Under the plan, Chapman would purchase the campus for $50 million and allow the church ministry to lease and eventually repurchase its core buildings.

Chapman University has been picked by the board of the bankrupt Crystal Cathedral as the preferred buyer of the Garden Grove property.

Under the plan, Chapman University would purchase the campus for $50 million and allow the church ministry to lease and eventually buy back its core buildings.

Chapman President James L. Doti said he had not spoken to the board about the decision, but believes it is the right one for the ministry, founded by Robert H. Schuller in 1955.

“All the creditors will be paid,” he said. “And the Crystal Cathedral ministries will continue.”

The landmark church, with 10,000 panes of glass, filed for bankruptcy last October, citing more than $50 million in debt. It is a ministry that has been mired in turmoil throughout the last several years, beginning with the resignation of Robert A. Schuller, the founder’s son, as pastor in 2008.

Three weeks ago, the church’s creditors committee filed suit, alleging that the church founder’s family members and in-laws profited as the ministry struggled. The elder Schuller called those allegations untrue.

By Monday, the creditors committee will officially designate the school as the buyer. A hearing to approve a bankruptcy exit plan is set for Nov. 14.

(Editor’s Note: Then named Hesperian College, the school was founded in 1861 by a congregation of the Disciples of Christ in Woodland, CA. From the beginning both men and women from all races were admitted. It later became known as California Christian College and in 1934 was renamed Chapman in honor of a benefactor. It continues to remain focused on the “four pillars” of a Chapman education: the intellectual, social, physical and spiritual dimensions of life.)

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