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.
According to its website, Lifeway, an entity of the SBC, is the “world’s leading nonprofit provider of ministry resources for the local church” which are “used in more than 160 countries on six continents.”
Lyell came forward in 2018 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.
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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.”
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.”
Jennifer Lyell’s Medical Advocate, Rachel Denhollander, Shares Heartfelt Tribute to Her Friend
Abuse survivor, attorney, and Lyell’s medical advocate, Rachel Denhollander, shared on social media that Lyell had “suffered catastrophic strokes on Monday, was found in her home on Thursday, and was gathered to Jesus last night (Saturday).”
In a tribute to Lyell, Denhollander said that Lyell “was a woman who clung to the ‘Promises of God’ in the midst of horrific suffering and betrayal—far outpacing the faith and courage of the pastors and leaders who stood silent because of ‘NDA’s’ and ‘career suicide,’ and ‘strategy’ and ‘politics.’”
 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.){kind=link}