Our Ministries

There's more to Focus on the Family that meets the eye (or ear). Even those who listen regularly to our radio broadcast and have a fairly solid acquaintance with our purposes and philosophy might be surprised at the actual scope of our activities and involvement. From humble and simple beginnings – a book on child discipline and a 25-minute weekly broadcast which first aired in 1977 – Focus on the Family has grown and expanded over the years to include a wide array of separate ministries under its umbrella. The following descriptions, which detail to some extent our purposeful intentions to strengthen, mobilize, and defend families, are intended to provide just a taste of the variety of these programs, projects, and outreaches.

Strengthen Families

As a family-oriented ministry, we must remain relevant in an ever-changing culture and intentional in our efforts to reach out to today's family. The Strengthen Families division accomplishes these goals through several primary initiatives.

Family Ministries

Many of the visible outlets of Focus content fall under the scope of the Family Ministries team. They oversee the My Family initiative, which involves a comprehensive and customized program designed to provide relevant materials to our constituency over the course of their life. Aside from our various print resources, this department seeks to expand Focus' reach through several unique broadcasts in addition to the flagship Focus on the Family program.

Constituent Contact

In order to maintain Focus' signature touch, Correspondence, Counseling, Guest Relations, and the Bookstore minister personally to those who call, write, or visit our facilities. The long-standing friendships created and sustained through these services underscore the importance of individual attention and the time-honored principles of relationship building.

Global Services

Dr. Dobson doesn't speak Chinese but families in China and over 160 other countries hear his broadcasts. When invited to share our message in a new region, Global Services often initiates outreach through the air waves. Working with our 12 associate offices and 71 ministry partners in 54 countries, this team's primary goals are to support existing offices around the world and to increase awareness of Focus' message wherever possible.

Global Resources

The Global Resources division is comprised of several integrated teams responsible for recommending and developing content for Focus products. The Product Development department, which oversees the creation of audio, film, and print resources, is responsible for the beloved Adventures in Odyssey and Radio Theatre dramas as well as other quality products synonymous with the ministry including the well-known video series, Your Child and That The World May Know. Product Management works closely with these groups by providing key support and expertise whereas Marketing and Global Sales work to promote the distribution of the end products, both domestically and internationally. Because Focus is limited in its publishing activities, we rely on the Premiums team to evaluate and acquire products released by outside providers that not only reflect ministry standards, but supplement those areas Focus cannot fully develop on its own.

Integrated Communications

Otherwise known as the "M" group, this team consists of several departments that support and integrate key functions of the ministry. For example, Constituent Insights' research and market analysis determines the impact and value of our message. In order to ensure coordination between departments, those who make up the Planning Services division are involved in strategic planning and campaign development. As for the workflow and process of ministry campaigns, Business Services manages their implementation and execution as well as measurement and accountability. Creative Services provides the artistic expertise necessary to the fields of marketing and design. And finally, Media Services stays tuned into our target audiences and the technology they prefer, ensuring the relevancy of all of our media outlets.

Mobilize Families

Donor Ministry

Where would we be without our donors? We rely on them for the funding required to undertake the programs and projects that impact families worldwide. Our financial supporters are the heartbeat of our efforts, and we believe it's critical to let them know how much we value their sacrifices. Whether they're networking with businesses, planning and attending VIP events or having coffee with an elderly donor in her home, members of this team provide the personal touch that conveys to our supporters that they mean the world to us.

College and Student Ministry

Launched in 1995, the Focus on the Family Institute offers college students a life-changing, semester-long experience that helps them develop a healthy Christian worldview and equips them to use this understanding to shape their culture. Participants receive college credit while undergoing intensive training on topics such as public policy, the decline of the family, and the church in society. They're also afforded opportunities to complete an internship related to their future career field. As a means to expand this outreach, in 2005 Focus introduced an online community for college students through TrueU.org. Through relevant articles, discussion boards, and resources, TrueU seeks to develop graduates who are confident in their Christian faith.

Community Impact Outreach

Through several innovative and extensive projects, Community Impact Outreach is working to increase Focus on the Family's influence in both the Christian and secular markets. Through Option Ultrasound™, thousands of preborn babies have been brought to term by previously abortion-minded mothers. Drug Proof Your Kids seeks to equip parents with the tools necessary to proactively educate their children about the dangers of substance abuse. This team also oversees Focus on the Family's The Truth Project ™, which was officially launched in 2006. Developed primarily by our own Dr. Del Tackett, this unique program is designed to facilitate "change agents" who will gradually reawaken American society to God's truth, character, and purpose for life.

Church, Clergy, and Medical Review

Research demonstrates that the majority of the clergy in the United States contend with significant stress. They face numerous challenges in their efforts to juggle the pressing needs of their ministry, congregations, families, and often their own spiritual well-being. In an effort to come alongside the pastoral family, the Church and Clergy team seeks to bring practical balance and a sense of priority to their lives. They have also been active in disaster relief efforts, most notably following the Southeast Asian tsunami of 2004 and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita of 2005.

The Medical Review department helps to generate and evaluate medical information disseminated by Focus, working to ensure that all of our resources containing health or medical content are accurate and up-to-date. The team works closely with Focus on the Family's Physician's Resource Council, an advisory group made up of more than two dozen medical experts.

Defend Families

Now more than ever, we at Focus recognize the need to make our voices heard in the public square. Judicial tyranny, the homosexual agenda, pornography, and gambling are among the front burner issues that threaten the foundation of the family. In a nation where individual "rights" increasingly trump biblical truth, abortions continue to be performed at alarming rates. On a larger scale, a world unschooled in the value of premarital abstinence is fraught with diseases like AIDS.

Our Defend Families division addresses these issues through a number of venues. In-house experts grapple with contemporary social issues and then produce print pieces and talking points for the Focus audience and the media. Citizen magazine and our Citizenlink Web site provide a biblical perspective on national and local news as well as offer techniques for grassroots activism. Through our daily broadcast and "Family News in Focus" segments, we reach listeners on 1,600 radio stations in the U.S. We also help establish and support independent, state-based Family Policy Councils which articulate a biblical values-based message in the public square. Our popular Love Won Out conferences on homosexuality provide information to individuals who feel trapped in the gay lifestyle, as well as to those who love them.

Focus on the Family Action 501(c)(4)

As Dr. Dobson's concern for the state of our nation grew, so did Focus' efforts to counter the dramatic rejection of biblical values. However, it soon became evident that in order to effectively address the moral, societal, and political issues of the day, Dr. Dobson needed to create a new cultural action organization. Focus on the Family Action was launched in the spring of 2004 by separating out of Focus on the Family those activities that constitute lobbying under the IRS code so that they could be expanded in scope. Since its inception, Focus Action has been instrumental in the battle against judicial tyranny and the fight to protect traditional marriage.