 For example, given the ongoing priest shortage, a bishop may wish to reallocate clergy serving a small parish so that they can help serve a larger one, or a decline in contributions may make upkeep of a large, old parish church economically impossible.The merger or suppression of a parish does not necessarily require that its parish church or other operations be closed, however.The former parish church may be retained as an alternative worship space, for example, or converted for other pastoral use.