Jennifer Lyell
Jennifer Lyell, former Lifeway Christian Resources (Lifeway) vice president and Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) abuse survivor, died at the age of 47 on Saturday, June 7, following a series of “catastrophic strokes” she suffered earlier in the week.
In 2018, Lyell came forward with allegations of sexual abuse against former Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Professor David Sills. Lyell was 26 and Sills was in his late 40s when they first met. Lyell alleges the abuse happened over the course of 12 years. Sills was fired from his position after admitting to the sexual misconduct.
Lyell took her story public after finding out that Sills was hired by another Christian ministry. The Baptist Press ran Lyell’s statement but failed to report her references of abuse, instead giving the impression it was “a morally inappropriate relationship.” This led the public to believe their relationship was a “consensual affair.”
RELATED: SBC Leadership Apologizes to Sexual Abuse Survivor; Admits Failure to Listen, Protect, and Care
Baptist Press admitted its failure in a statement on Oct. 15, 2019, apologized, and retracted the article. But the damage to Lyell’s reputation had already been done. According to the Baptist Press statement, Lyell was a “recipient of un-Christlike slurs—some by fellow Southern Baptists—and her reputation has been besmirched.”
Lyell lost her job after pastors and churches called for her to be fired from the SBC entity. She then went back to school and became a lawyer.
In 2022 and 2023, Sills filed lawsuits against Lyell and other leaders in the SBC, claiming that he had been “wrongfully and untruthfully labelled as [a criminal] and shunned by the SBC and every other religious organization with which [he] has tried to associate.”
Read the full article: SBC Abuse Survivor and Former Lifeway Vice President Jennifer Lyell Dies at 47
