Former Lifeway Employee Charged With Theft, Forgery

Christian publisher says it is reviewing its financial controls after auditors identified an isolated incident.

A former Lifeway Christian Resources executive has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of theft, forgery, computer offenses and criminal simulation.

Photo via social media @Lifeway

Giancarlo Montemayor-Trejo, 37, was indicted by a grand jury Oct. 7 and arrested Oct. 20, according to a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation news release. He was booked into the Williamson County jail on a $250,000 bond.

Montemayor-Trejo joined Lifeway seven years ago as manager of Spanish acquisition and production. He became director of global publishing in 2021.

The TBI began investigating him in October 2025. Investigators say they found evidence that, while working for Lifeway, he used a company credit card for personal expenses and travel. They also allege he gave away complimentary Bibles and asked recipients to send contributions to his personal account.

Lifeway learned of Montemayor-Trejo’s actions in May 2025 and conducted its own internal investigation, which it said uncovered “serious violations” of its financial and ethical policies. Leaders fired him then referred the matter to the local district attorney, who involved the TBI, according to WORLD.

“I was shocked, saddened and disappointed to learn that a trusted leader misappropriated ministry funds for personal gain,” James Carroll, chairman of Lifeway’s Board of Trustees, told Baptist Press.

“However, I’m grateful for the swift and wise response of our executive leadership to terminate the employee, develop a plan for learning from this situation and seek counsel from our Board. We have received regular updates throughout the process and participated in the decision-making process in appropriate ways.”

Giancarlo Montemayor-Trejo / Williamson County Sheriff’s Office

Lifeway is undertaking a comprehensive review of its travel, expense and procurement procedures.

“While auditors confirmed this was an isolated incident, we are actively implementing recommended updates to our internal controls, including enhanced expense reporting protocols and updated team training, to ensure our processes remain robust,” Lifeway spokesperson Carol Pipes told Baptist Press.

Lifeway Christian Resources is an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention that provides ministry resources to local churches. It closed its brick-and-mortar locations in 2019. In 2024, Ben Mandrell, then Lifeway’s president and CEO, reported that the group’s revenue had been recovering from a 2020 low.

Ryan Blackwell became Lifeway’s president and CEO in April 2026. He was previously a pastor in Arkansas and holds a Doctor of Ministry from Gateway Seminary.

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