Every now and then a saying develops. It may have the basis in the truth, but often gets misappropriated rather quickly. Which in an age of 15-second sound bites and 140 character tweets, one can easily understand why.

One of these sayings that I have been encountering more and more lately is, “A note to church leaders, the church has only one savior!”

While true in a very real sense, that Christ is the savior; this saying provides the means of abdicating one’s responsibilities. Churches grow when they respond to the needs of the people and of the community. And churches decline when they respond to only the needs of those in the “club”.

Simply claim that it is up to God whether the church lives or die. That Christ is the savior of the church and no amount of responsibility is to be shared by the baptized.

I believe part of what it means to be a Christian is to live in tension. It is to live in the tension between the now and the not yet, the realized and yet to come kingdom of God.

In Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection the victory has already been won. Death is no more. The second Adam has restored us. Yet as we know, we are not in the garden, but still here on the earth.

It is why each year in the church calendar we journey from the expectation of the coming of our Lord in advent, to the crucifixion and resurrection at Easter. From there we continue to Pentecost, when the Spirit is left with the church and Christ ascends to Heaven.

We recall the life and mission of Christ and attempt to live in imitation. And it all culminates with the celebration of Christ the King, the Sunday before we do it all over again.

And yes, we do look to Lordship of Christ, our savior and master. And we recognize in his sacrifice we are made whole. That through the faith of Christ and faith in his work we are justified, saved and restored.

Yet the church simply doesn’t stop there, nor does our responsibility. We are to continue the building up of the church, the bride of Christ. (Matt 25:1-13) And as Christ commanded, we are to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I (Christ) have commanded you.” Matt 28:19-20

And like the apostles and the early church fathers, we are to devote ourselves “to the apostle’s teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Acts 2:42

The tension lies within the building up of the kingdom of God and realizing that God gives the growth. Christ is indeed the savior, and yet the real need for hard work to be done can best be summed up in yet another kitschy little saying…

When asked “Why hasn’t God done something about dwindling attendance in church, the poor and the needy.”

I always reply, “He has, he sent you.”