The "routinization of charisma" is an expression dating from
German sociologist Max Weber's classic sociology of religion. A
prophetic leader attracts followers to his anti-traditional message
by his personal magnetism or force of personality, in short, his
"charisma." To keep a movement going after the death of the
original founder, however, that charisma must be "routinized," or
redirected to the continuing leadership and meaning of the
organization. The path of routinization is fraught with danger
since it by definition results in a formalization of the meanings
of the original movement, involving institutionalization, and the
formation of a new "tradition" and the potential for schism and new
"charismatic leaders" to emerge. As institutionalized religions
spread the teachings of their founders, there is a danger that more
energy will go into preserving the outer form of the traditions
than into maintaining their original inner spirit. A recent example
of the difficulty of routinization can be seen in the troubles
experienced by the Robert H. Schuller televangelism empire as it
has attempted to "routinize" the original charisma of the elder
Schuller and transfer its continuing authority to his son. See for
example "http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28953451/".
