The Rt Rev Dr John Saxbee said people needed to think about alternative seating arrangements in churches to get the most out of the buildings.

"Many of the churches in Lincolnshire are medieval and didn't have pews originally so this is an act of restoration," he said.

He said it was not true of every church but the idea should be considered.

Historical importance

"Pews in many of our churches are very beautiful and of great historical importance and there is no way we would ever dream of replacing them with anything else," said Rt Rev Dr Saxbee.

"Removing the pews enables the main body of the church to be used for all sorts of things and there are all sorts of benefits to rethinking how we use the space in our churches.

"Lincoln Cathedral is a great example of this and doesn't have a pew in sight," he said.

Rt Rev Dr Saxbee has invited people to contact him with their views on whether or not pews should be removed from churches.