The good Lord giveth and he taketh away. Such is the case with the Crystal Cathedral which has filed for bankruptcy protection in light of mounting debts. 

The Crystal Cathedral was and is a monument to the mega church that has become so popular the last few decades. Whatever your religious views, the structure is simply amazing. Based in Garden Grove, it was a monument to faith and, frankly, the donation power of a loyal congregation. 

So, how did things turn so bad financially? Well, it is a story for a bad Hollywood movie. Rev. Robert H. Schuller created the church and built it from humble beginnings to a following that had not only created the Crystal Cathedral, but had radio and television followings. It was a huge success by any measure, but then Schuller reached retirement age. You can probably guess what happened then.

Who would carry on the family business? It is a question every business seems to face and the results are often chaotic enough to ruin the business. This is pretty much what happened here. A son was the first replacement, but it went so poorly he stepped down in 2008. A sister replaced him, but the bankruptcy filing should tell you how things are going. The end result is an unhappy congregation, which means a major decrease in contributions. Totals are reported to have dropped from $30 million a year to the low twenties. 

Will the Crystal Cathedral survive its bankruptcy filing? I am sure it will. The form that it takes after this is something that will be very interesting. The bankruptcy judge is not going to be very receptive to any perceived excesses. Given this, one can imagine the mega church not being so mega anymore.