The Succession Machine: A Critical Genealogy of Schism, Charisma, and Institutional Continuity in MCGI

Abstract

This conceptual essay extends the argument of Disposable Church (2026) by developing succession closure as a framework for understanding how charismatic religious institutions narrow the legitimate possibilities of leadership change over time. Using MCGI as a theory-generating case, it reconstructs the movement’s succession history from Nicolas Perez through Eliseo Soriano to Daniel Razon, integrating Foucauldian genealogy, Weberian routinization, institutional memory, media power, kinship, and political legitimacy.