Worcestershire, UK - A Pentecostal clergyman was told via email he had been evicted from his church in a dispute over the lease.
Cofton Hackett Parish Council in Worcestershire changed the locks at Green Pastures Chapel after Dr Alan Nunn's service on Sunday.
The council said it has "lost patience" trying to finalise a new lease with him but Dr Nunn said he was waiting to hear about the details.
He said his congregation was shocked by what had happened.
Dr Nunn said he began discussing a new lease for the chapel, which had expired, when he took over in 2006.
'Congregation dismayed'
He said it was not discussed again until a meeting with the council in January.
He maintains he was waiting to be told the details but the council said it was waiting for a letter from him explaining what he expected in the new lease.
A spokesman for the council confirmed a letter was sent to Dr Nunn as well as the email.
The matter will be discussed at a parish meeting later, he added.
But Dr Nunn said in the meantime, his congregation had nowhere to go.
"The congregation is dismayed," he said.
"We will have to seek temporary premises until it is resolved."