The ancient Greek term paroikia - meaning "neighbourhood" - is today used almost exclusively to describe church congregations and their communities. Parish space is not legally owned by parishioners, yet it is symbolically perceived as theirs and practically shaped through everyday use. It provides human scale within both village and urban contexts. While formally public, it is not entirely so. Like the church building itself, it operates as an intermediate realm, an in-between space within the daily lives of locals. Parish spaces host more than religious services. They accommodate associations, post-funeral gatherings, annual quizzes, and performances by amateur theatre groups. Often, they include gardens used for weddings and baptisms. Maintained largely by their users, these buildings and green spaces form a collective environment beyond the private home, yet one in which a sense of belonging persists. However, what becomes of this intermediary zone when its primary driver - religious practice - gradually disappears? How does one address a condition of absence, or rather, an absent presence? In the northern region of Belgium, a decisive shift began in 2009. Anticipating declining religious use, the Flemish government transferred responsibility for church maintenance to cities and municipalities, including associated social and logistical annexes. This transition has fundamentally altered the position of churches within the public realm, raising questions of ownership, use, and long-term viability. Yet the role of annexes and parish spaces as social infrastructure - binding agents for collective life - is too often overlooked. This paper examines three approaches in which the relationship between parish space and annexes has been leveraged to safeguard the church building itself. The case studies are selected based on their urban or non-urban context and on the presence or absence of involvement by Team Flemish Government Architect and the Church Policy Plan.