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Whistleblower's Death Casts Pall on Southern Baptist Meeting and Stalled Sex Abuse Reforms
- Jennifer Lyell, a former Southern Baptist publishing executive, died on Saturday, June 7, 2025, after suffering catastrophic strokes earlier that week in Tennessee.
- Her death follows years of controversy after she publicly accused former SBC seminary professor David Sills of sexual abuse dating back to a 2004 mission trip, sparking a major 2022 investigation.
- Guidepost Solutions’ 2022 report found SBC leaders mistreated survivors and downplayed abuse, leading to reforms like creating a database to track accused church workers, though progress has since slowed.
- Lyell, who held a master of divinity degree, served as a vice president at Lifeway, contributed to the production of multiple New York Times bestselling books, and stood firm in the face of criticism and a defamation lawsuit filed by Sills in 2022.
- Her death casts a shadow over the SBC’s ongoing annual meeting in Dallas, prompting survivor advocates to boycott due to perceived failure to implement meaningful abuse reforms.
37 Articles
37 Articles
San Antonio Express-News
Whistleblower's death casts pall on Southern Baptist meeting and stalled sex abuse reforms
More than 10,000 church representatives are gathered in Dallas for the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. Casting a pall over the gathering is the recent death of one of the most high-profile whistleblowers in the Southern Baptists’ scandal of sexual abuse. Jennifer Lyell, a onetime denominational publishing executive who went public in 2019 with allegations that she had been sexually abused by a seminary professor while a studen…
Whistleblower’s death casts pall on Southern Baptist meeting and stalled sex abuse reforms
More than 10,000 church representatives are gathered in Dallas for the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, which began Tuesday morning with praise sessions and optimistic reports about growing numbers of baptisms.But casting a pall over the gathering is the recent death of one of the most high-profile whistleblowers in the Southern Baptists' scandal of sexual abuse.Jennifer Lyell, a onetime denominational publishing executive who …
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.
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.
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