The judicial commission of the Presbyterian Church is to hear an appeal against a decision not to remove a minister from his Dublin post.
The commission has been asked to hear an appeal against a decision made last December by the church's Dublin and Munster Presbytery not to remove the Rev Dr Gary Millar.
This followed formal complaints by members of his Howth/Malahide congregation.
It will investigate whether the presbytery followed correct procedure in rejecting attempts to have Dr Millar removed.
Dr Millar (39) was appointed to the Howth/Malahide congregation in 2000 and has run into difficulties, particularly with members in Howth.
It is believed problems centre on what is perceived as his evangelical zeal and his focus on newer members, particularly in Malahide.
Last night he said he did not want to comment.
Presbyteries are the governing bodies within the church, each with responsibility for approximately 25 congregations around Ireland.
Membership of each of the 21 presbyteries includes ministers and a representative elder from each congregation in its area.
Many congregation members spoken to by The Irish Times have reacted angrily to what they see as a wider trend within the church in the South.
One man whose views would be representative said: "Having being born and bred a Presbyterian in the Republic of Ireland, I was proud of my heritage.
"I was brought up as a free-thinking and tolerant person, and the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, whilst with small congregations, was well regarded in the communities and also integrated well with other churches.
"The South of Ireland produced a tolerant form of Presbyterianism."
He continued: "However, it is disheartening to observe the retrenchment by a number of the current wave of 'new' ministers, allocated to the South, to an extreme form of fundamentalism and evangelism."
Many existing members of congregations in the South found themselves marginalised by these 'new' Northern ministers, he said, and were being forced into leaving the church "and seeking Christian solace in other churches."
Included were senior officers of the church, he said.
