The church council at All Saints Church, Lindfield, split the parish by decided to rip out the old pulpit.

To the people of the village, the pulpit was more than just a place to stand and preach.

Every notch resonated with hundreds of years of prayer and worship and had been witness to many marriages, christenings and deaths.

So furious arguments broke out over whether to keep the pulpit, get rid of it completely, or make it mobile so it could be wheeled around as and when it was needed.

More than 150 parishioners wrote to express their dismay or delight at the proposals.

It tended to be those attending the 8am and 11.15am services who were against removal while those at the 9.30am and 6.30pm services were in favour.

The furore refused to go away forcing the Parochial Church Council (PCC) to reinstall the pulpit and lectern for the time being.

A statement handed out to congregation members last week said: "The PCC greatly regrets that the issue has caused such controversy and has to some measure disrupted the unity of the church, that the proper legal processes were not observed and that no mention or authorisation was given for removal of the lectern."

Of those who wrote in, 40 per cent wanted to retain the pulpit and lecturn while 60 per cent wanted to make them mobile or get rid of them.

Those who wanted to keep the pulpit stressed the need to see and hear the preacher and said the lectern and pulpit were also of symbolic importance.

They said it was more important to respect items given to the church in memory of past worshippers than to free up a few square feet.

But those who wanted the items ripped out said it would create more space and open up the church.

Making the lectern mobile would also enable them to take part in more experimental forms of worship.

The PCC statement said: "This issue has highlighted the wider concerns affecting the relationship between the different congregations which make up the All Saints family.

"The PCC regards these as requiring urgent attention by all church members and commits itself to exploring ways in which the unity of the whole church fellowship can be enhanced and mutual respect and affection established."

The Reverend James Clarke was yesterday abroad and unavailable for comment.