Robert H. Schuller - Early Years

Early Years

Schuller was born near Alton, Iowa, in 1926. He studied at Hope College and received a Master of Divinity degree from Western Theological Seminary in 1950. He was ordained as a minister in the Reformed Church in America. He worked at Ivanhoe Reformed Church in Riverdale, Illinois, before moving to Garden Grove, California. There he opened the Garden Grove Community Church in 1955 in a drive-in movie theater. He also built a new 300-seat chapel about four miles (6 km) from the drive-in theater. Schuller conducted a service in the chapel at 9:30 Sunday mornings and then drove his organ to the drive-in to conduct a second service there.

As the size of the congregations grew, Schuller purchased 10 acres (40,000 m2) at 12141 Lewis Street in Garden Grove for a "walk-in, drive-in" church serving both congregations. Ground was broken September 10, 1958, for construction of the new church designed by international architect Richard Neutra. The church was completed in 1961 at a cost of $3,000,000. The dedication service was held November 5, 1961.

The design of the new church building enabled Schuller to preach his sermons to worshipers in 500 cars as well as to members of the congregation inside the church.

A "Tower of Hope" building was added on the north side of the drive-in church building in 1968; it rose 90 feet (27 m) in the air, the highest structure in Orange County at that time, and was topped by a cross. That same year, Schuller purchased the 10-acre (40,000 m2) walnut grove that bordered the north side of the Garden Grove Community Church for the construction of the much larger "Crystal Cathedral" designed by architect Philip Johnson. The church, which has glass walls and ceiling, was dedicated on September 14, 1980.