Example estate management dissertation topic 4:

No longer fit for purpose? An evaluation of the estate management process deployed by the Church of England.

Using the Diocese of Durham as a case study, this dissertation evaluates the state of the Church’s estates within the north of England. Noting declining congregations, increasing numbers of church closures, a failure to stem the tides of vandalism and lead theft, and the failure of the Diocese to conform to issues of best practice with regard to listed building planning consents, this dissertation questions whether the time has come for ‘redundant’ churches and ‘redundant’ vicarages to be removed from the care of the Church. In so doing, it argues that a new agency needs to be appointed to direct and control the future uses of such buildings for they are part of the nation’s cultural heritage.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Behrens, J. (2005). Practical church management. Leominster: Gracewing Publishing.
• Keucher, G.W. (2006). Remember the future: Financial leadership and asset management for congregations. New York: Church Publishing Incorporated.
• Mansfield, J.R. (2008). ‘A critique of the evolving funding process for the care of Anglican medieval cathedrals in England’. Structural Survey, vol. 26(3), pp. 199-209.