RIP Dr. James Dobson - Death of Focus on the Family Founder who was Dedicated to Helping Families with God's Grace

Focus on the Family Founder Dr. James Dobson, an Evangelical Christian, Dies at Age 89
Focus on the Family founder and chairman emeritus James C. Dobson, Ph.D., died on August 21, 2025. He was 89. Please pray for the repose of his soul.
“Dr. Dobson’s legacy is in the people he touched and the families he helped,” Focus on the Family President Jim Daly said. “Millions of marriages were saved and strengthened, millions of parents were able to raise happier, healthier children, and millions of men and women were equipped and encouraged to stand boldly for their faith in the public square because Dr. Dobson answered God’s call to create Focus on the Family. Dr. Dobson also helped found the Christian legal group Alliance Defense Fund, now called Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), in 1994, in addition to the political advocacy Family Research Council. He was also participated in the founding of ecumenical, state-based Family Policy Councils, which work in about 40 states.

“We join the millions across America and the world in mourning his passing.”
Dobson’s ministry efforts grew out of his professional work as a licensed psychologist in California. Although he eventually became associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the USC School of Medicine, Dobson’s attention ultimately turned to the breakdown of the traditional family. His concern led him to leave USC and in 1977 open a small, two-room office he called Focus on the Family.
That small ministry grew to become a global multimedia nonprofit that reaches about 18 million people in more than 98 countries, thanks in part to its Radio Hall of Fame-winning flagship program, thirteen international offices and many radio, video, digital and print resources.
A licensed marriage, family and child counselor in both California and Colorado, Dr. Dobson authored more than 30 books, including the popular best-sellers Dare to Discipline, Love Must Be Tough and Bringing Up Boys. He was also involved in numerous governmental activities related to the welfare of the family.
Dobson served as president of Focus on the Family until 2003. The responsibilities of the ministry’s daily oversight eventually passed to Daly, Dobson’s handpicked successor. Dobson stayed as the board chairman until February 2009, and he served as the primary voice of the daily show until February 2010.
Dobson served as president of Family Talk, a Christian ministry he founded in 2010, and the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, which he established to preserve the legacy of his life’s works and promote the institution of the family.
“Dr. Dobson gave Focus on the Family a strong foundation,” Daly said. “He was a visionary who modeled the importance of strengthening families, promoting biblical values in the culture, protecting preborn life and reaching out to hurting people with the love of Christ.
“Nothing brought him more joy than knowing the work he did here on earth helped so many into a relationship with the Lord that ensured their future in heaven.”
“With God’s help, we’ll continue to live out these principles through our ministry work for years to come.”
Dr. Dobson is survived by his wife, Shirley; his two adult children, Danae and Ryan; and his two grandchildren.
For more information on Dr. Dobson’s history with Focus on the Family, visit the Remembering Our Founder website.
About Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family, which reaches more than 18 million people in 98 countries, is a global faith-based ministry that helps families thrive. We provide help and resources for strengthening believers in their faith and sharing the gospel; building resilient marriages that reflect God’s design; equipping parents to raise their children with a thriving faith; advocating for the preborn, orphaned and life at every stage; and engaging the culture through a biblical worldview. 
BIOGRAPHY
James C. Dobson, Ph.D., was founder and chairman emeritus of Focus on the Family. His vision and philosophy shaped the ministry at its inception and supplied the impetus for its outreach for over three decades. Even after his departure in 2010, the ministry’s mission continued to be a reflection of Dr. Dobson’s commitment to strengthening and defending the institution of the family.

The initial inspiration for Focus was conceived in the 1960s, when Dr. Dobson was completing his Ph.D. in child development at the University of Southern California. He joined the faculty of Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles and, in 1970, became associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the USC School of Medicine. Over the next several years, he became increasingly concerned about the breakdown of the traditional family and its negative effects on the culture.

In 1977, Dr. Dobson left Children’s Hospital and the USC School of Medicine to found Focus. The first radio broadcast aired that same year. By the end of the 1970s, the seven-part Focus on the Family film series had become a popular resource for parents.
During the 1980s, the ministry began publishing several magazines and expanded into Canada and the UK. Dr. Dobson completed several books and participated in the White House Conferences on the Family, the National Advisory Commission for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography.
In the 1990s, Dr. Dobson was appointed to the Commission on Child and Family Welfare and the National Gambling Impact Study Commission. Focus on the Family relocated its headquarters from Southern California to Colorado Springs and continued to expand its outreach, including the establishment of associate offices worldwide and the creation of websites and other endeavors in the digital realm.
In May of 2003, Dr. Dobson resigned as President of Focus on the Family but retained his position as Chairman of the Board. Dr. Dobson stepped down from that position in February of 2009, and a year later departed Focus as the final step of the ministry’s leadership transition process.
Dr. Dobson is survived by his wife, Shirley, co-founder and emerita member of Focus on the Family’s board of directors and former chairman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, and by their daughter, Danae, son and daughter-in-law, Ryan and Laura, and two grandchildren.
Dr. Dobson’s passion for families and for the Gospel of Jesus Christ continues to inform Focus on the Family’s ministry efforts. The current leadership, chosen by Dr. Dobson, is determined to honor his legacy by continuing the work he started in 1977 of ministering to individuals and families in Jesus’ name.
Source: https://founder.focusonthefamily.com/