The Excommunication of Bishop Sam Pinson and his Family in Ammon, Idaho Pt. 1 - Mormon Stories #1321

When the Bishop Gets Excommunicated: The Sam Pinson Story Raises Hard Questions About Mormon Discipline

Few stories in recent Mormon history carry the quiet devastation of a bishop being cast out by the very institution he served. Sam Pinson was not a fringe member or a vocal critic when his faith began to shift. He was a bishop in Ammon, Idaho, a man who had given decades of sincere, committed service to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His excommunication, along with the effective shunning of his entire family, is the subject of Mormon Stories Podcast episode #1321, hosted by John Dehlin. It is a story worth understanding carefully.

Background: A Family Built Entirely Inside the Church

Sam Pinson did not come to the Church casually. As he described to Dehlin, he grew up in a home shaped by deep Mormon commitment. His father was an early morning seminary teacher for roughly 25 years. His mother's family background wove faith into every ordinary routine: scripture study, family prayer, and a strong sense of divine purpose.

Sam served a mission to Russia, returned with his testimony intact, enrolled at BYU, and met his wife Sarah within weeks of arriving on campus. They married young, had children while still students, and embraced the financial stress of early family life because the covenant framework of the Church gave it all meaning.

His ascent in the Church was rapid. He was ordained a high priest and placed in leadership not long after returning from his mission. Eventually he was called as bishop, one of the most demanding lay callings in Mormonism. That calling is unpaid, time-consuming, and carries genuine pastoral weight.