ABSTRACT
The stories of fast-growing megachurches1 – defined as non-Catholic churches with at least 2,000 members – and the aggressive proselytizing of consumerism have led people to become increasingly aware of the possible correlations between these two global phenomena.2 However, neither megachurches nor religious commodifications3 are entirely new issues. For one thing, large congregations with at least 2,000 members have existed for decades. For example, in the United States alone, there were roughly six large churches in the beginning of the twentieth century (Vaughan 1993). Further, as Historian R. Laurance Moore (1994) points out, evidence for ‘selling God’ exists throughout American history, namely, anything with the name of ‘religious’ will probably in its lived expression have its commodified aspects. Thus, as we shall see later, one of the most crucial elements that distinguishes the current crop of megachurches from its predecessors is, besides their larger size and their more proactive engagement with the market, the inclusive and innovative combination of rational structure and technology with a consumer ethic in modern culture. This expertly rationalized system and its underpinning values are significant as they are what make modern megachurches unique in their organizational and leadership dynamics. It is in this respect that I suggest George Ritzer’s (1993) claim on McDonaldization, which argues for the growing rationalization of many spheres of modern consumer society, as a compatible model in understanding the key features of megachurches today. Yet in saying so I do not imply that megachurches are copying McDonald’s. Instead, my argument is that megachurches, despite operating in different kinds of marketplace, have indeed displayed a striking similarity in their rationalization of production and consumption to those mass-production corporations of which McDonald’s is the epitome (Ritzer 1993). It is mainly through this McDonaldization that megachurches grow to their current
size in a very short period of time4 and acquire their unique identities and influences in societies. To illustrate my argument, this chapter begins with a brief discussion on Ritzer’s concept of McDonaldization and notes some aspects of its limitations relevant to present study. It then examines the managerial order and ruling ethic of City Harvest Church, one of the largest and fastest growing megachurches in Asia, so as to display the McDonaldized aspects of a megachurch and the ensuing ongoing negotiation between religion and market.
