3 - A Management Perspective on the Mission Strategies and Global Organizational Structure of the Unification Church

Summary

Abstract

Focusing on the Unification Church and its global mission strategies, this chapter examines the nature of management in religious organizations. By diversifying its businesses into political and economic domains, the Unification Church succeeded in forging connections with those governments that offered political support for religious activities. Furthermore, it developed country-specific mission strategies, performing as a star entrepreneur in Korea, a troublemaker in the United States, and exploiting Japan as a money tree. This pattern in the evolution and organizational development of the Unification Church suggests that the organization may be better understood when viewed as a ‘conglomerate’ religious movement, rather than through the theories of congregational development advocated by researchers such as David O. Moberg.

Keywords: Unification Church, mission strategy, conglomerate, Japan, Korea, cult controversy

The purpose of this research is to examine the nature of management in religious organizations from the perspective of their diversified strategies in response to globalization. For illustrative case material, I will focus on the Unification Church (UC) and its global mission strategies. By diversifying its businesses into the political and economic domains, the UC succeeded in forging connections with those governments that offer political support for religious activities. Furthermore, they developed country-specific mission strategies, performing as a star entrepreneur in Korea, playing the role of troublemaker in the United States, and exploiting Japan as a money tree. As a result, the UC in Japan engaged in illegal missionary work and fund-raising activities for more than 30 years, which developed into a big social issue in Japan. This pattern in the evolution and organizational development of the UC suggests that the organization may be better understood when viewed as a conglomerate religious movement, rather than through the theories of congregational development advocated by researchers such as David O. Moberg and Kiyomi Morioka. The biggest contributing factors to the UC's growth are that it compensated for its lack of religious competitiveness with a strategy of business diversification in the political and economic arenas, and it established a global operational presence.

Introduction

There are two reasons to focus on the UC as a case study. The first reason is that the UC is considered to be an excellent subject of study to examine the globalization and management of religious organizations: it takes the façade of a religious organization expanding into multi-national corporate activities, or is a multi-national enterprise with a religious component.