Famed evangelist Robert H. Schuller is not stepping down, daughter says

Crystal Cathedral's senior pastor, Sheila Coleman, expressed outrage in an interview Sunday after rumors spread across the media and the Internet that her father, church founder Robert H. Schuller, was stepping down.

"That's wrong," she said. "He's going to continue to preach until the day he dies."

Coleman has been serving at the mega-church's unofficial senior pastor for the last year, she said. On Sunday she told her congregation that the role had been made official by the Reformed Church in America.

Coleman said she carefully explained to the congregation that the change was largely symbolic, "just an affirmation and celebration from the denomination."

"I told them dad’s role would not be changing, mine would not be changing," she said.

But shortly after she arrived home, Coleman said she learned the media were reporting her father had stepped down.

The media storm started when the Orange County Register reported that Schuller announced his departure at the 9:30 a.m. service. A local newswire quickly picked up the story, which drew the attention of the Associated Press. Within the hour, dozens of papers had picked up the AP story and Twitter was buzzing with the news.

-- Corina Knoll and Jason Felch

Photo: L.A. Times

Comments

[Linda]

Why would he step down when he can continue to fleece the public and not pay his employees and vendors while living like a king? He may be a lot of things but he's not stupid.

[Upwinger]

Shouldn't this be in the business section?

[yehudi]

The Reverend Schuller has been most effective, inspirational, and exemplary in his delivery of many fine sermons of the past, but more real presence has shown an individual who is much less energetic and less sparkling in his presentations of most recent times. Such is not to be negative, but reality comes in a most disappointing way to most of us in different ways when time has claimed a toll on all who have been around for a length of time.

As with any professional performance over a long period of time, everything and everybody has its season! Surely there will be someone who will fully succeed him when he does step down which may be soon. There seems to have been such a plan in the past but that apparently has been changed also. He may fill in occasionally, but every Sunday may be too much!