NASHVILLE (RNS) — On a sizzling and humid summer time day, Thursday afternoon (June 26), a bunch of mourners gathered in a small chapel at Immanuel Nashville church to say goodbye to Jennifer Lyell.
Within the pews for the invite-only memorial service have been former co-workers, activists and church leaders, all there to pay their respects to Lyell, a former Christian publishing government whose profession was derailed when she accused her former Southern Baptist mentor and seminary professor of sexual abuse. She died earlier this month after a sequence of huge strokes at age 47.
“This can be a good friend’s service, a service placed on by mates to rejoice a good friend and to rejoice friendship,” mentioned Keith Whitfield, pastor of Temple Church in North Carolina, who officiated.
The service additionally marks the tip an period — one during which leaders of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination admitted that they had mistreated survivors of abuse within the church previously and pledged to make amends. The Southern Baptist Conference handed reforms meant to forestall abuse and to maintain observe of pastors responsible of abuse consequently.
These reforms have now largely stalled, undone by lawsuits, denominational politics and lack of funding. Nevertheless, Lyell’s story performed a task in sparking these reforms.
In 2018, she informed her fellow executives at Lifeway Christian Assets, the SBC’s publishing arm, that her mentor, a missionary and seminary professor named David Sills, had sexually abused her — forcing her into intercourse acts she didn’t consent to. Sills was fired from his job at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for what the seminary’s president, Al Mohler, has known as abuse. Sills additionally misplaced his job because the chief of a missionary group.
Flowers round a portrait throughout a personal memorial service for Jennifer Lyell, Thursday, June 26, 2025, in Nashville. (RNS picture/Bob Smietana)
However few particulars of Sills’ misconduct have been made public till a yr later, after Lyell discovered her former mentor, who had as soon as been a father determine to her, had returned to the ministry. She then informed Baptist Press, a denominational publication, in regards to the abuse. However her story was modified in enhancing to assert that she had admitted to a “morally inappropriate relationship.”
The story led to a firestorm on-line, with Lyell being accused of being an adulteress and sinner who had led man astray.
On the time, Lyell was the highest-ranking lady at any of the SBC’s main entities — a publishing editor and writer who’d labored on a dozen bestsellers and a devoted church member who had dreamt of being a missionary and taught the Bible to younger youngsters. Nevertheless, Lyell misplaced her fame, left her job and struggled to discover a method ahead. Although Baptist Press ultimately apologized, and SBC leaders reached a settlement with Lyell, the injury was completed. Lyell felt deserted by the church she beloved and the leaders she trusted, mentioned her good friend, Rachael Denhollander.
That was very true after Sills, who has admitted misconduct however denied abuse, sued Lyell and SBC leaders after he was named within the denomination’s 2022 Guidepost report about how its leaders had responded to abuse.
Denhollander mentioned that in the long run, Lyell was seen as disposable.
Rachael Denhollander speaks throughout a personal memorial service for Jennifer Lyell, Thursday, June 26, 2025, in Nashville. (RNS picture/Bob Smietana)
“She was actually the poster baby for the SBC,” Denhollander mentioned. “It was not sufficient to make her priceless sufficient to actually struggle for.”
Through the memorial service, mates remembered each Lyell’s struggles and her exceptional life. Identified for her good thoughts and her knack for locating books that might communicate to mass audiences, her supporters mentioned she was additionally a form and devoted good friend who cared about educating youngsters to like books, particularly the Bible.
Denhollander recalled that Lyell had despatched her daughters T-shirts that mentioned “I learn after bedtime.” When Denhollander texted Lyell a photograph of her daughters up late studying, Lyell was greater than happy.
“Inform them maintain going — Miss Jen says it’s nice,” Lyell texted again.
Former colleague Devin Maddox, now a vice chairman at Lifeway, recounted Lyell’s rise from little-known editor at Moody Publishers in Chicago to holding a vice chairman position at Lifeway.
“Rapidly, phrase unfold within the Christian e book world a couple of younger, intelligent, tenacious, new acquisitions editor that was altering the notion at Moody via aggressive acquisitions, insightful editorial and disciplined execution,” Maddox mentioned.
When Lyell arrived at Lifeway, she exceeded all expectations, Maddox added. Regardless of her successes, she retained a missionary’s coronary heart, he mentioned, particularly hoping to show youngsters about God’s love.
“Jennifer’s biggest ambition was for her youngsters’s Sunday college class to imagine that they may dangle their lives on believing that if nothing else, the Bible will be trusted,” Maddox mentioned.
Jennifer Lyell along with her canine, Benson. (Courtesy picture)
Different mates on the service spoke of Lyell’s love for her canine, Benson, the music of Christian singer Wealthy Mullins and the tv present “The West Wing” — her favourite episode was referred to as “Two Cathedrals.” Additionally they described her humorousness, her generosity and her capacity to see the nice in others, regardless of the heartaches she skilled.
“She had each motive to not belief individuals, and but she prolonged grace over and time and again that believed the perfect of those who she encountered,” mentioned Amy Whitfield, her good friend and former co-worker. “I’m a greater individual as a result of she shared her complete self.”
Throughout a sermon, Russell Moore, editor of Christianity Right now, learn a passage from the New Testomony Ebook of Luke a couple of lady who was healed by touching the hem of Jesus’ gown as he walked via a crowd — a passage he had learn to Lyell as she lay dying in a hospital mattress. Lyell had been discovered unconscious in her house after lacking a health care provider’s appointment and by no means recovered.
In that passage, the lady, who had been in poor health for years, sought to cover from Jesus.
That was not fairly like Lyell, mentioned Moore, who was not one to cover in a crowd and would have possible approached Jesus “and tried to signal him for a contract.”
But, she, too, knew what it was wish to endure for a very long time and really feel forgotten. However Jesus noticed her, like he noticed the lady within the parable. And Jesus has not forgotten Lyell, even in loss of life, Moore mentioned.
“So, we commit Jennifer to sleep for a short while, and we accomplish that with hope,” he mentioned. “Jesus is aware of the place to search out her.”
In giving her tribute, Amy Whitfield, who’s married to Pastor Keith Whitfield, summed up the emotions of most of the mourners as she quoted from a Mullins track referred to as “Elijah.” The track a couple of biblical prophet who was taken as much as heaven in a whirlwind was one in every of Lyell’s favorites. Within the track, Mullins, who died in 1997 at 41, sang about eager to exit the identical method.
“It’ll be like a candlelight in Central Park,” he sang. “And it received’t break my coronary heart to say goodbye.”
Whitfield, who was additionally at Lyell’s deathbed, mentioned she believes her good friend felt the identical.
“I do know that her complete self is at relaxation, and it didn’t break her coronary heart to say goodbye,” she mentioned. “However it positive has damaged mine.”
