WEST BEND, Wis. -- A West Bend, Wis., church has expelled some of the area's most prominent residents as leaders try to resolve conflict over disputes about the church's finances and philosophy.

Fourteen members of Immanuel United Church of Christ were kicked out and another seven were warned that they also faced expulsion, according to The Associated Press. The move came after a consulting firm was paid about $7,500 to help resolve conflict in the congregation.

The church's senior pastor, the Rev. James Eckblad, said the expulsion was done "prayerfully and with an attempt to be faithful to our Lord."

Some members disagree.

"If you're a Christian church -- and you're supposed to love your neighbors -- you don't kick people out when they're in their 80s," said Joseph Billmann, a 36-year member of the church who resigned his membership.

Termination notices were mailed Dec. 13 and signed by members of the church's governing body, according to the AP. The notices claimed "it sickens our hearts to realize that we have come to this moment in our life together."

Expelled members have until Jan. 30 to appeal the decision, in a one-page letter explaining their reasons for wanting to return. Each person will have 15 minutes to state his or her case before three church lay leaders.

The terminated members say they were ousted because they questioned the way church finances were being handled. Church leaders claim the members were troublemakers who dislike the pastor and his progressive ministry.

In June, Church Doctor Ministries, an Indiana-based consulting firm led by Kent Hunter -- a contributing writer to ChurchCentral.com -- identified "about 30 people who are part of a small fraction who are negative."

While "numerous people" at Immanuel understand that times have changed, "there is another group that would like to identify this as 1952," according to the report, which did not address terminating members.