Edir Macedo’s Pastoral Project: A Globally Integrated Pentecostal Network

This chapter analyzes how the thinking of a Brazilian Christian elite has shaped the pastoral project of a globally integrated Pentecostal network. It argues that the Macedo's pastoral project is not only different from those of Falwell and Ekman, but also more complex in terms of the interplay between strong and weak affiliation. The strength of the global network depends on the predictability, calculability, and patterning of religious experiences developed in Brazil and deployed in multiple times and spaces. The chapter explores the church’s work in three nations - Brazil, Angola, and Portugal - where the Universal has achieved high visibility. Finally it explains that one of the advantages of the theological and pastoral projects of Jerry Falwell, Ulf Ekman and Edir Macedo is the ability to take advantage of weak affiliations. Keywords:Angola; Brazil; Edir Macedo; globally integrated Pentecostal network; pastoral project; Portugal