appeared at the crystal cathedral, these animals won t be taking part in the annual pageant. it is upsetting that a family representing the lord is mismanaging funds and not stepping up to the plate. reporter: the official explanation for the bankruptcy is the bad economy has taken its toll on the church s support base. never before in the history of the country have so many churches been in bankruptcy. reporter: insiders, including dr. schuller s son, robert a. schuller, tell a different story. i think if i was the leader there it would be a different story. reporter: robert a. had been groomed for years to succeed his father. his tenure lasted barely two years until his sisters and brothers-in-law forced him out. they said my sermons weren t adequate for the hour of power the then by october they said i
could preach any time other than sunday mornings. and so with that i resigned. so you tell me whether i was forced out or resigned. doesn t sound like a happy parting of the ways. not really, no. robert a. s daughter is even more blunt. when you mix faith, family and fame, it s a toxic combination. people start vying for positions of power and i think that s what led to the crystal cathedral crumbling. celebrate afternoons reporter: robert a. schuller runs a successful christian network with his son-in-law, which they purchased from unification church. robert a. schuller can envision a day when crystal cathedral may not have a schuller at the helm. nothing lasts forever. there is a season for everything under heaven, it says, a time to be born and a time to die. it is one thing to read that in the gospel. quite another thing to live it, yeah.