Kentucky Appeals Court Will Review Case On Access To Church Records

Yesterday's Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal reported yesterday that a Kentucky state Court of Appeals earlier this week stayed an order issued by a Jefferson Circuit Court in a suit by church members against the pastor and three lay leaders of the First Baptist Church of Jeffersontown. Twenty-nine members had sued seeking access to the church's financial records. The trial court had ruled that under the church's constitution, members had a contractual right to see the records, and that court enforcement of that right did not involve deciding matters of church doctrine. The Court of Appeals order delays enforcement of the trial court order while the appellate court reviews defendants' free exercise arguments in the case.