Recently, there has been a lot written and said about how churches are declining, becoming less relevant, and what needs to be done to reverse that trend. This week’s reading from John suggests that the answer is not another program or strategy, or in clever leadership techniques. What is required is our remaining in Christ. Discipleship requires us to remain connected to the One whose promise couldn’t be more clear, “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, when the relationship intimate and organic, the fruit will come.” God’s mission through the Church, to love and heal the world is about a practice, a way of life in which we stay connected to Christ who loves us in order that we might love others well.
