I like that phrase "a parish is not a... franchise, but part of the body of Christ." But one still needs to work out the relation between parish, priest, faithful. We need each other.  I worked in Holland for many years and we had to close different parishes. There the parishes exist densely packed in the urban areas, and it was generally accepted that some churches must be closed, and that there must be new forms of collaboration.  With regard to the Church buildings we moved from short-term capitalist thinking, to long term, sanely "conservative" thinking: i.e. giving new dignified functions to Church buildings when they must be closed. Closing churches is no fun. Sometimes it must be done. But one has to go on thinking: all I do is in service of the Body of Christ. I disagree with those who say the Church is dying in northern Europe. No, the grass is growing, children are being born and baptized. The old triumphalism has disappeared. But life springs eternal in the believer.