Mr Price, 53, formerly a development officer with a DIY chain, has also faced criticism over plans to replace pews with flexible seating. He has been accused of failing to support the organist, choir, and youth orchestra at the Victorian Gothic-style church, built from pink sandstone and dedicated in 1871.

Ken Parkinson, 64, a former parishioner, said: "His style is terrible. He is forcing his way. He has caused a lot of heartache. My wife doesn't go any more because she could not put up with it." Sheila Fawcett, a regular worshipper, is also worried about the changes since Mr Price's appointment in 2002. "We used to have an organist, but that has gone. I am unhappy and sad about that. Lots of my friends have left. I can think of 30 off the top of my head."

Another former parishioner, who did not wish to be named, said: "It is a very evangelist style. Everything that is traditional he is altering. There is an awful lot of unrest."

Despite the boycott, Mr Price has the backing of the Rt Rev Graham Dow, Bishop of Carlisle. He said: "Derek is seeking to shape a church in the generations ahead. This is bound to be a difficult exercise, but Derek and St Paul's have my full support."

Richard Pratt, spokesman for the Diocese of Carlisle, said research had found that as many people had joined as had left St Paul's because of the changes.

"Sometimes a church may believe it right to move in a particular direction, which may involve taking risks and perhaps unsettling or upsetting some," he said. He added that removing the pews would bring in more people for "a much wider range of activities and styles of worship".

END