the Church is still here" was the immediate thought of Pastor Jim Wilson as he watched his church structure burn to the ground in 1998. Pastor Wilson realized that as the leader of the congregation, he needed to take action to manage the crisis and to lead his congregation to a new vision of the future that might be quite different than the past. His choice of leadership style, his gathering a team of leaders around him and his creation of a strong vision for the future are lessons that nonprofit and for-profit leaders can learn from through this case. The case chronicles the story of leadership and change management that led BUMC from the ashes to a new building and a strong, growing congregation. 

The case brings to light several critical issues in nonprofit management: change management, leadership and vision, changing demographics and environment, and crisis management.