Your Support for Mormon Stories and the OSF in 2016 and Beyond

Dear Listeners and Friends,

TLDR; If any of you have benefited from, or value the work I’ve been doing over the past year/10 years with Mormon Stories, Mormon Transitions, and the Open Stories Foundation, please consider making a recurring donation today at https://mormonstories.com (by choosing the monthly subscription amount that works best for you at the top right of the www.www.mormonstories.org web page).  All donations are tax deductible, and the financial support is what allows me to do what I do — day in, and day out.

—————– The longer version – My 2015 end-of-year report ———————

As many of you know, I have made the decision to dedicate the rest of my life to the following objectives:

1. Promoting broad awareness about the difficult facts and challenges surrounding Mormon history, culture, doctrine, theology, corporatism, etc.
2. Helping individuals, couples, and families heal from the harm that they sometimes experience within Mormonism.
3. Nurturing individual, familial, and cultural growth (i.e., positive mental health) within progressive and post-Mormons.
4. Helping to build face-to-face communities across the globe to support transitioning and post-Mormons.

Throughout 2015 I have worked very hard (with the generous support of others) in the following ways:

1. We have released over 100 hours of Mormon Stories Podcast content – and it has possibly been my most prolific year to date.  Monthly downloads are at an all-time high with literally millions of MP3 downloads each year.  Some of the podcast highlights from this year include: Clark Johnsen (Book of Mormon Musical original cast member), John Hamer (on Community of Christ), the coverage of the Carson and Marisa Calderwood Excommunications, the Rock Waterman excommunication, a farewell salute to John Larsen, the long-awaited release of the Tom Phillips/2nd Anointing interview, reporting on the Boise Rescue and Julie Rowe phenomenons, celebrating Lindsay Hansen Park’s Year of Polygamy, Losing Mormon Millennials, interviewing the children/grandchildren of high level LDS leaders including Eric Reeves and Laura Roper Andreasen, world-class sociologist Mark Jurgensmeyer, Steve Veazey, Prophet-President of Community of Christ, our episode on Gay Conversation Therapy with Michael Ferguson and J. Seth Anderson, analyzing several of the LDS church essays including the DNA/Book of Mormon and Mother in Heaven essays, and our series with LDS singer/songwriter Mindy Gledhill.
2. We have launched the Mormon Transitions blog and podcast, which is seeking to provide practical support to Mormons in religious transition and to post-Mormons.
3. I have completed my Ph.D. in Clinical/Counseling psychology – focusing on the nexus of mental health and religion.
4. We have published 8 scientific, peer reviewed journal articles on the LGBT Mormon experience (from my dissertation data), with concrete results that speak directly to damaging LDS policies and practices around LGBT reparative therapy, mixed-orientation marriages, and celibacy.
5. I/we have provided early and ongoing support and encouragement to the amazing Mormon Spectrum project (Alison Udall, Steve Holbrook, etc.), to help support the creation and growth of face-to-face communities all over the globe.
6. As part of the Open Stories Foundation, we continue to support the good work of Dan Wotherspoon at Mormon Matters, Gina Colvin at A Thoughtful Faith, Natasha Parker at Mormon Mental Health, Brent Metcalfe at Mormon Studies Podcast, as well as the good people at StayLDS.com.

In 2016 and beyond, we plan on the following:

• Enhancing the governance and structure of the Open Stories Foundation.
• Continuing with many more ground-breaking Mormon Stories podcast interviews.
• Enhancing our offerings at Mormon Transitions blog and podcast.
• And many more exciting announcements to come!

If any of you have benefited from, or value the work I’ve been doing over the past year/10 years with Mormon Stories, Mormon Transitions, and the Open Stories Foundation, please consider a recurring donation today at https://www.mormonstories.org (by choosing the monthly subscription amount that works best for you at the top right of the www.www.mormonstories.org web page).  All donations are tax deductible, and the financial support is what allows me to do what I do — day in, and day out.

Margi and I (along with our children) thank you, so very sincerely, for your support over the years.  I believe that together we have made a very significant positive contribution to both the LDS Church and progressive/post-Mormonism.  In addition, your financial support has allowed me to successfully complete my Ph.D., provide health insurance to my family, and has literally put food on our table over the past 6-9 years.

Most importantly, I believe that what we can/will do together in the future will eclipse what we have done so far….with your continued support.

Tons of love, and cheers to a very bright progressive and post-Mormon future!

John and Margi Dehlin

P.S.  In line with our history of full financial transparency, see here for end-of-year financial reporting of the Open Stories Foundation.  For those who want to know, my total OSF compensation after taxes, health insurance, etc. was around $75,000.  I anticipate that 2016 will be similar.