Interview: Rev. Schuller Reveals Where His Church, America's Churches are Headed

CP: How many members do you have currently?

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Schuller: It depends on what you call a member because we have our international membership and we have our local membership. We have those who support the “Hour of Power.” Our average attendance on a weekly basis is about 6,000.

CP: Today we're seeing many older generation leaders leaving their posts to their sons or other younger leaders. Billy Graham's sons and grandsons who are preaching have said they're not trying to fill Billy Graham's shoes. You've also now succeeded your father and you say that you haven't stepped into your father's shoes but different shoes. How do you think this new generation and these different shoes you’re all wearing will shape the future of America's churches?

Schuller: We’re all asking the same question. And the question is ‘What are the shoes that God wants for me?’ And if we walk in our shoes, and we’re listening to God’s call and living by faith and walking in the journey that He has for us, we will succeed. Success isn’t a number board as much as it is accepting the calling to fulfill the destiny He has for our lives. And we don’t necessarily choose that destiny. We choose whether or not to walk by faith. But we don’t choose where that destiny’s going to lead.

CP: So what do you think the future of the churches will look like?

Schuller: I think we’re in a new era in the Church. And that era is ‘denominationless.’ I think the Church is actually going to reflect what Jesus Christ has envisioned the Church being since day one. I think it’s going to be a body of believers, not necessarily congregated in a specific location, but those who have a sincere faith and a heart and love for Jesus Christ, who are committed to him, and worship God and worship the tri-nature of the Holy Spirit [and] Jesus Christ in unique ways that is yet to be determined and at different times. It’s not going to be a Sunday morning church anymore.

Church is going to 24 hours a day. It’s going to be experiential and lived out in daily lives. If people ask me ‘Where’s your church?’ I’ll often say ‘What time of the day is it?’ This is a good illustration of my point. So, okay it’s 9 o’clock Wednesday. Elder John is over at his store selling suits. So part of the church is over there. Sister Mary’s just getting back from dropping her kids off at school, so that part of the church is over there. I can go with every member of the church and say that’s where the church is. And that is in effect what I’m talking about where the Church of Jesus Christ is recognized not as an institution, not as a building, but is recognized as the individuals that make up the body of Jesus Christ living by faith and caring for one another and loving one another.

CP: So you feel we will not place so much emphasis on titles or organizations and such?

Schuller: I think that’s true. As it is already, I don’t think there’s strong allegiance to denomination. And I think that’s appropriate and right. I think our allegiance needs to be to Jesus Christ. And the denominations are there to serve the body of Jesus Christ. What our denomination does for our church, it helps us in our governance, organization, our spiritual growth and many of the things that are taking place today. When our denomination started almost 400 years ago, there weren’t other institutions or parachurch organizations that would assist the churches. As a result, that was the role of the denomination – to assist all the different churches by providing them with spiritual materials to help them with their Sunday School lessons [and] with academic growth for the pastors to give them some control and directions.