Former Lifeway employee charged with theft, forgery

A former Lifeway Christian Resources employee has been arrested and charged with forgery, theft and computer offenses, and Lifeway has cooperated with authorities.

Giancarlo Montemayor Trejo, 37, a former director of Global Ministry at Lifeway, was arrested Tuesday following an investigation that began Oct. 12, 2025.

In a statement, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said a Williamson County grand jury indicted Trejo on 10 counts of forgery, seven counts of computer offense, three counts of felony computer offense, one count of felony theft and one count of criminal simulation.

According to authorities, investigators found evidence that Trejo “funneled fraudulent contacts to receive referral fees” while working at Lifeway. He allegedly distributed complimentary Bibles and asked recipients to send payments to his personal account. He also allegedly used a company credit card for personal expenses, including travel.

Trejo was booked into the Williamson County Jail on a $250,000 bond.

Lifeway, which conducted its own internal investigation, became aware of Trejo’s alleged actions in May 2025, Baptist Press reported. The Nashville-based organization found “serious violations” of its “financial and ethical policies.”

Lifeway officials then contacted authorities and have cooperated with the Williamson County District Attorney’s Office in its investigation.

James Carroll, chairman of Lifeway’s board of trustees, said in a statement published by Baptist Press that he was “shocked, saddened and disappointed to learn that a trusted leader misappropriated ministry funds for personal gain.”

“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,” Carroll said.

“We have received regular updates throughout the process and participated in the decision-making process in appropriate ways. Finally, we were encouraged to learn of improvements to our internal controls that will help to prevent these types of actions in the future.”

Trejo joined Lifeway in September 2018 as manager of Spanish acquisition and production. He was promoted to director in 2021.

In 2023, he touted the importance of a major Lifeway Research study, conducted with several denominations, on the growth of Hispanic churches in the United States.

“For decades, the Hispanic population in the United States has been growing exponentially, and it is imperative that churches be informed about the specific needs of this community,” he said at the time. “This study will help us continue the conversation about how to serve our brothers and sisters in a more strategic way.”