"I've got to be honest," he said at a church service to mark the 10th anniversary of the gay and lesbian Anglican group, Changing Attitude, in central London. "I felt God was calling me out ... God is always calling us to a place of integrity."

Later, he told the congregation that God had also "pursued" him to become a bishop, flying in the face of the traditional Anglican doctrine that does not allow the ordination of practising homosexuals.

This year, parish-giving has seen a "modest increase of about three percent," said Beckett Stokes, spokeswoman for the diocese.

"We believe we have turned the corner," Stokes said.

"Together with many evangelical clergy from across this diocese and the nation we have resorted to this action for the needs of the churches. It also expresses our unity with the many orthodox Bible-believing Anglicans across the world who are outraged at the way things are headed in England. Sadly we are having publicly to distance ourselves from the Bishop of Southwark."

The meeting, which ended with prayer, took place at an undisclosed location, but not Lambeth Palace. Bishop Robinson was due to speak at the Oxford Union last night and will attend events in London and Stockport marking the tenth anniversary of Changing Attitude, the gay Christian pressure group.