Mandrell has served as the president and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources, an SBC entity, since 2019. Prior to taking on that role, he planted Storyline Church in Arvada, Colorado, which launched in 2015. Before planting Storyline, Mandrell was the senior pastor of Englewood Baptist Church in Jackson, Tennessee.
An announcement from Lifeway about Mandrell’s transition says that “during his tenure, Mandrell led the organization through a global pandemic, the move to a new building in Brentwood, and four consecutive years of financial growth since the COVID-19 pandemic.” Mandrell took over as Lifeway’s president shortly after the company made the decision to close all of its brick and mortar stores and go entirely online.
Lifeway was at the center of controversy in 2023 after news broke about an amicus brief signed by lawyers representing Lifeway, the SBC, the SBC’s Executive Committee (EC), and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS). The amicus brief to the Kentucky Supreme Court argued against statute of limitations reform for sexual abuse survivors.
The EC and SBTS President Dr. Al Mohler issued statements, and then-SBC President Bart Barber admitted to and apologized for signing off on the brief. A Change.org petition launched in December 2023 criticized Lifeway for having “not made a single statement on the matter.”
Ben Mandrell’s Background and Beliefs
Bellevue’s website gives users an overview of Mandrell’s ministry background, values, and family. The church included Mandrell’s responses to questions on topics including what drew him to Bellevue, which translation of the Bible he uses, his views on student and children’s ministry, his thoughts on the role of the Holy Spirit, and his beliefs on the roles of men and women in church.
It is possible that Bellevue chose to include this latter question not only because it has been a prominent topic of debate within the SBC in recent years but also because some people have found a recent clip of Mandrell discussing his views on the matter to be controversial.
RELATED: SBC Constitutional Amendment Banning Female Pastors Again Fails To Achieve a Two-Thirds Majority
“I align with the Baptist Faith & Message and believe that Scripture teaches the office of pastor is reserved for qualified men, but that doesn’t mean men are the only ones with spiritual insight to offer,” Mandrell said on Bellevue’s website. “The Church is at its best when men and women learn from one another, honoring the unique wisdom and perspective each brings. To overlook that is to miss the fullness of how God builds up His people.”
“At his core, Ben is passionate about preaching, developing people, and building healthy, gospel-centered cultures,” says a description of Mandrell on Bellevue’s website. “While grateful for the opportunity to lead in national spaces, he and [his wife] Lynley have always felt most at home in the life of the local church.”
“Today,” the description continues, “they sense a joyful and Spirit-led call to serve the people of Bellevue—believing their most meaningful season of ministry may still be ahead.”
