Robert Harold Schuller (September 16, 1926 – April 2, 2015) was an American Christian televangelist pastor, motivational speaker, and author.
In his five decades of television, Schuller was principally known for the weekly Hour of Power television program, which he began hosting in 1970 until his retirement in 2010. Schuller began broadcasting the program from the Neutra Sanctuary, with the encouragement of longtime friend Billy Graham after Schuller visited him in 1969. He was also the founder of the Crystal Cathedralin Garden Grove, California, where the Hour of Power program was later broadcast.
On June 15, 1950, Schuller married Arvella De Haan (1929–2014), a church organist, who became instrumental in developing the music department at the Crystal Cathedral and was the creator and producer of the Hour of Power for over 40 years. The Schullers had five children: Sheila, Robert, Jeanne, Carol, and Gretchen.
On January 22, 2006, Schuller's son, Robert A. Schuller, assumed the role of senior pastor of the Crystal Cathedral. On October 25, 2008, however, he resigned. His father cited "a lack of shared vision" as the cause. Schuller stated that "different ideas as to the direction and the vision for this ministry" with his son "made it necessary... to part ways in the Hour of Power television ministry". Schuller also said "I love my son and am proud of my son" and that the long-term survival of his ministry was dependent on expanding its imprint beyond the Schuller name. "The real minister's name that we honor is Jesus, not Schuller", he said. The ministry then opened the pulpit to a variety of notable Christian speakers.
On June 11, 2009, Schuller announced that the church's leadership would pass to his eldest daughter, Sheila Schuller Coleman. On July 11, 2010, he announced that he was retiring as principal pastor of the Crystal Cathedral and would become chairman of the church's board of directors. After a year as interim senior pastor, Sheila Schuller Coleman was elevated to senior pastor in July 2010.
On October 18, 2010, Coleman announced that the Crystal Cathedral was seeking bankruptcy protection, in the midst of what became known as the "Great Recession".
In May 2011, the senior Schullers, along with their daughter Carol and her husband, Tim, were dismissed from the ministry at the Crystal Cathedral. They filed for bankruptcy. The court would eventually allow them approximately 20% of what they were owed. The creditors would be paid in full plus interest. In July 2011, it was reported in the Orange County Register that Schuller had been ousted from the board of the Crystal Cathedral. In July 2011, Coleman attempted to reverse the decision that had been made in her absence, saying that "Dad will continue to provide leadership for this ministry through me for as long as possible" and "I have and will continue to defer to his wisdom and honor him for his unprecedented accomplishments."
On March 11, 2012, after months of attempting to change the attitude of the ministry's board, Coleman told the congregation of the Crystal Cathedral that she was leaving to start a new church due to "a hostile work environment". The International Business Times reported that this came following “a bitter fallout between the ministry and its founding family". According to the Religion News Service, the founders were left with little to no assets; their home was fully mortgaged.
On January 24, 2013, the Crystal Cathedral's board of directors voted to make Bobby Schuller, the son of Robert A. Schuller, the new pastor for the Hour of Power television program as well as a non-voting member of the board.
In late August 2013, Schuller was diagnosed with esophageal cancer that had spread to the lymph nodes. A follow-up examination in September 2013 presented Schuller with the possibility of undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy that could extend his life.
Arvella Schuller died on February 11, 2014, at the age of 84. The Schullers had been married for 63 years.
Schuller died early on the morning of April 2, 2015, at a nursing facility in Artesia, California, at the age of 88. His funeral was held at Christ Cathedral, the former campus of the Crystal Cathedral. He was interred next to his wife at the Christ Cathedral Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Garden Grove, California. Schuller was survived by five children, nineteen grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and an older brother, Henry.
Writings
Schuller has authored over 30 hardcover books, 6 of which have made The New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists, including:
· Way to the Good Life (1963)
· Your Future is Your Friend (1964), Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Reprinted 1991 by Cathedral Press. A devotional on the 23rd Psalm.
· Move Ahead With Possibility Thinking (1967)
· Self-Love (1975)
· You Can Be the Person You Want to Be (1976)
· Toughminded Faith for Tenderhearted People (1979), Thomas Nelson,
· Self-Esteem: The New Reformation (1982)
· Tough Times Never Last but Tough People Do (1983),
· Living Positively One Day at a Time (1986)
· Success Is Never Ending, Failure Is Never Final (1990)
· Life's Not Fair, But God Is Good (1991)
· Prayer: My Soul's Adventure with God (1995),
· My Journey: From an Iowa Farm to a Cathedral of Dreams (2001)
· Hours of Power (2004)
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