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.
“好好经营，直至他降临” 新加坡超级教会（Megachurches）的生意经：为上帝提供居所
关键词：超级教会，新加坡，市场销售管理主义，宗教，商业
宗教和商业通常被认为分别占据不同的社会领域，但超级教会却用反映出其独特背景的方式将两者结合在一起。新加坡奉行国家控制和以增长为导向的经济实用主义，因此，新加坡的新造(New Creation)教会和城市丰收(City Harvest)教会对其教会建筑项目的经营管理也致力于实现国家规管和教会组织上的双重目标。虽然各有自己的方式，但每间教会都利用市场销售管理主义的话语体系和技巧来促进经济增长，其中就包括以宗教使命的名义推行重大建筑项目。市场销售管理主义的话语体系不仅在教会语言上留下印迹，而且还引导这些教会采用那些能自我维系的商业做法，锁定某些特定类型的上教会做礼拜的信徒为目标，而排除另外类型的信徒。我们认为，超级教会还展示出宗教和商业之间循环递归的关系，其中每个的话语领域都为对方提供合法性辩护。
Translated from English by Li Guo
Jeaney Yip