Former Crystal Cathedral Pastor Robert A. Schuller Renting Out Home as Spiritual Retreat
Schuller and Wife Offer Rentals in Calif. Home at $700 a Night or $5,000 a Week for Couples
Former Crystal Cathedral pastor Robert A. Schuller is renting out rooms in his pristine Laguna Beach, Calif., home for $700 a night, or $5,000 a week, as part of a spiritual retreat package.
The former pastor turned television executive has placed an advertisement for his South Laguna home on the popular online service Airbnb.
Airbnb matches people seeking vacation or short-term rentals to those, generally private parties, who have accommodations to offer.
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"Enjoy a private spiritual retreat with Rev. Dr. Robert A. Schuller and wife, Donna," the Airbnb listing reads. "Enjoy a 2-7 day retreat in their beautiful four bedroom, four bath 180' ocean view home located in a very unique, private gate-guarded beach community in Laguna Beach, California."
The ad reveals that "Robert and Donna specialize in leadership training, marriage renewal, financial counseling, mentoring, friendship building, nutritional and exercise coaching."
The private stay comes included with two hours of counseling per day and a "delicious and healthy daily continental breakfast," according to the ad.
The online listing encourages potential visitors to spend their days "reading, journaling, praying, hiking, swimming, shell collecting and exploring one of the most beautiful beaches in the world."
Schuller is the only son of the Rev. Robert H. Schuller, who founded the Crystal Cathedral Ministries five decades ago in a Southern California drive-in movie theater. Schuller's ministry eventually became one of America's most notable megachurches with a congregation that had up to 10,000 members at the height of its popularity.
Robert A. Schuller grew up in the ministry and was seen for 32 years on the church's internationally televised "Hour of Power" worship program. He served as senior pastor at Crystal Cathedral following his father's retirement in 2006. However, he left the church in 2008 in a highly public family split.
Schuller has alleged that he was ousted by his older sisters and brothers-in-law in a bid to maintain "job security," and that Crystal Cathedral Ministries, which has ousted every Schuller family member, was brought down by sibling rivalry.
The Crystal Cathedral has been undergoing major changes in recent years with every last member of the Schuller family having departed the ministry. The megachurch also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2010 and its landmark campus was sold on a bankruptcy court's order in February to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange County.
The former pastor and father of four recently released a new memoir, When You Are Down to Nothing, God Is Up to Something: Discovering Divine Purpose and Provision When Life Hurts, released on March 28 by the Hachette Book Group.
The book chronicles the "dark period" in Schuller's life when he left the California megachurch his father founded.
"Everyone gets 'down to nothing' at some point in life," reads the description of the new book. "It's exactly at those points that God does His best work. When we're down to nothing, God is up to something – truths to teach us, answers to satisfy us, assurance to bolster us, resources to supply us, or directions to guide us."
