Sounds rude, but it's quite in place in church (4)
I believe the answer is:
rood
'it's quite in place in church' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.
'sounds rude' is the wordplay.
'sounds' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'rude' is a homophone of 'ROOD'.
'but' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for rood that I've seen before include "Old land measure of quarter of an acre" , "Crucifix in entrance, set back" , "Pole, perch or crucifix" , "The Holy . . . . was the Cross of Christ" , "Old land measure and large cross in a church" .)