In Touch Ministries

In Touch Ministries is an evangelical Christian organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, that produces and distributes religious media and practical faith resources. Its stated mission is to help people develop a growing relationship with Jesus Christ while strengthening the local church. The organization is closely associated with the teaching ministry of Charles Stanley, the pastor and author who founded it after becoming senior pastor of First Baptist Atlanta. The ministry's origins reach back to 1972, when Stanley's television and radio ministry began, approximately one year after his appointment at First Baptist Atlanta. In 1977, the work was formally established as In Touch Ministries. The program In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley began television distribution in 1978 and became the organization's principal public-facing offering. Through sermons, Bible teaching, articles, broadcasts, and related resources, the ministry presents biblical principles together with practical guidance for applying them to personal and family life. Television and radio remain central channels, but In Touch Ministries has expanded its distribution through its website, social media, podcasts, digital articles, magazines, books, and other downloadable or printed materials. Its broadcasts have been made available in more than 50 languages, giving the organization an international audience beyond the United States. Distribution is supported by media outlets, churches, ministry relationships, and online platforms rather than by a conventional commercial retail model. The organization also undertakes outreach beyond content production. Its activities include support for mission trips, community service, church-related initiatives, and international evangelistic work. In Touch Foundation serves as a charitable subsidiary intended to support the ministry's global outreach. These activities position the organization as both a media ministry and a nonprofit religious outreach institution. In 2007, In Touch Ministries acquired FamilyNet, a cable network carrying predominantly Christian programming, from the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board. The organization later sold FamilyNet in 2009 to ComStar Media Fund, a private company co-owned by Robert A. Schuller. The transaction illustrates a period in which In Touch participated directly in Christian broadcasting infrastructure as well as producing its own programs. The ministry's identity remains strongly linked to Stanley's expository and application-oriented teaching style. Its communications generally emphasize Bible-based instruction, personal discipleship, evangelism, and the relationship between individual faith and the life of the local church. Current operating details, leadership succession, financial information, and the full extent of its contemporary international structure are not established by the supplied reference material.

In Touch Ministries developed from Charles Stanley's pastoral and broadcast work at First Baptist Atlanta. Stanley became the church's senior pastor in 1971, and the ministry's television and radio activity began in 1972. These early broadcasts established the basic model that would later define In Touch: communicate Bible teaching through mass media while encouraging listeners and viewers to apply biblical principles to everyday decisions and relationships. The organization was formally founded in 1977 under the name In Touch Ministries. A year later, In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley began airing as the ministry's principal television program. The series presented Stanley's sermons in a structured format, commonly combining a central biblical theme with practical explanations and application points. This approach helped distinguish the ministry's output from a purely church-based broadcast and made it usable by audiences who encountered the teaching through television, radio, print, or later digital channels. As the ministry expanded, it built a broad communications operation around its core broadcast. Its stated outreach tools include television, radio, magazines, books, and the internet. Podcasts, online articles, social-media distribution, and other digital formats subsequently gave the organization additional ways to circulate sermons and devotional material. The ministry has also distributed programming in more than 50 languages, reflecting an international orientation even though its headquarters and historical base are in Atlanta. In Touch Ministries' purpose is explicitly religious rather than commercial. Its stated mission is to lead people worldwide into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and to strengthen the local church. Accordingly, its work combines media production with resource publishing, church support, evangelistic communication, mission activity, and community outreach. The organization also sponsors mission trips and related service programs. In Touch Foundation operates as a charitable subsidiary supporting the organization's wider outreach. The ministry briefly expanded into Christian television-network ownership. In October 2007, it acquired FamilyNet from the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. FamilyNet carried mostly Christian programming and gave In Touch a direct role in the distribution infrastructure of religious television. In December 2009, In Touch sold the network to ComStar Media Fund, a private company co-owned by Robert A. Schuller. The acquisition and later sale were significant strategic events, but the supplied sources do not provide transaction values or detailed explanations of the decision-making behind them. Throughout its documented history, In Touch Ministries has remained closely associated with Charles Stanley's teaching. Stanley's public profile as a pastor and author helped the organization reach a large broadcast audience, while the ministry's multilingual distribution and internet presence broadened its geographic reach. The supplied reference material does not establish a complete current leadership roster, detailed financial profile, or comprehensive account of operations after the FamilyNet sale. Those areas therefore require additional verification before being described in greater detail.

• 2009

  FamilyNet divestiture

  [1]In Touch Ministriesen.wikipedia.org

  The ministry sells FamilyNet to ComStar Media Fund.

• 2007

  FamilyNet acquisition

  [1]In Touch Ministriesen.wikipedia.org

  In Touch Ministries purchases the Christian-oriented cable network FamilyNet from the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board.

• 1978

  Signature television series launches

  [1]In Touch Ministriesen.wikipedia.org

  In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley begins airing and becomes the ministry's best-known broadcast vehicle.

• 1977

  In Touch Ministries founded

  [1]In Touch Ministriesen.wikipedia.org

  Stanley formally establishes In Touch Ministries to support the distribution of his Christian teaching and related outreach.

• 1972

  Broadcast ministry begins

  [1]In Touch Ministriesen.wikipedia.org

  Charles Stanley's television and radio ministry begins about one year after he becomes senior pastor of First Baptist Atlanta.

A global evangelical media and discipleship ministry that combines Charles Stanley's Bible teaching with television, radio, digital, print, and outreach channels.

• Television program · 1978

  In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley

  The ministry's signature television teaching program, launched in 1978. It presents Charles Stanley's sermons and Bible instruction, typically pairing a central biblical message with practical points intended to help viewers apply the teaching to personal and everyday concerns. The program has been distributed through television networks and international-language outlets.

• Radio program · 1972

  In Touch radio programming

  Radio broadcasts extend the ministry's sermon and devotional content beyond television. They form part of the organization's longstanding broadcast model and have been distributed alongside television programming in multiple languages and markets.

• Digital media and publishing

  In Touch digital resources

  The ministry's digital offering includes online articles, podcasts, social-media content, and internet access to Bible-teaching and devotional resources. These formats complement its broadcast and print work and allow the organization to reach audiences directly through its website and other online platforms.

• Religious publishing

  In Touch books, magazines, and study materials

  Printed resources communicate Stanley's teachings and broader Christian discipleship material through books, magazines, articles, and related study aids. They are intended for personal use, continued Bible study, and support of the ministry's evangelistic and church-strengthening objectives.

• 2009

  Sell FamilyNetM&A

  Background

  After owning FamilyNet for approximately two years, In Touch Ministries changed its involvement in the Christian cable-network business.

  Action taken

  The ministry sold FamilyNet to ComStar Media Fund, a private company co-owned by Robert A. Schuller.

  Aftermath

  The sale returned In Touch Ministries' emphasis to its own broadcast, publishing, digital, and outreach activities. No transaction value is provided in the reference material.

  Source

• 2007

  Acquire FamilyNetM&A

  Background

  In Touch Ministries sought a direct role in Christian television distribution by purchasing FamilyNet, a cable network carrying mostly Christian programming.

  Action taken

  The ministry acquired FamilyNet from the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board.

  Aftermath

  In Touch later sold the network in 2009. The supplied sources do not state the acquisition price or provide a detailed rationale for the subsequent divestiture.

  Source

1. 1In Touch Ministriesen.wikipedia.org
2. 2In Touch Ministries official websiteintouch.org