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February 23, 2012

Home > 2011 > JulyChristianity Today, July, 2011
Cover Story
Refocusing on the Family
Like many evangelical organizations that were built in the past 50 years, Focus on the Family is attempting to thrive—and survive—past its founder.




A chunky silver bracelet flopped around the Ichthus tattoo on Yvette Maher's wrist as she told me about her work at Focus on the Family.

Initially, the senior communications specialist said, she covered up the tattoo, inked right after a change in the company's dress code. The shift meant that men could go without a tie, women didn't have to wear dresses or skirts and pantyhose, and employees could display tattoos. Eventually, the tattoo came out, as did her story: She and her two daughters had gotten the tattoos to show solidarity before an intervention for her two nephews, who were addicted to black tar heroin.

At the time, founder James Dobson was slowly moving out of his leadership role. Less than two weeks after Focus's board meeting where Dobson was asked to resign, his new radio program, Family Talk, was incorporated in California. This raised questions about whether constituents would remain more loyal to Focus on the Family or its dynamic founder.

Even though Jim Daly had taken the reins as president of Focus in 2005, employees said that the new dress code in 2009 was one of the first internal signs that Focus would have a new atmosphere.

"It may not seem like a big deal to a lot of people, but to a lot of the employees, it was like, 'Wow that's new,'" says Maher, who sported a choppy, gelled haircut and dress pants. "God bless Jim Daly. He has launched us into the 21st century." She pauses to reconsider. "Or the 19th."

Choosing Loyalties

Daly, the youngest of five children born to alcoholic parents, entered the foster care system after his stepfather walked out during his mother's funeral, a story Daly tells in his 2007 book, Finding Home: An Imperfect Path to Faith and Family. After he and three of his siblings moved into a foster home of 10, his foster father accused Daly of trying to kill him. His biological father, who had left the family when Daly was 5, returned to take the boy from his increasingly mentally ill foster father. After a year of living together, Daly's father fell back into alcohol abuse and committed suicide.

"I come from a broken childhood. That's what gives me the energy. I don't have a Ph.D. in it, but I guess it's the school of hard knocks," Daly says, wearing a striped blue shirt and grey suit but no tie. "I have a driving passion to try to get every child a better home and to be an advocate for that child who has no home."

'I come from a broken childhood. That's what gives me the energy. I don't have a Ph.D. in it, but I guess it's the school of hard knocks.' —Jim Daly

At 17, after living with his brothers, Daly found his own place—a trailer. He began pursuing his bachelor's degree and an MBA. He married at 25, and he and his wife, Jean, now have two boys, Troy, 10, and Trent, 8. They attend Red Rock Church, which is connected to Andy Stanley's Atlanta-based North Point Community Church. Daly was working at International Paper when he joined Focus in 1989 at one-third his previous six-figure salary at the Fortune 500 company.

Focus has made cuts of its own in the years since Daly became its president and chief executive officer. Last August, Focus slashed its staff to about 700, about half of its peak of 1,400 in 2002. It also reduced its 2010-2011 budget to $105 million after missing the previous year's $137 million income budget by $23 million. And that 2009-2010 budget was already more than 14 percent lower than its 2008-2009 budget of $160 million. (Income actually increased during Daly's first years as president, from about $149 million in 2006 to $152 million in 2008.) Listenership of Focus on the Family's flagship radio program dropped about 5 percent between winter and the following spring in 2010, according to the latest numbers from the Arbitron research firm.





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Displaying 1–5 of 23 comments

Jim Montgomery

July 12, 2011  10:47am

FOF has been and I'm sure will continue to be a great force for the family. I have great respect for Dr. Dobson and what he has done through this ministry he founded. In my opinion, for what it's worth, FOF and Dr. Dobson probably needed a change. Now, hopefully, their efforts will be twice as effective.

Jerry McNamara

July 07, 2011  1:31pm

I commend this article for its depth and looking at multiple facets of FOF. I for one had given up on FOF because Dobson's communications particularly about homosexuality were becoming rants and doing the opposite of "turn hearts toward home" and healing. I was so tuned out to FOF because of Dobson I didn't know about the change in leadership until this article. Thanks again, CT, for informing me!

june perez

July 06, 2011  11:20pm

Tom shoes trending campaign, a millenium director hired during massive layoffs, buzz words left and right, cool clothes, feel good superbowl ads...well Daly is well on his way to being crowned homecoming king! Daily was handed the reins to Focus by Dobson himself. And yet Daly defames, degrades and disrespects the very man who founded the organization and believed in him. Daly is so eager to earn popularity points that he is willing to trample on the soil that he himself was grown in. His behavior is shameful. Is Daly's goal to lead Focus or seek fame?

Kathleen Springs

July 06, 2011  10:54pm

As a Colorado Springs resident, I picked up the Christianity Today magazine when I saw the cover article on Focus on the Family. I have never read Christianity Today and after this article I can assure you that I will never again read the magazine. This article was nothing but a gossip magazine entertainment rant. It was a compare and contrast article aimed at portraying an "archaic" ministry and the huge "strides" Daly is making to create a culturally relevant non-profit. Dobson may be a staunch conservative who speaks his mind with little censorship, however, Daly crumbles at the mere thought of having to answer a polarizing question with any sense of conviction. When you don't stand for anything - where exactly is your focus? (pun intended) Focus thrived under Dobson's leadership for over three decades. Hopefully under Daily's direction Focus will reach new heights - after all, the guy doesn't have a PhD but he did graduate from the school of hard knocks.

ek swenson

July 06, 2011  12:38pm

Unfortunately, Focus' focus is not on the Bible. It spends too much time promoting self help psychobabble books when every solution to the ills facing mankind is clearly resolved in the Bible. If people read the Bible and followed its simple precepts, then they would live lives worthy of GOD'S intentions for them. Focus does not encourage women to follow GOD'S design for them which is to be in the home. If someone has the Holy Spirit in them they would not denigrate their bodies with perverted acts or mutilation. JESUS spoke to people in love, but never shied away from telling them the truth. In Mark 10 he is very clear in his 100% support of GOD'S design for marriage between one man and one woman. JESUS in Matthew 5 was also 100% clear of HIS support of the Old Testament. Just because satan has infected the society with his perverse ways, we should never change our support of GOD'S will and desires for us. The Bible is clear and so is JESUS! Sin is sin and we all suffer from our sins.

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