An Anglican lay reader has been told to refrain from ministry after he encouraged parishioners to sign a petition defending traditional marriage.

Complaints were made against Peter Gowlland, a lay reader for 50 years, after he invited members of the congregation at All Saints Church, Sanderstead, to sign the Coalition for Marriage (C4M) petition supporting the current definition of marriage.

Mr Gowlland, 78, was instructed by his Archdeacon to withdraw from preaching and leading worship for two months, despite the fact that the official position of the Church opposes gay marriage and the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have both spoken publicly against changing the definition.

Church authorities denied that Mr Gowlland had been sacked or suspended, and said that the action taken had nothing to do with same-sex marriage.

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Southwark said: “The Reader in question has not been suspended.

“Some members of the congregation had raised some pastoral concerns with the Archdeacon and he discussed these with the Reader.

“During the meeting it became clear that there are disagreements within the parish concerning how some matters are handled.

“The Archdeacon asked the Reader to refrain from ministry in the particular parish for two months in order for there to be time for these pastoral matters to be resolved.”

The statement said that the Bishop of Southwark has put measures in place to try to resolve the “difficulties” within the parish.

“The issue is not about the traditional view of marriage but related to matters of church order and authority during an interregnum,” it added.

C4M’s marriage petition asks the Government to retain the current definition of marriage between a man and a woman.

It has been signed by nearly half a million people, including the former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey.