Threatened with Excommunication TWICE in Tennessee - Todd and Lindsay McCormick | Ep. 2027
Mormon Stories Podcast
Dr. John Dehlin
4.6 • 5.2K Ratings
🗓️ 2 June 2025
⏱️ 184 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Lindsay and Todd McCormick, a couple from Knoxville, Tennessee, share their powerful and emotional journey navigating faith, doubt, and community pressure within the LDS Church. From their musical Mormon upbringing and successful business ventures to being threatened twice with excommunication, this interview dives deep into the cost of questioning and choosing authenticity over conformity.
They open up about their faith crisis, the controversial City Creek Mall, navigating parenthood in the church, and ultimately, their heartbreaking experience with betrayal from close friends and leaders. Through all of it, their love for each other and desire for truth remained steadfast.
Topics include:
-Faith deconstruction and polygamy
-Church discipline and double standards
-Excommunication threats and “apostasy”
-Cultural expectations, identity, and healing
-Choosing honesty over fear in Mormonism
-Watch their raw and courageous story unfold.
Contact Information:
00:00:56 Introductions
00:03:14 Lindsay’s Mormon story
00:10:23 Gender expectations growing up
00:14:48 Lindsay started a photography business
00:17:15 Todd’s Mormon story
00:21:40 They met on her birthday and married in the Nauvoo Temple
00:24:06 When did their faith journey begin and their doubts?
00:25:47 How did the threats for excommunication start?
00:35:11 Todd didn’t feel inspired, he felt stagnant
00:36:30 They started their Photo Barn business and became successful overnight
00:41:55 Story of them in the temple and Lindsay thinking critically
00:43:33 Story of them in Sunday School and the prophets not leading them astray
00:50:21 The next catalyst happened on a ward temple trip
00:55:00 They chose to start over in all of their beliefs, taking subjects one by one, etc.
01:10:04 They realized the Doctrine and Covenants was a mess
01:16:22 The Word of Wisdom is confusing
01:29:20 They gave talks in Sacrament Meeting and were corrected publicly
01:31:08 “There is a case being built against the McCormicks”
01:33:55 Facing excommunication or baptizing their eight year old
01:37:13 Not being authentic can really hurt your physical and mental health
01:57:36 It’s a testament to how much they love the church that they attended for years
02:01:08 The person in the bishopric that worked for them that they let go
02:07:45 They got a message that the Stake President wanted to meet with them
02:12:05 They presented seven letters in a folder, less letters than before
02:17:58 Her friend repeated that Lindsay joked about wine
02:21:09 What happens when you get excommunicated
02:32:30 One critical part of the story - telling the leaders that they needed a warning
02:38:32 They were shocked when they found out that they were NOT getting excommunicated
02:41:49 How has the membership played out after this moment?
02:49:18 Nathan apologized for how he treated her when she left the church
02:59:14 I didn’t leave the church AT you, it’s just our path
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, everyone and welcome to another edition of Mormon Stories podcast. |
| 0:03.4 | I'm your host, John DeLinn. |
| 0:04.4 | I'm here with my partner and co-host Margie. |
| 0:07.0 | Hey, Margie. |
| 0:07.5 | Hi, there. |
| 0:08.4 | Today, our episode, we're a live recording on location in Knoxville, Tennessee or near |
| 0:16.2 | Knoxville, Tennessee. |
| 0:17.6 | And this is going to be a two-part series from Knoxville, Tennessee. Today's episode is |
| 0:24.4 | about a standard, normal Mormon couple, in this case from Knoxville, Tennessee, or living in |
| 0:31.9 | Knoxville, Tennessee, who has a faith journey and ends up being threatened twice with excommunication. |
| 0:39.3 | So what in the world would just cause a couple not trying to make waves, |
| 0:44.5 | just going through their own faith journey, be threatened twice with excommunication? |
| 0:49.6 | And then also like, what does it mean to have sort of this down-home, multi-generational Knoxville, |
| 0:57.4 | Tennessee, Mormon family? |
| 0:59.6 | What does it mean to be the first in a family like that to struggle with their Mormon faith? |
| 1:05.1 | And what are the implications of that? |
| 1:07.0 | So that's kind of what today's episode is about. |
| 1:10.1 | For this interview, we have Lindsay and |
| 1:13.0 | Todd McCormick. Hey, guys. Hello. Thanks for joining us. Thanks for coming out. |
| 1:18.9 | Y'all may remember that months ago, we interviewed a bishop or former bishop, Nathan Hinkley, |
| 1:26.9 | to talk about his interactions as a former bishop with his |
| 1:31.1 | stake president. Well, Nathan Hinkley is the brother of Lindsay McCormick. That's your brother. |
... |
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