pews within the Church

I am chairman of a small community. I have a opportunity to get some pews for our Church in which we have chairs only. The Priest has expressed that he does not want the pews, relating back to the old customs of no sitting, prostrations, and no kneeing of Sundays. Today, we see many Orthodox Churches with pews. I have been to Greece and all over Europe, all the Church have pews. Being the faith is a living Organism, as with all living organisms there are changes within the times. This is not all, we have lost many members, due to a strict adherence to the Old Customs, not the Faith, but the customs as closing the doors, not reaching out in any way to those in need of the faith. What is your suggestion to the on going problems, the unchanging pride of the fashions within the Church?