PINTS and parishioners could soon be a regular city centre sight as a minister swaps his pulpit for the pub.

It will be Holy Orders at the Brewfactory when the Reverend Graeme Dutton introduces weekly Monday evening sessions to speak to the faithful.

From April 13, the venue, which is part of Bradford Brewery off Westgate, will host 'The Vicar's Inn' on Monday evenings.

Mr Dutton, a Minister of the Bradford South Methodist Circuit, will also conduct an Easter Sunday hymn service at the pub.

"To my mind, the Church is all about community and bringing people together. I grew up in a little market town in Staffordshire where local life revolved around two main meeting places – the church and the pub," said Mr Dutton.

"I want to take my ministry out to a whole range of Bradford people and it felt natural to me, as someone who loves both these locations, to bring them together as one.

"Bradford brewery has a lovely warm, friendly atmosphere where everyone can just relax and enjoy good company, nice food and a drink. I hope it will give us chance to welcome some people who’ve not been near a church for a while, but would like to be involved and will feel more comfortable in this sort of informal setting."

Sunday's 8.30pm service will mark the start of the St Arnold’s Pub Church ministry - named after St Arnold of Metz, Patron Saint of beer and brewing.

It will start with a brief prayer and include a celebration of beer and brewing with a sing-a-long of favourite hymns, accompanied Cornerstones Methodist Church organist Angie Brown on a keyboard. Barrels of Bradford-brewed beers will also be blessed to wish them a safe journey on their way to pubs across the district.

Mr Dutton is not your stereotypical church minister, sporting visible tattoos, famously active on social media and the author of Duttyo’s weblog.

He confesses that he’s "quite evangelical" about Bradford and recently sang the city’s praises in a blog article called #BigupBradford #LoveWhereYouLive.

He said: "Easter is about rebirth and new starts. Bradford is undergoing a bit of a resurrection of its own at the moment so I thought Easter was the perfect time to start the Pub Church from a brand new city centre venue."

Bradford Brewery's managing director, Matthew Halliday, said: "We were very honoured when Graeme said he would like to base his St Arnold’s pub church here.

"It’s always been our aim for Bradford Brewery and The Brewfactory to be at the heart of the Bradford community, offering a place where people from all walks of life can get together for a whole diverse range of activities."