Conservative church groups are being targeted in a Liberal Party membership recruitment drive that is dividing the Victorian branch, with senior figures concerned the party could lurch to the hard right.

The membership committee, led by Brighton numbers man Marcus Bastiaan, has been talking to churches, Probus groups, retail traders' associations, healthcare professionals, Scout groups and "anyone that will listen" about joining up.

Michael Kroger: ''The party needs thousands of new members.'' Credit:Justin McManus

Groups of new members have sprung up in electorates across the state, worrying some MPs, with some senior figures labelling the drive "branch stacking".

There is concern recruits are mostly interested in socially conservative policies, such as winding back abortion, rather than broader Liberal philosophies. "This is about a battle for the heart of the party," a senior Victorian Liberal said.