Several members of Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee say they were unaware of a friend-of-the-court brief the organization filed in a Kentucky sex abuse case.

A “culture where leadership can make a unilateral legal decision of this magnitude without the approval or discussion of the trustees is in an unhealthy spot. This amicus brief was a foolish strategy and I would have stated so if someone had told me,” Pastor Adam Wyatt of Bethel Baptist in Monticello, Miss., posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The filing comes in the case of a woman adopted at age 2 by a Louisville police officer — now serving a 15-year prison sentence for sexually abusing her throughout her childhood, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported Tuesday.

The filing comes after the case was dismissed and reinstated as the state’s law was expanded to increase the statute of limitations allow claims to be brought against “non-perpetrators” such as religious organizations.

“The Southern Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary … in their brief they say they ‘of course do not dispute the laudable policy reasons for providing relief for victims of childhood sexual abuse,’” the Courier-Journal reported. “But ‘not even the most sacrosanct policy can trump the due process concerns presented in this and similar cases involving the attempted retroactive application of expired claims,’ they say.”

Abuse survivors and advocates of reform issued statements on the filing.

“The SBC proactively chose to side against a survivor and with an abuser and the institution that enabled his abuse,” one statement read. “If denying survivors mere access to the justice system is still the heart and tenor of certain leadership, what does that indicate regarding reform?”

EC members who say they were in the dark about the filing are also speaking out.

“As an EC trustee, I stand with the survivors and this is unacceptable and disheartening. When the trustees don’t know about decisions like this, we have a problem,” posted Jana White, a teacher in North Carolina.

“These ladies have earned the right to be heard with blood, sweat, and tears,” posted Dani Bryson, a prosecutor in Tennessee.

“I have served as the chair of our Sexual Abuse Prevention Task Force. I am outraged that a decision of the nature was made without consulting the trustees. I stand with survivors and will continue to work on their behalf,” Craig Carlisle, Associational Missions Strategist of the Etowah Baptist Association in Gadsden, posted.

Oklahoma pastor Mike Keahbone, an executive committee member and member of a task force implementing abuse reforms in the SBC, told Religion News Service the brief undermined survivors.

“We’ve had survivors that have been faithful to give us a chance,” he told Religion News Service. “And we hurt them badly ….We can’t seem to get out of our own way.”

Keahbone told RNS he is calling for a special meeting of the Executive Committee to address the fling.

A response from the SBC Executive Committee is expected on Friday, Baptist Press reported. Efforts by AL.com to reach spokesmen for the executive committee on Thursday were not successful.

Southern Seminary President Albert Mohler on Thursday issued a statement:

“As is often the case in questions of law, significant constitutional and legal questions arise and require arguments to be made before the courts,” he said. “In such cases we must refer all questions to legal counsel. We respect the rule of law and must work through the process with legal representation, who must speak for us in this case.”

“I hope the SBC Executive committee takes affirmative steps to withdraw their amicus brief and the public position they’ve taken against sexual abuse victims,” attorney Tad Thomas, who is representing the Kentucky abuse victim, told The Tennessean.