That such a thing needs to be said at all seems strange. Of courses the Church is about, above all else, Jesus. And yet, how easily he can slide from view in the day to day life of that institutional thing the Church -- whether denomination or congregation -- is tempted to become. Our theological statements would never say such a thing, but our practicalities often refute our stated theology. My own denomination's constitution speaks of the Church as "the body of Christ" and says it "is to be a community of faith, entrusting itself to God alone, even at the risk of losing its life." (Book of Order F-1.0301) In reality, however, the Church will often seek to preserve its own life at all costs.
How easily the Church's mission becomes maintaining its structures and buildings, protecting its ways of doing church, or providing a religious product that is appealing to its "consumers." Nominally, at least, all these things can make some appeal to the person of Jesus, but practically, Jesus often disappears from view as congregations spend countless thousands of dollars to maintain facilities that sit vacant most of the time, argue incessantly about institutional details, or agonize over what new program might entice more participation. How easily we lose sight of Jesus as we become so focused on those "rubrics" that we forget who we are.
The 21st century is a time of great anxiety for most churches in America. Church participation has fallen precipitously; we have become less relevant culturally;, and many congregations have closed or will soon do so. In these anxious times churches often look for someone or something to bring them back. New pastors may be viewed like new head coaches who will be judged on how quickly they "turn things around." A slew of books, consultants, and organizations will show you new methods and programs that promise to increase worship attendance, build your youth program, or draw in those notoriously difficult to attract millennials. But what happens when, in the midst of all th is, we lose our focus on Jesus?
There is much to be learned from books, consultants, and organizations. Pastors have a key role to play in building congregational vitality. But absent Jesus, does it matter how successful our "rubrics" are? If the Church does not make Jesus known to the world, if we do not, in some way, incarnate Christ to and for the world, does anything else really matter very much?
"Retrieving the centrality of Christ can restore the simplicity of faith," says James Carroll. And within that simplicity can also be found the beauty of faith, the meaning of faith, and the relevance of faith. It may even be that the reason so many find the Church irrelevant to their lives is because those "rubrics" we devote so much time and energy to have nearly obscured Jesus.
And so, what might happen if we not only said but actually lived out this truth? "The Church exists for one reason only -- to carry the story of Jesus forward in history, and by doing that to make his presence real."
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