2022 End of Year Review and Q&A | Ep. 1717

Mormon Stories' 2022 Growth Reveals Expanding Appetite for Independent LDS Commentary

What does it mean when a decidedly critical Mormon podcast reaches millions of viewers annually, surpassing the Church's own YouTube channel on individual videos? The 2022 year-end review from Mormon Stories Podcast offers a candid look at the exponential growth of independent LDS-focused media and raises important questions about how members and former members consume information about their faith.

According to John Dehlin's comprehensive 2022 review on Mormon Stories, the podcast and its associated media ventures generated approximately $750,000 in annual revenue, a figure that reflects not just operational success, but a documented appetite among audiences for alternative voices discussing Mormonism. This growth trajectory, achieved entirely through voluntary donations and platform monetization, illustrates a significant shift in how information about the LDS Church circulates beyond official channels.

The Rise of Decentralized Mormon Media in 2022

The explosive growth of Mormon Stories in 2022 cannot be separated from broader changes in how religious communities access information. Dehlin's narrative reveals that the podcast maintained its position as a top-15 Christian-themed program on Apple Podcasts, remarkable considering that many mainstream Christians don't classify Mormonism as Christian at all. On YouTube, the network's reach expanded dramatically through strategic investment in production quality and algorithmic adaptation.

The most significant development was the November-December launch of daily short-form content on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. These videos, often analyzing specific LDS doctrines or institutional decisions, reportedly generated millions of views. Individual short-form videos were garnering 20,000 to 50,000 views each, a velocity of engagement that suggests substantial algorithmic promotion and audience hunger for bite-sized critical analysis.