Focus on the Family has launched a nationwide search for its next president, as Jim Daly plans to step down to usher in new, younger leadership for the influential ministry.

A nationwide search for the next president of Focus on the Family is underway after its current president and CEO, Jim Daly, announced his intention to step down, with his announcement coming ahead of the organization’s 50th anniversary in 2027.

Daly, who has been serving as president of Focus on the Family since 2005 after succeeding the ministry’s founder, the late James Dobson, told The Christian Post that the current transition is seeking “new faces, new energy, younger leadership,” rather than because of a scandal as seen in other ministries.

“My core belief was it's good to get new faces, new energy, younger leadership in to kind of speak to the 30-, 40-somethings now about what they're facing with marriage and parenting," Daly said. "I'm going to be turning 65 here. It's time to start looking for the next-gen leadership. That's really the goal, and to do it well is the other goal."

FaithSearch Partners, an executive search firm, has partnered with Focus on the Family in its presidential search.

“We are honored and blessed to be leading this incredibly important effort,” said Ed Fry, Founder/CEO at FaithSearch Partners. “The next president at Focus will have big shoes to fill. Daly and his team have significantly grown the ministry. This will require the new leader to have incredible skills and talents in public/media communication, relationship-building, fundraising, strategic planning and administration.”

Daly told The Christian Post of the challenge he faced during his succession of Dobson over two decades ago.

"So many transitions don't go well," he said. "We had some difficulty in the founder transition, even at Focus with Dr. Dobson, and I took a lot of notes and thought, 'When it's my turn ... I want to make sure I do it as best as I can.' Christians should be leading the way on how to do this well."

Moving forward, Daly hopes that his successor will stay true to biblical principles amid cultural tides.

“We're looking for someone who is true to those biblical principles that Focus started on almost 50 years ago," he said. "Even if the culture is blowing hard at what we believe, staying true to that — calm, kind, loving."

The board of Focus on the Family has agreed to maintain Daly even after the transition, so he would support his successor.

"It's actually quite troubling to me that we can talk a good game as Christians and talk about very important things," he said. "But if we fundamentally can't do these kinds of things, like transition better than secular businesses transition, then it kind of diminishes our witness."

"I'm very determined to want to demonstrate this in a way that people go, 'Wow, that was really well done.'"

Milton QuintanillaMilton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.

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