Do Business Till He Comes

The Business of Housing God in Singapore Megachurches

Bibliographic Data

ID2865042
AuthorsJeaney Yip (0000-0001-5537-0736, The University of Sydney), Susan Ainsworth (0000-0002-7989-6684, The University of Sydney)
Year2015
Volume88
Issue2
Pages237-257
Publication date2015-03-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePacific Affairs (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0030-851X • E-ISSN: 1715-3379
PublisherPacific Affairs (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.5509/2015882237
OpenAlexW2752291472
LanguageEN
Citations received8

Religion and business are often seen as inhabiting separate social spheres, yet megachurches combine them in ways that reflect their context. Operating in a country’ that combines state control and growth-oriented economic pragmatism, New Creation and City Harvest churches in Singapore manage their church-building projects to fulfil both state regulatory’ and church organizational objectives. Each church in their own way uses the discourse and techniques of marketing managerialism to promote growth, including through significant building projects justified in terms of their religious mission. As a business discourse, marketing managerialism not only leaves its imprint on church language, but has oriented these churches towards self-perpetuating business practices which target some particular types of churchgoers whilst excluding others. We argue that they also illustrate a recursive relationship between religion and business in which each sphere of discourse legitimizes the other

Business · Business administration · Islamic Finance and Banking Studies · Religious Tourism and Spaces · Socioeconomic Development in Asia

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