One of the key figures in the Southern Baptist Convention’s sexual abuse crisis has died prematurely after reportedly suffering a massive stroke days earlier.
Jennifer Lyell, a former executive at the SBC’s Lifeway Christian Resources, died Saturday, June 7, at age 47 according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation.
Jennifer Lyell
Her story of being groomed and abused by a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary generated intense controversy within the denomination, with some officials claiming her allegations misconstrued a consensual relationship as an abusive relationship. Others, including leaders of the SBC Executive Committee, believed her.
In 2022, the Executive Committee issued a public apology to Lyell and made an undisclosed financial settlement with her due to a 2019 Baptist Press article that portrayed her relationship with former missions professor David Sills as consensual when Lyell insisted it was not.
Sills was fired in 2018 after admitting to an extramarital relationship with Lyell. However, in 2023 Sills and his wife filed suit against Lyell, the SBC and others. Sills contends he was defamed by Lyell’s description of their relationship and says that defamation was aided by the SBC, Southern Seminary and its president, Al Mohler, among others. He originally filed suit against a host of defendants in an Alabama court, then later filed a similar suit in Tennessee.
That lawsuit is ongoing and is among more than two dozen current lawsuits against the SBC related to sexual abuse cases.
Lyell’s unexpected death comes two days before the SBC annual meeting in Dallas, where those gathered will be asked to approve an unprecedented Cooperative Program budget allocation to help pay legal fees for the array of sexual abuse cases.
Also, ironically, her death comes just two weeks after the premature death of another key figure in the SBC sexual abuse crisis. Gareld Duane Rollins, whose allegations of abuse by Houston judge Paul Pressler were ignored for decades by leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention, died May 2 of cardiac arrest.
“Jennifer Lyell’s death is tragic and heartbreaking. My heart goes out to everyone who loved and cared for her because of the magnitude of their loss today,” said Jeff Iorg, president of the SBC Executive Committee. “While her life was marked by much pain and turmoil, now she knows only peace and rest. The eternal good news of the gospel is our only source of hope today, and we are grateful for the sure hope it provides.”
BNG will update this article as more information becomes available.
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