OSF / Mormon Stories Podcast 2021 State of the Union

Mormon Stories Podcast 2021 State of the Union: Growth, Transparency, and Strategic Transition

The Mormon Stories Podcast state of the union address for 2021 reveals a digital media organization at an inflection point. As faith transition resources proliferate online, understanding how the Open Stories Foundation, the nonprofit behind Mormon Stories, manages its mission, finances, and expansion offers insight into the broader ecosystem of Mormon-critical media. For those navigating faith questions, journalists tracking religious discourse, and researchers studying digital religion, this operational transparency matters.

The 2021 report documents both expansion and contraction: nine million downloads and views over twelve months, an estimated 100,000-plus annual listeners, and deliberate decisions to scale back staffing after an unsustainable growth period. What emerges is a portrait of an organization wrestling with the tension between mission-driven impact and financial sustainability.

Background: From Grassroots to Media Network

John Dehlin founded Mormon Stories as a podcast in the late 2000s, initially as a platform for individual faith narratives. By 2021, it had evolved into the centerpiece of a larger media ecosystem. The Open Stories Foundation, established to formalize operations, now oversees multiple podcasts, YouTube channels, and community support initiatives aimed at people experiencing faith transitions across various religious traditions.

The organization's stated mission centers on three pillars: supporting individuals in faith crisis, minimizing associated psychological harm (including depression and suicidality), and building in-person communities for connection and belonging. By 2021, this had expanded beyond Latter-day Saints to include former Jehovah's Witnesses, ex-evangelicals, and those leaving other high-control religious systems.