The New York Times published an interesting interview of Alan Mullaly, the CEO of Ford Motor. (He also used to work at Boeing.)

The car companies haven’t gotten much good press lately, but I liked what Mullaly had to say. The interview focuses on the question of how a leader determines the true purpose of an organization. Mullaly says,

Is the airplane really about an airplane or is it about getting people together around the world so they can find out how more alike they are than different? And is a car about just a driving experience or is it about safe and efficient transportation, and your family, and freedom? And so the higher the calling, the higher the compelling vision that you can articulate, then the more it pulls everybody in.

I wonder how we’d apply that same kind of thinking to parishes. How much time do we really spend thinking about the larger purpose of a parish? Is a parish just about ministry and services? Would it matter all that much to your neighborhood if your parish closed? Click on comments and share your thoughts.