Eclesial organization and political success: the case of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God

Abstract

This paper is the result of a research carried out during the last years in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil and of observations developed at a national level. In the paper I suggest that the growing political success of the Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus (Universal Church of the Kingdom of God) is directly related to the eclesiastic model adopted by this church and to the efficiency of its institutional charisma. Keywords: Universal Church of the Kingdom of God; Pentecostalism; Charisma; Politics; Eclesial Organization