Church of Scotland ministers have been urged to ensure that their manses are properly maintained and not allowed to fall into disrepair.
The General Trustees, which looks after 855 homes, 1,390 churches and 206 standalone halls, said there had been recent cases where buildings were in such a poor condition that it was not financially viable to fix them.
It said the responsibility for maintenance of manses “rests squarely” with congregations which are overseen by the Kirk’s 45 presbyteries.
General Trustees convener Ian Douglas said: “Manses represent a very significant investment and the market value of these houses is greater than that of our church buildings.
“There have been recent cases where manses have been allowed to fall into such poor condition that repair has been judged unaffordable and the existing manse has had to be sold far below its proper value.
“In some cases the financial shortfall involved in providing a replacement has been as much as £200,000.”
Mr Douglas told the General Assembly, which consisted of more than 700 ministers and elders from across Scotland and the world, that the financial shortfall was picked up by the General Trustees but they could not continue to do so indefinitely.
“Manses require regular inspections and appropriate follow up action in repair, maintenance and updating,” he added.
“It is not good stewardship to allow manses to fall into a condition which requires such heavy expenditure.”
The General Trustees have made available 226 grants to maintain manses over the last seven years and 14 of them amounted to more than £1million.
Commissioners approved proposals to create a Manse Fund and a report on how it will operate will be presented to the General Assembly next year.