Church-goers in Baradine are still locked out of their own church, more than two months after the Presbyterian Session in Coonabarabran told them to find another denomination.
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Another meeting last week between the congregation and the Session failed to find a resolution to the problem, which has seen regular church meetings being held outside without the sanction of the church hierarchy.
Last year the Session abandoned services in Baradine and suggested local members were better off joining the Anglican services held there.
But after discovering the congregation had continued services in the church, with their own lay-preacher, the Session changed the locks on the building because they had "hoped the Baradine members would have shown more goodwill in supporting Session's original decision".
Meanwhile the minister in charge of Baradine, Alistair Burke, will resume holding services in Baradine - but with an entirely new congregation.
He said he will hold services on Sunday nights at the church, but will "door-knock" to find a congregation happy to attend. He confirmed the church would remain locked outside of these hours.
"They (original parishioners) said they didn't want anything to do with us," he said.
Now, a former minister of the Baradine Presbyterian Church has spoken out, after being contacted by the Daily Liberal.
Father Angus Ewin, who was the minister between 1965 and 1979, is dismayed at the treatment of the community.
"These people are misapplying the rules," he said.
"The Session at Coonabarabran is taking a rigid, hardline approach, and I feel the spirit of the Lord is lacking."
Mr Ewin said the actual building in Baradine had a special place in the community.
"Those people who are standing up to (the Session at) Coonabarabran are responsible, or their parents or grandparents, are responsible for actually building the church there. They built it themselves, and they paid for it," he said.
But he admitted the building was "just a small part of the problem". More important to the former minister was defending the choice people had in a Christian denomination.
"Why should they go to an Anglican Church? They're Presbyterian. Sure they're both Christian, but they've chosen a denomination."
Congregation member Glenda Johnston had hoped last week's meeting would see the small community allowed back into their own church for services. But she said the resolution they were after wasn't forthcoming and that "meetings are continuing".
